This is how it was...

You know, as someone who grew up in Liverpool in the 70's and 80's, over the years there have been various films and programmes about Liverpool that has attempted to portray the city and it's people in a realistic light, and to be honest they never really get it right and usually make me cringe.

But this is the only one that does.

It's a great series period, regardless of where it's set.

Yes, it's grim, unremitting, most of the humour is very dark ad comes from very dark places.

But it is how I remember those times, and I recognise those people.

There are many aspects of it that resonate, various scenes, lines etc -

The scene in the pub after the funeral, with all of the various characters and nutters, the manager on the verge of a nervous breakdown, the redundancy party, Shake-Hands, the whistling man. Yes, there were certain pubs that were like that, absolute bedlam...best avoided, to be honest.

The church scene, where the priest is droning on, and Chrissie stands up and say 'I'm sorry father but you're not on. We didn't come here to listen to this". And he's right. My early memories of going to church were the same, a man standing at the front just talking endlessly, reading from a book in a ridiculous, robotic fashion - and it meant absolutely nothing. It certainly meant nothing to Chrissie, who obviously felt the same way. Symtpomatic of the fact that though there were many who followed the catholic religion in Liverpool, the church didn't actually speak to them or for them.

The episode with Chrissy and Julie Walters trying to make ends meet. I can remember my parents hiding behind the door when the rentman came knocking (yes, guys actually went door-to-door collecting rent in those days). This perfectly illustrates the desperation and hopelessness of people living on the breadline - Liverpool in the early 70's particularly was a very depressed area, and was almost like the poverty you see of the immidiate post-war years in London.

But there is a line in this episode that probably sums up the whole series, and perhaps the city at the time for me, when Julie Walters is trying to motivate Chrissie and says

"I am fed up with this if-you-don't-laugh-you'll-cry attitude, this stupid sodding city is full of it!"

And it was - people had no money, but you could barely get into the pubs they were so crowded. That was a pervasive attitude, things are bad, but what the hell. Money and work was here today, possibly gone tomorrow so may as well enjoy it...worry about the consequences later.


Yossers story - possibly one of the bleakest and most powerful pieces of TV drama ever. Bernard Hill's tortured, manic performance is a career best. And yet it's shot through with some wonderful humour...

Yosser's penchant for headbutting people - when he tries to get himself arrested, the policeman tries to remonstrate with him and starts arguing. Yosser say something like "But officer...", and the officer says "Don't but me!" And Yosser just has this evil glint in his eye, suddenly realising the policeman has just given him, the perfect idea to surely get him arrested...cut to a shot of Yosser sitting in the back of a police car, and said copper holding a hankie to a bloody nose...

And the scene in the church confessional - Yosser, at the end of his tether, virtually suicidal goes to confession. The priest is sitting on the other side of the box, feet up, slippers on, cup of tea and a packet of biscuits, and with the most condescending and patronising manner imaginable...

Yosser explains he is feeling very low, the priest starts coming out with pahetic little bon-mot's like "Ah now my son, a trouble shared is a trouble halved" etc.

(Now some of you will know this, some may not. There was a famous English kids comic called The Dandy, and there was a regular strip in there for a character called Desperate Dan, a huge, square-jawed cowboy that liked to eat cow pie.)

And Yosser says "I'm desperate father"

Priest "Ah, call me Dan"

Yosser " I'm desperate, dan"


And Yosser, realising the complete absurdity of what he has just said, looks up, and just starts headbutting the wall in front of him continuously...