Treacle People [DVD]

I am writing this second review to point out a few facts firstly the review by Sticky was written, it seems, by the DVD producers just two days after mine so that anyone who read my review, doubtless after theirs, would take no notice of the points that I made. If the DVD producers really were concerned with the public then don't you think they would have mentioned the fact that there are double the episodes on the disc before it was even released, just to make it clear. No, they wait until someone points out that three episodes is not good enough before telling the consumer that there are actually six episodes on the disc, obviously they were worried that my review would cause people to boycott their product. My review, though, still stands, to release six ten minute episodes of a wonderful 27 episode series (that includes the Christmas special) is still not good enough they should have released the entire first series of 13 episodes. Others classic shows were released in this way, namely Charlie Chalk (as I mentioned before) but also other releases such as Bucky O'Hare, The Morph Files, The Shoe People, Bagpuss, Mr Benn, The Clangers all of these classics were released in series form. And that's just the ones I can name of the top of my head.

I doubt that what I had to say here will be passed by Amazon but if it is then I have one last thing to point out, the DVD companies can get away with terrible releases because no one ever stands up and says 'that's not good enough'. Maybe it's fear of being ridiculed or being shouted down by the big boys (as in this case) but I think we should stand up for our rights as consumers. All I am striving for is the hope that the consumer should get what they deserve ‘a good honest release’, not just with this DVD but others like it. After all there are many other TV shows and Films that either hasn’t been released yet or hasn’t been done justice in its release. I hope that Amazon will print this, and I hope that you, the readers, help, as fellow consumers, demand better releases in the future and help stand up for our right to be treated fairly and taken seriously. Thanks for reading my review and Thanks to Amazon for printing it.

Firstly I should say that the star rating is not for the show, the show is 5 stars, but for this awful release. The Treacle People is a very funny program, it's what you'd expect from the writer of Danger Mouse (Brian Trueman) there are a lot of amusing play-on-words that a young child just wouldn't get so unlike children’s programs of today this can be enjoyed by adults as well. I recently caught an episode of the show when it was screened early in the morning on Channel 4 and found it impossible not to laugh, it's just hilarious. So I was delighted to hear of its DVD release, until a few days later. When I discovered that only three episodes would be included on the disc and given that the episodes are only ten minutes long it hardly seems worth it to release only half an hour of this wonderful show particularly with a recommended price tag of £9.99. The studio responsible for this release should be ashamed of themselves. Other classic kids shows that have been released in particular Charlie Chalk, a thirteen episode series (the same length as the Treacle People's first series of which there are two), were released in their entirety. It's a crying shame that DVDs of lesser known programs are not released with the same care and attention as say The Office or Fawlty Towers, this release is not only expensive for what it is but is also a poor excuse for a DVD. We as consumers should push for better releases from DVD companies after all we’re the ones that buy them and we’re the ones that keep these companies in business therefore they should be listening to the consumer not worried about their profit margin. This DVD is nothing but the result of greedy ‘fat cats’ wanting more money than they already have. My advice: we should demand better, make a stand and get the consumer taken seriously, after all, we virtually pay their salaries.

This is an excellent tape except that 3 episodes seems a bit mean - hence the 4 star rating. The humour simply flows throughout, the Moo-bark being just one imaginative example. The characters are all individuals and funny (is that Bet Lynch serving Ginger Beer?). It's a shame that all of the episodes are not on DVD and that this is the only item available to the public. I must confess, Furness, that I am praying that Nick Jr repeat the series again soon. You can't get too much treacle!