I am unconvinced as to the wisdom of the
50-minute sitcom format. While it made sense for Only Fools & Horses
to expand in 1989, that was its sixth series - the longer episodes taking
advantage of the groundswell of the audience's identification with these
characters and familiarity with their situation. Whereas You Rang M'Lord
started from scratch, and I always got the feeling was given as something of a
reward to Perry & Croft for 20 years of exemplary BBC Comedy service.
What they produced is an intensely plotty long-term serial narrative about blackmail and family fortunes that makes this individual episode very exposition-heavy. The essential comic story within the episode (Alf needing funds quickly and coming to grief with a pawnbroker) would be better dealt with in a more concentrated half-hour. There are plenty of funny moments within it, but they all feel a bit subsidiary to the plot. Plus Alf is quite the nastiest piece of work in the Perry and Croft canon - the very first thing that we see him do is attempt to rob a corpse! - making him a problematic protagonist. Captain Mainwaring, Battery Sergeant Williams, Ted Bovis et al all had their considerable flaws, but was easier to see their good points and empathise with their position.
What they produced is an intensely plotty long-term serial narrative about blackmail and family fortunes that makes this individual episode very exposition-heavy. The essential comic story within the episode (Alf needing funds quickly and coming to grief with a pawnbroker) would be better dealt with in a more concentrated half-hour. There are plenty of funny moments within it, but they all feel a bit subsidiary to the plot. Plus Alf is quite the nastiest piece of work in the Perry and Croft canon - the very first thing that we see him do is attempt to rob a corpse! - making him a problematic protagonist. Captain Mainwaring, Battery Sergeant Williams, Ted Bovis et al all had their considerable flaws, but was easier to see their good points and empathise with their position.
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