One of the earliest programmes covered on Curious British Telly was the much underrated Prospects. Since that article, written over 12 years ago when I barely knew what I was wittering on about, Prospects has had a DVD release, but still fails to garner the recognition it deserves.
Those who know, know that it's a classic production from Euston Films, featuring sharp scripts and excellent performances from the late Gary Olsen and Brian Bovell. The quality speaks for itself and, well, I guess there's no accounting for taste.
I don't want to dwell on the shortcomings of the British public's taste, so I'll move onto something more positive for those who relish the adventures of Pincey and Billy: an article from The Face dating back to August 1985 which looks at the upcoming Prospects.
My obsession with Britain in the mid-1980s continues at a rapid pace, mostly fuelled by an intrigue of what the world around me was like when I was a toddler. This year, to help me broaden my knowledge, I've been snapping up old issues of The Face and i-D to see what was bubbling away during this exciting chapter of British culture.
Mostly, I've discovered some fantastic music I would have never heard of - Book of Love, Yoshio Suzuki and Traci Young if you're interested - but I was also delighted to find a long unseen article on Prospects in the August 1985 edition of The Face, featuring George Michael on the cover.
Published several months before Prospects first aired on Channel 4, it's a fascinating article which looks at the story behind the series, the actors an Euston Films. It also focuses its attention on the redevelopment of the Docklands area of London, where Prospects was filmed, and how this changing landscape is affecting the people who live there. The only peculiar thing in the article is where they refer to The Bill's first series as "patchy", but as I said earlier, there's no accounting for taste.
Click on the pictures below for larger versions to read.
