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Fenn Street Gang (The): The Complete Second Series (TV)
R2 - United Kingdom - Network Review written by and copyright: Paul Lewis (4th May 2008). |
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The Show
 A spin-off from the popular and well-remembered LWT sitcom Please Sir! (1968-1972), The Fenn Street Gang (1971-1973) ran for three series and focused on the lives of the pupils of Fenn Street School as they left the sheltered confines of the class of 5C and tried to make their way in the outside world (or rather, the world of early-1970s London). In turn, The Fenn Street Gang inspired its own spin-off, the short-lived series Bowler (1973), which focused on George Baker’s ‘wideboy’ character Mr Bowler, who in The Fenn Street Gang is the employer of Peter Craven (Malcolm McFee). At the start of Please Sir! the cast already seemed much older than the characters they were supposed to be playing, and by the third series, although the show still ‘worked’, it was almost impossible to imagine the cast as school-age children. Consequently, after series three a decision was made to take the characters out of the school environment, resulting in the development of The Fenn Street Gang, which was also accompanied by a comic strip in the children’s magazine Look-In. The fourth series of Please Sir! featured a new cast of school chums, and following the departure of John Alderton (as 5C’s teacher, Mr Hedges) the series entered a period of decline from which it never recovered: the fourth and final series is widely considered a misfire which lacked the interplay and ‘chemistry’ that had existed between the original members of the cast. However, the camaraderie of the original class of 5C was carried over to The Fenn Street Gang, as the school leavers tried to make their way in the world of work. Taking the characters out of school and putting them into a new context was in many ways a good idea, as it allowed the writers to place these much-loved characters into a wider variety of comic situations. However, on the other hand The Fenn Street Gang lacked some of the interplay that made Please Sir! so special: in Please Sir! the characters worked as an ensemble because they were all thrown together into the same school environment, but in The Fenn Street Gang the characters are involved in so many different plots that the series eventually began to take an almost ‘revolving door’ approach to its characters, with each episode focusing on one particular character’s adventures rather than the hi-jinx of the whole group. Thus, in this second series, there are episodes that focus exclusively on such topics as Maureen’s (Liz Gebhardt) attempts to pass her nursing examinations, Frankie’s (David Barry) attempts to re-enter the workplace as a private detective, and Dennis’ (Peter Denyer) affair with older woman Glenda (Yootha Jayce). Consequently, the show could be compared to a latter-day sitcom such as the US show Friends (1994-2004), which uses a similar formula and is stronger when the ensemble cast are thrown into a situation together, where they can play off one another. As a result, this second series of The Fenn Street Gang could best be described as slightly uneven: the show is never less than charming and well-observed, but some episodes raise little more than a smile whilst other episodes are very funny and inspired. The best episodes seem to be those that revolve around the slow-witted but charming Dennis: ‘The Woman For Dennis’ features Dennis becoming involved with an older woman (in one scene, she claims that her granny, in Liverpool, has a ‘terminal case’, and Dennis asks her ‘Is that like an airline bag?’); ‘The Loneliest Night of the Week’ is an amusing episode in which Dennis and Frankie visit a strip club, but when Frankie finds a girlfriend Dennis feels like a ‘gooseberry’ and decides to take up dancing lessons; and in ‘Dypsomania On Sea’, Dennis takes a short holiday in Little Hampton, and the episode contains a clever, extended silent comedy sequence that seems to be a nod to Jacques Tati’s classic film M. Hulot’s Holiday (Les vacances de M. Hulot, 1953). Throughout the series, the growing relationship between Eric Duffy (Peter Cleall) and Sharon