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(More customer reviews)At long last, and after what literally seemed an eternity waiting, the entire series of the classic BBC sitcom Birds Of A Feather has been released on DVD. Running for nine years (1989-98) and spanning over 100 episodes, Birds Of A Feather remains a refreshingly funny show, containing an earthy quality that is positively timeless. The sparkling chemistry shared between Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson as two Essex girls, Sharon and Tracey, is totally natural, having been virtually life-long friends in real life. In that fact, it makes it easy to believe in their on-screen relationship as two close sisters.
Blending in beautifully, and arguably the icing on the cake, is the always impeccably-timed Lesley Joseph as the 'birds' nosy, man-mad neighbour Dorian Green. Much of the comedy between Sharon, Tracey and Dorian stems from the class difference between them with Dorian firmly seeing herself as infinitely superior to the two working-class sisters. Welcomingly, this second series finds the character of Dorian drawn upon a touch more than as in the first series. She comes into her own and often makes the perfect foil for Sharon and Traceys earthy, and often razor-sharp, wit.
This 3-disc collection comprises all fifteen episodes of the Series 2, originally screened on BBC.1 in a prime-time slot circa late 1990, plus the feature-length Christmas special of that year. On Disc One the second season surprisingly doesn't exactly kick off with a bang in 'Getting A Grip'. Tracey recieves several overdue bills, leaving her frantic with worry and when the heating system breaks down she's left on the brink of dispair. There are a few laughs but overall it's a bit of a limp start.
Thankfully the series gets back in full swing, and back to the high standard of the first series in 'Sweet Smell Of Success' where Tracey and Sharon try their hands at flogging cheap perfume. To help make ends meet following a serious cash-flow problem, Tracey reluctantly decides to sell Darryls beloved Jag - with disastorous consequences.
In 'Young Guns', Tracey questions Garths sexuality when he brings home an older boy to stay with him during the school holidays. In typical Dorian-style, she decides there's only one way to find out if the pair are actually gay! Then in 'Muesli', Darryl sinks into a deep depression when a fellow inmate is released. So Tracey decides to test her own resilience and in order to try and understand exactly how it feels for Darryl to be locked away in prison, she converts the box room into a cell. Sharon gets in on the act too, proving she has as much will-power as Tracey. The girls are locked away by Dorian, who delights in playing the warder. Meanwhile Darryl ironically ends up having a fun weekend thanks to the efforts of a sympathetic fellow inmate.
In 'Keep Off The Grass' Tracey and Sharon find themselves questioning whether or not they should turn in a local villian who had commited an armed robbery, during which a pensioner had been injured, while 'Mice' is one of my own personal favourites of this season. Tracey is horrified to discover the ghastly state of Sharons bedroom (including an uneaten kebab, left in a drawer to rot for several weeks!!) and is absolutley livid when she finds out her house is crawling with mice. Then in 'Brief Encounter', Sharon starts seeing an older man whom she had helped after he was mugged while Dorian feels humiliated by her new outer-London dialling code, insisting that it states the area she lives in will be perceived as "down market".
Moving onto Disc Two, 'You Pays Yer Money' sees Sharon in dismay when she can not vote for the by-election since she is not registered on the electorial roll. Darryl offers to sell his vote at £350 much to Sharons fury, but determined to raise the cash, she starts selling off some of the stolen goods that her old dodgy friend Fat Stan had been storing in her Edmonton flat.
in 'Trust', Tracey desperately trys in vein to quit smoking, leaving her nerves on the edge (and taking her moods out on Sharon) and feeling vulnreable she begins to fall in lust with her gentle, mild-mannered therapist. 'Thirty Something' is where Sharons 30 birthday looms closer and she finds herself reflecting on her life and all of the lost opportunities. She also considers buying her Edmonton flat as an investment and takes a less-than-impressed Dorian along to the property for some advice.
'Love On The Run' is another personal favourite of mine. During a stint in hospital, Darryl hatches a cunning plan to spend a night in a hotel with Tracey. Once at the hotel, Darryl contemplates going on the run. Meanwhile Sharon has a spot of fun of her own with Tracey safely out the way! 'Old Friends' is one of the weaker episodes of this series. An already insecure Sharon worries when Tracey renews her friendship with Trish, who was her best friend at school. It soon seems, though, that it's actually Sharon and Trish that have far more in common.
'Parting' is an episode which strikes a winning balance of comedy and drama, which is always what made Birds Of A Feather so great to watch. Sharon is refusing point blank to visit her husband Chris in prison and tells him outright that she plans to sell her wedding ring and forget they'd ever met. But she is forced to have second thoughts when Chris tells her is seriously ill.
'Jobs For The Girls' is good fun where Sharon sets up her own pet-sitting business and encounters a young rival determined to outdo her. Tracey is hired by Dorian to type up her new steamy, romantic novel but it becomes all too apparent that Dorian has resoted to plagiarism. In the last episode of Series 2, 'Someone Else's Baby', the formula reverts to the comedy-drama elements that had made the first series such an instant success, although, of course, there are still plenty of laughs to enjoy. The BBC Antiques Roadshow is coming to Chigwell and Sharon, Tracey and Dorian are all determined to make an appearance. When Sharon and Tracey start rummaging through all their old junk in the attic they discover an old writing box which contains a startling letter that opens up a can of worms. Had Sharon and Tracey been adopted and are they infact real sisters? It's up to their rather batty old Aunt Sylvie to set the record straight.
The 1990 Christmas Special 'Falling In Love Again' is a treat, clocking in at 80 minutes long. In the 1990's, Birds Of A Feather, as most will fondly remember, was a Christmas tv favourite. After Sharon wins a tv dating show, she and Tracey fly off to Berlin where Tracey finds herself falling in love with a dashing German mechanic, Manfred. Meanwhile Dorians husband Marcus is caught cheating on her so Dorian moves into Tracey's while she's away in Berlin. Over in Berlin Sharon tries to clear off some old debts to save her husband from the dreaded McCarthy brothers.
All told, this second series is a must-have for any fan of Birds Of A Feather. These episodes are over 20 years old but still flow remarkably well. The scripts are sharp and punchy, the stories and situations are fun, and most of all, the show brims with more than memroable comic performances by the three leading stars.
Ian Phillips
March 2011
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