I thought this was an awful episode - Starsky and Hutch are both out of character and it's hard to believe they could ever make things up after falling out so badly. A punch-up between these two - have we landed in an alternate universe?
Instead of the affectionate sniping in other episodes, here they really seem to dislike each other - Starsky accuses Hutch of being unprofessional, even before Hutch sleeps with his girlfriend. The most painful bit, though, is the "funny" sequence at the end, which centres on a rather seedy joke which the series would never have touched in earlier seasons.

Anyone who claims Clive Owen can't act should watch this show - and think again. He's riveting as Ross Tanner, a tough detective chief inspector who suddenly discovers he is suffering from a rare eye condition. As he starts to go blind, he tries desperately to hide his condition from his colleagues. For me I must say the main interest lies in this personal dilemma rather than the mysteries themselves, where it is often (not always) pretty obvious whodunit. The moody, noirish camerawork and the special effects to suggest Tanner's blurred vision and hallucinations add to the atmosphere, as does the music, though I could do without the corny song I Can See Clearly Now turning up in quite so many scenes. But the best thing of all is the sharp dialogue, with loads of quotable lines. It's a pity that there were so few episodes made - though, realistically, it would be hard to make Tanner's struggle to cover up his disability last for any length of time. And it's also a shame that the interesting romantic situation, with Tanner falling for DI Catherine Tully (Claire Skinner), who helps him to cover up his failing eyesight, doesn't last for the whole series.

I only caught the occasional episode of 'Bramwell' when it was first shown, so was delighted to see that a satellite station in Britain is now repeating it from the start.
I think the first episode is a fine beginning, establishing Eleanor (Jemma Redgrave) as a strong heroine right away and showing her dedication to medicine and women's rights. But it also shows her outspoken/headstrong nature and the way it can quickly get her into trouble, for instance when she agrees to examine her friend Vicky and tells her some devastating news instead of skating over it. Robert Hardy is also excellent as the smarmy surgeon Sir Herbert, all too ready to perform unnecessary surgery on supposedly "hysterical" women.

I vividly remember watching this series as a child, on the BBC in 1972. When it was released on DVD, I wondered if it would live up to my memories - it did. Now that most classic adaptations tend to rush through the book in just a few episodes, it is great to see a series which moves so slowly, covering all the major characters and plot twists of Tolstoy's masterpiece.
A young Anthony Hopkins gives a poignant and powerful performance as Pierre, the reluctant aristocrat struggling to find some purpose to his life, while Alan Dobie is equally good as the disillusioned Prince Andrei. I also like Morag Hood as heroine Natasha - though, as she was in her late 20s at the time of filming, it's hard to believe in her as the 14-year-old Natasha in the early episodes. Angela Down is also good as the repressed Maria.

For fans of witty romantic comedy, it's hard to imagine a show that would fit the bill better than Just Good Friends - the bitter-sweet on-off story of chalk and cheese couple Vince and Penny (Paul Nicholas and Jan Francis). He jilted her at the altar, as she never tired of telling him, but it was plain to see they still loved each other. There was always loads of chemistry between the pair and it was impossible to believe they could ever be just good friends! One of the quirky little things that appealed about the series was the way there is always an extra scene after the final credits - very often containing the wittiest line in the whole episode.
As with Sullivan's other comedies, the minor characters quickly grew to be just as popular as the leads - in particular Vince and Penny's parents.