Eversleigh (Carol Hawkins) is also handled well: it’s a light and touching ongoing narrative that results in a happy pay-off at the end of the second series, as the pair become engaged to one another. The Fenn Street Gang had a few cast changes: Carol Hawkins continued in the role of Sharon Eversleigh, having taken over from Penny Spencer in the third series of Please Sir!; in the second series, Malcolm McFee returned to the role of Peter Craven (in the first series of The Fenn Street Gang, he had been temporarily replaced by Kubrick collaborator Leon Vitali, who gave a slightly different interpretation of the character). Finally, the third series of The Fenn Street Gang saw the departure of the characters of Maureen and Dennis, much to the series’ loss. Episode Overview Disc One: ‘The Crunch’ (25:26) Eric and his brother Monty run a painting and decorating business together. However, when Monty’s wife falls pregnant he decides to leave the business, putting Eric’s livelihood in doubt. Meanwhile, Frankie wrecks Peter’s car and Sharon becomes jealous over Eric’s friendship with Maureen. ‘Smart Lad Wanted’ (24:36) Mr Bowler hires Peter to take care of his daughter Melanie for the evening. Peter, Maureen and Frankie take Melanie to dinner. Melanie steals money from her father, leading Frankie to declare that she’s not just a chip off the old block but a ‘whole log’. ‘The Woman For Dennis’ (25:21) Dennis begins an affair with an older woman, Glenda. Dennis claims that he is going to marry Glenda, but is she simply taking him for a ride? ‘Menagerie a Trois’ (25:06) Frankie Abbott moves in with Dennis after a disagreement with his overpowering mother Vera (Barbara Mitchell) over her new lover Cyril (Peter Glaze). ‘That Sort of Girl’ (25:08) Eric suffers from financial difficulties and is disgusted when Sharon expresses her plans to enter the ‘Mr Fenn Street and Miss Fenn Street’ (he’s afraid of her ‘flashing her knockers about’ like a ‘dirty little scrubber’). Meanwhile, Frankie plans to enter the same competition and tries to build himself up through exercise; when that fails, he resorts to simply padding out his clothing. ‘The Left Hand Path’ (25:10) Mr Bowler asks Peter to help him keep his party guests ‘salubrious’. Peter gambles with some of Bowler’s money and loses a hundred quid of it. Peter unsuccessfully tries to raise the money by selling his body to science. Disc Two: ‘The Lady With the Lamp’ (25:06) Maureen is facing difficulties in her job as a trainee nurse. Meanwhile, Sharon is playing the role of a mermaid on a float in a parade, and during an accident at the preparations for the parade Sharon’s mother ends up in the hospital; Maureen finds herself in the position of taking care of Sharon’s mother. ‘The Loneliest Night of the Week’ (25:28) Dennis has been dragged on a Saturday night out by Frankie, but they have nothing better to do than spend it in their local café. When Peter turns up with gorgeous blonde Ingrid (whose legs, according to Frankie ‘go right up to her bum’), Frankie and Dennis decide go to a ‘gentleman’s club’, where Frankie picks up a stripper. Now, Dennis is the ‘gooseberry’, the only single member of the group, and to assuage his loneliness he decides to take up dancing lessons. ‘Father’s Day’ (25:57) At his dancing class, Dennis meets a new girlfriend, Rose, who comes from a very middle-class family. Worried about impressing Rose’s parents, Dennis buys her father a Jack Buchanan record but accidentally sits on it, breaking it. When the time comes around for Rose to meet Dennis’ family, Dennis becomes increasingly humiliated by his father’s attempt to garner sympathy by faking a suicide attempt. ‘Low Noon’ (24:17) Eric, Sharon and Eric’s dad are in the pub, planning a trip to Coventry. They meet Mr Bowler, who is engaged in a deal to buy some ‘dodgy’ whisky. Mr Bowler seeks to employ the quick-witted Eric, but Eric comes into conflict with Mr Bowler over Bowler’s trade in illicit whisky; Eric finds that his friends come to his aide when Scotch Eddie threatens him. ‘And Baby Makes Four’ (24:35) Frankie and Eric discover that Peter’s swish new flat is costing him £22 a week; Peter’s Swedish girlfriend Ingrid comes round but leaves Peter feeling rejected. Whilst driving through town, the lonely Peter picks up a pregnant hitchhiker and takes her to her cousin’s house but discovers that her family have moved to Australia. Peter allows the woman to stay at his new flat and attempts to track down her estranged husband. ‘Is That a Proposal, Eric?’ (25:23) Sharon has applied for a new job as a shop manager. Meanwhile, Sharon’s mother is involved with Italian diving instructor Giulio. Sharon takes part in a beauty contest. After a heated row, Eric and Sharon become engaged. Disc Three: ‘Private Eye and Public Nuisance’ (25:19) Frankie’s mum persuades his old employer, the head of a private detective agency, to give Frankie back his job. Subsequently Frankie is hired to find out who has been painting the Union Flag on the horses at the stable where Dennis works. ‘Dypsomania On Sea’ (25:43) Frustrated by his home life, Dennis takes a short holiday in Little Hampton. Whilst Dennis is away, his dad is admitted to the hospital. ‘Is Anybody There?’ (25:52) Maureen comes into conflict with her priest over her denouncement of spiritualism; Maureen is offended by her priest’s suggestion that she may be ‘a bigot’. To learn about spiritualism, the gang visit a medium, and subsequently Maureen becomes convinced that she is a witch. ‘How To Handle a Woman’ (24:17) The gang visit Peter’s mum and dad to pick up a wardrobe for Peter’s flat, and Peter enlists Sharon’s help in entertaining his parents at his new flat. Peter’s father is henpecked, and Peter, Frankie and Dennis teach Peter’s father to stand up for himself against Peter’s mother. Sharon becomes afraid that she may be treating Eric in the same way that Peter’s mother treats his father. ‘Business Deficiency’ (25:07) Eric is approached with a business deal by a man named Manston: he is offered £1500 worth of business for ‘sprucing up’ Manston’s factory. Eric uses the money to build up his painting and decorating business and hires a new secretary, but when she struggles with her job Eric can’t find the heart to fire her. ‘Absent Friends’ (23:52) Eric and Sharon are holding their engagement party. Frankie can’t find a date and asks Sharon’s colleague at the clothes shop to accompany him. Peter asks Maureen, but she assumes he’s taking pity on her. Meanwhile, Dennis buys a hideous dress for his girlfriend Rose, against the advice of Sharon.
Video
As was common with most television programmes of its vintage, The Fenn Street Gang was mostly shot on videotape, with some of the exterior footage shot on 16mm film. The episodes look surprisingly good and clean, but expect from them the softness of image that is typical of VT-recorded television shows. The show is presented in its original aspect ratio of 4:3.
Audio
Sound is presented in 2.0 mono; it's functional, but occasionally dialogue is drowned out by ambient noise and, at times, the 'laughter track'. In light of this, subtitles would have been helpful, but sadly none have been included. In the episode 'Private Eye and Public Nuisance' there are a couple of seconds of audio 'drop out' (at 6:38), but otherwise the audio track is problem-free.
Extras
Sadly, there are no extras.
Overall
Please Sir! is one of the gems of the classic ITV sitcoms, and whilst The Fenn Street Gang is much better than the disappointing fourth series of Please Sir!, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the best episodes of Please Sir! In this second series of The Fenn Street Gang, the ‘revolving door’ approach to the cast dilutes the camaraderie and interplay that have led to Please Sir! being such a well-remembered sitcom, and the episodes are uneven in tone. However, for fans of Please Sir! who have fallen in love with the characters The Fenn Street Gang is a must-watch. Unlike some of ITV’s other sitcoms, The Fenn Street Gang (like Please Sir! before it and John Esmonde and Bob Larbey’s other sitcoms, such as The Good Life) for the most part avoids a reliance on tired innuendo, and the situations are well-observed. These strong points mean that although The Fenn Street Gang may not be in the top tier of British sitcoms, it is nevertheless a charming and occasionally quite funny series. For more information, please visit the homepage of Network DVD.
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