Review of Widows Series 1 (2 Discs)

Introduction

Before becoming the hugely successful writer of 20+ TV series, Lynda La Plante was an actress appearing in such diverse shows as Rentaghost, The Professionals, Educating Marmalade and The Sweeney. Perhaps it was the TV cop shows (she also appeared in Bergerac) that drew her into her writing, as after sending lots of ideas to producers, one finally came back with a positive response. The BAFTA-nominated Widows was what she came up with on the back of that response, and it launched what has been a very successful career so far, despite the large gap in the 1980s when nothing much that she wrote got made. Widows was also recently remade for ABC in the US and it also spawned 2 sequels, the imaginatively titled Widows 2, and many years later She`s Out.

Dolly Rawlins, Linda Perelli and Shirley Miller are all widowed when their husbands are killed during an attempt to hold up a security van. Dolly discovers detailed plans for their next crime and decides that the widows should pull the job off themselves. Are these novice villains up to the task, and can they also keep the plans out of the hands of the police and other rival gangs?

Video

Remastered from 16mm negatives, and although it`s not up to today`s blockbuster standards it does look rather good for its age. There`s very little print damage, which is admirable for something that`s twenty years old. It does show its age at times, but it`s all very watchable, even during the black and white flashback clips. Perhaps our friends at Hong Kong Legends or the Doctor Who Restoration Team might have made it even better, but as this is one of Fremantle`s first entries into the market they`ve done well enough.

And when you watch you`ll find lots of early 1980s clues, including some incredible hairstyles and some rather nasty fashions. You`ll also see a lot of 1980s London, as this is a trademark of the production company, Euston Films from shows like Minder, and The Sweeney. There`s even a chance to witness how grotty the Underground was in the early 1980s, as well as the use of some old quarries that usually double for alien planets on Doctor Who.

Audio

A DD2.0 soundtrack, which appears to be the original mono soundtrack replayed over both channels. It`s nothing to get excited about, but it`s perfectly functional and does the job well enough.

I`ve already mentioned that the visual style is reminiscent of The Sweeney, and some of the dialogue feels that way too, with plenty of cockney villains talking about their manor, doing blags, needing motors and shooters, and paying a hundred nicker for something. There`s nothing to rival that Sweeney classic though - "We`re The Sweeney son, and we haven`t had any dinner. Now get your trousers on, you`re nicked!"

Features

You`ll find a couple of interviews, which are quite interesting, even though you have to watch them a question at a time, and publicity stills featuring more 1980s hairstyles. Given how popular this show was and how important it was for La Plante`s career you might have expected more...

There was a problem accessing some of the interview questions on my review discs - whatever one you selected always took you to the video of the first answer. I hope that this is fixed in the final release.

Conclusion

A classic TV series from the 1980s, and possibly still La Plante`s best work to date, although Prime Suspect is rather better known. Widows is miles better than the 2 sequels too. There are plenty of Sweeney parallels, most of which I`ve already mentioned, but you do also get the good old-fashioned hard-drinking detective inspector thrown in. La Plante likes her little twists and turns in the plot too, and this makes you want to watch the next episode straight away.

The series is helped by good performances overall from the four leading ladies, as well as the supporting cast such as Christopher Ellison, later to appear on the other side of the law in The Bill. He is equally convincing as lawman and villain.

A very enjoyable piece of television, and written in such a way that you can watch it a second or third time and look out for all those little clues that you missed when you watched it originally. Highly recommended for La Plante fans and to anyone who missed it first time around.