Blackpool + Viva Blackpool 3 Disc Set [DVD]

I missed "Blackpool" when it was on television and bought this on the recommendation of a friend. The singing at odd intervals took a little time to get used to but by "These Boots are made for walking" I could see what a good device it was to convey how the characters were feeling. Very well executed by all the cast.David Morrisey is wonderful as the (almost 100%) amoral Ripley - a role that you can't imagine any other actor playing. David Tennant and Sarah Parish are also flawlessly cast, I loved all three characters and was glued to the TV as the murder enquiry surrounding Ripley and the tentative romance between Natalie and Carlisle unfolded.Rarely do I finish a series and go straight back to watch it all again, but I did with this one. I'll finish episode 6 tonight for the second time and I might just watch it all again - its like a fairground ride when you were a kid, so good that you just can't resist another go.The sequel does not have the magic of the original - David Morrisey did his best and I'm guessing that so many people wanted to know what happened to our antihero after the end of "Blackpool" that the BBC took the chance to follow up - but it just highlighted the fact that the original was so great because of the ensemble cast.

I was deeply disappointed by Blackpool. I have not yet watched Viva Blackpool, so my review is based solely on the original series. There were some fine ideas but in my opinion they were poorly executed and the end result was unsatisfactory. The last episode was a lot better than the rest in the way it used its ideas but by then I was already deeply disappointed.As someone who really loves Bollywood films, I was really intrigued by the idea of having songs in a drama. However, the placement of the songs was very ill-timed in the majority- ruining moments of tension and drama by having the characters bursting into songs which also didn't seem to make a lot of sense in context. I am aware that there is a commentary explaining why certain songs were chosen but my feeling is that if you need something in the artistic forum explained to you then it has failed in its goal. Bollywood films introduce songs at moments of contemplation, not at key plot moments, disrupting the flow of the story. Having Carlisle and Ripley's wife burst into song at the moment they went to bed was cringe-makingly awful in particular. Another bad moment that sticks in my mind is the moment where Carlisle realises that Natalie knows who he is. The opposite moment, where Natalie enters the police station was very well-played but the dramatic impetus was completely ruined by it taking place in the middle of the song. In that scene there was no sense of recognition that he had been busted.Aside from that, most of the characters were not just unlikeable but rather boring. No one really seemed to get fleshed out apart from Ripley and were all used as conduits to the story. Including (most fatally) Ripley's wife Natalie. There wasn't nearly enough backstory fleshed out to make the characters interesting. You found out that Carlisle was married but no real detail given as to what happened, to flesh him out. I actually couldn't understand WHY Carlisle would fall in love with her, she seemed so boring. It was only in the last episode that Danny became at all interesting and Shyanne was just a plot device to reveal Ripley's back story. I was rooting for Ripley they whole time and in the last episode, where he acted so compassionatly, I actually wanted Natalie to stay with him as he actually seemed like a much worthier person than hothead Carlisle.Which leads me to my next criticism. I actually thought David was completely miscast in this. The role of Carlisle, the way it was written, needed to either be someone who was a good deal younger than Ripley and his wife, someone new to the force, with something to prove and a bit naive, gradually being corrupted by the experience or someone a little bit older, wizened and cynical. To his credit he did his absolute best and was very convincing but I don't think he was right for the part. Either that or Sarah Parrish wasn't right for her part. I find her rather passive as an actress and not someone who I can imagine in relationship dramas. I feel the same way about her in Mistresses too.I didn't sense any real chemistry between her and David Tennant at all.All in all, a wonderful idea with so much potential that it didn't live up to.

I don't know how I missed this first time around but maybe I started to watch and got put off immediately by the musical sequences. I shouldn't have been - once you get used to the style they fit very well into the story and are sometimes laugh out loud hilarious. After reading all the positive reviews on here, I decided to spend part of my Christmas gift voucher on this dvd. I'm so glad I did!When I started to watch the first episode, my husband, who doesn't watch much TV, kept looking over his book and starting to get involved and laugh along with me. After a while, he put his book down and we watched the entire series in two sessions. We both agree it's one of the best things we've ever watched.David Morrissey is absolutely brilliant, and the entire cast is faultless. As for David Tennant, well he could simply stand still and look gorgeous so far as I am concerned, but of course he played his part brilliantly too, like the dazzlingly good actor he is.Brilliant television, just buy it! (Sorry to keep repeating the word brilliant, but it just is!)

Terrific tv series and I'm glad it is now in my master collection. The 1st series is an absolute gem,with a great cast and storyline which grabs your attention. The timing of the choice songs goes well too with the plotline of a murder in the arcade and its dodgy owner Ripley Holden.The 2nd one off special could have been so much better with a better script. Viva Blackpool the sequel wraps everything up and David Morrissey thankfully saves the day in a 90 min feature length special. It's watchable especially the gorgeous grifter Kitty Delux dressed as nurse, but the plot wears thin, making the storyline banal at times. However it still has its comic moments and is not as bad as it appears. Overall a classic British tv series worthy of a revisit.

This was a great DVD! I haven't watched the sequel yet, as by all accounts, it seems to be rubbish, but the original was wonderful! The song and dance numbers are wonderfully fun, the characters are engaging, and the mystery keeps you wondering right up to the end. David Tennant was, as always, excellent--even though Carlisle is breaking up someone's marriage, he just plays the part so touchingly and so convincingly that you can't help but hope he succeeds, and David Morrisey does a brilliant job of making you hate Ripley in one scene and then love him in the next. I was greatly intrigued by the concept of a modern-day musical murder mystery, and I was not disappointed. It's fun and it's engaging, with a utterly lovable cast. I'm not sure why it's cheaper to buy the set than it is for just the single, but go ahead. It's great.