Customer Reviews

The Invisibles : Complete BBC Series 1 [2008] [DVD]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Rarely have I started watching a new tv series with as much enthusiasm and goodwill as I did with this one. The actors are excellent, with Warren Clarke and that bloke off the coffee ads along with the too rarely seen Jenny Agutter. Added to that the writer was the man behind Common as Muck, a fondly remembered series (if not by the BBC who have never repeated it and haven't released it on dvd). And the set-up of old cons returning from the Costa Del Crime to enjoy their retirement years back home, and being drawn back into their old ways, promised a variation on the New Tricks formula, but this time from the villains' viewpoint.

That goodwill lasted even after hearing the rumour that the Devon based series was filmed in Ireland as the locals didn't want to be associated with it, but it died shortly after the opening title credits. It's difficult to pin down why it didn't work, but it's probably down to lots of factors. The main actors don't seem to believe in their characters, being unsure whether to play them for laughs or for pathos and so settling for an uninvolving middle ground involving pantomime style over-acting and that look in the eye that says they need a new agent. Jenny Agutter in particular has a thankless role and she merely phones in her performance. Only the secondary actors get the tone right, but they have little to do.

The stories are painfully obvious and suffer the inevitable problem that any series will have in which the main characters are on the wrong side of the law. They have to elicit sympathy from the viewer even when they are doing wrong, so they have to be bad in a way that ensures only nasty people suffer and that comes over as contrived. Even the sunny climes of 'Devon' are cold and unappealing, leading to a comedy drama that lacks laughs and worse lacks heart. You can see they are trying to be New Tricks, but never once does it get that show's balance right of character and plot, comedy and drama.

Having said that I did record the episodes and just recently I got round to watching the last four, and with my expectations at rock-bottom I did watch the whole series to the end without too much trouble. So the series isn't in the gloriously awful class of Bonekickers, but instead is neither an abject failure nor a success. If one of the reviews on this page really is by the show's writer, then he's right that this is what the BBC should be doing and it is more interesting than any reality show, although sadly it's fairly routine. So if you're just looking for familiar actors and obvious stories to half-watch while doing a crossword on a Sunday afternoon, this will fit the bill. Just don't expect a second series!

The Invisibles is a series about two friends Maurice Riley (Anthony Head - Buffy The Vampre Slayer, Doctor Who) and Syd Woolsey (Warren Clarke - Dalziel And Pascoe)who were members of "The Invisibles" the best robbers in town. They are joined by the son of the 3rd Invisible Hedley (Dean Lennox Kelly). Trying to stay on the straight and narrow they are forced to do one "final" job - but things don't go as smoothly as planned.

The cast are excellent and have a good on screen chemistry. Jenny Agutter (Spooks, An American Werewolf In London) is superb as Maurice's wife who is determined that he goes straight. The shows premise is basically "New Tricks" only with ex cons rather than ex coppers and the result is just as entertaining.

The six episodes are presented over two disks. If you enjoyed New Tricks and wan't to try something similar then give this dvd a go. Personally I can't wait for series two.

The biggest problem with The Invisibles is that it arrived a few years too late.

Following the exploits of Syd Riley and Maurice Woolsey (not sure why the subtle motoring reference, but am slightly intrigued by it), aided by Hedley, the son of a former colleague, it charts the comical adventures of two ageing criminals who have returned to the shores of England and have decided to return to work.

The basic premise and the plot lines are ridiculous, but don't take too much notice of the lack of realism as that is exactly what makes the series very good fun. There are some hilarious moments - I still snigger when thinking about Syd's explanation for exactly why Alvin Stardust performed wearing only one glove - but whilst the series was greater than the sum of its parts, unfortunately, it didn't manage to engage the public. That's a shame.

The series first caught my interest when screened on the BBC HD channel and I could never understand why it wasn't a much bigger success. I suspect that the target audience missed the point here; if it had hit the screen seven or eight years earlier then perhaps it reception wouldn't have been coloured by expectations that it was going to be the next New Tricks.

So whilst the series was great, I was disappointed by the DVD release for one main reason. I can usually live with the inevitable soundtrack editing, but when it is instrumental to the experience, I have a problem. The series was originally broadcast with regular clips of Syd listening to Matt Monro (another teasing but unexplained reference), but replaced with session music for this DVD release; to be honest, that matters very little if you didn't see the broadcast version, but it does spoil the effect if you did. What is truly unforgivable though is a scene where Maurice is seen complaining about 'Death In Venice' being played in the background - erm, that is going to be a tad confusing for a fresh viewer as it's not even Mahler in the background, just more cheesy session music, nothing remotely classical so was inappropriate for the scene in any case. That is sloppy editing and the dialogue should at least have been removed as it made no sense at all.

So the edited soundtrack is my biggest gripe by far but, on the other hand, that maybe me being far too picky. This seems to be a largely unwanted and unpopular release so copies are cheap to get hold of. I can perhaps live with it on that basis!

The only other negative I can find is that given the lack of success, I doubt we'll be getting a Blu-Ray release either...

This is a classic example of what the BBC do best.
quality actors, with well written scripts.
the greatest thieves of the 70s feel that they are not as ready for retirement in the new millennium as they may have thought.
they may have the passion of youth, but things are a bit slower, and the eyesight may not be what it was for certain members of the crew.
A comedy drama, without being silly, in the classic mould.

Looking at the cast and reading the reviews for this I thought this series would be great. Unfortunately I realised that this was not the case after the first episode. It was all just a bit dull and lifeless. There seemed to be no comedy elements at all and the overacting was really bad. Give it a go if you like this sort of thing, but if I was you I'd give it a miss.

This was great! British Humour and drama together making an excellent show. A great watch!

I decided to give this a try based on the reviews here but tossed the DVD set in the garbage bin after an hour. I just didn't think it was very humorous or entertaining, while the plot is too ridiculous for serious drama. Maybe it's OK if you're really into these actors or your like your humor very very subtle (it certainly evaded me).

the story line was a hoot however translated into TV veiwing I found that overacting of a couple of the actors spoilt it for me. Average veiwing.

This is a cracking comedy. Really funny with brilliant central performances. I did write the show so obviously I'm biased. On the other hand there's a whole heap of reality rubbish out there so do yourself a favour and watch a show with real actors pretending to be other people. It's a blast!