Plot: What’s it about?
Henry Willows (John Thaw) has been divorced for seven years, after his wife left him for another man. As part of the separation, his young son Matthew was handed over to his ex-wife and since then, Henry hasn’t seen much of him. As time passed, Henry has moved on with his life and has become quite set in his ways. He wants to come home, enjoy some whiskey, read the newspaper, watch some television, and relax. In other words, he likes a simple and serene lifestyle for himself. His housekeeper Enid (Elizabeth Bennett) tries to romance him at times, but Henry just reminds her of what chores need to be done. Just when Henry thinks life is back to normal, his doorbell rings and there stands Matthew (Reece Dinsdale). Now seventeen years old, Matthew has been kicked out of his mother’s home and despite Henry’s pleading, she refuses to allow back inside the house. After cursing, smoking, and drinking in front of his father, Matthew starts to beg to be allowed to stay, but Henry resists. He gives in and lets Matthew spend the night, but when Enid finds the young man naked in the bathroom, its just the start of the hijinks. Can these two somehow manage to coexist in the same household? It won’t be easy, but in the end, perhaps the bond of father & son can overcome…or not.
If the premise sounds familiar, there’s a good reason, as Home to Roost was remade as an American sitcom as well. Elizabeth Bennett played the housekeeper in both renditions, but John Stamos and Jack Klugman held the other leads. Neither series found much success, but Home to Roost held on for four seasons, while the American version, You Again? kicked off after a single season on the screen. Its a shame that Home to Roost made such a quick exit, as there’s a lot to like about this series. If you though Fred and Lamont Sanford bickered, wait until you get a listen to this father & son tandem, who never let down. The dialogue is quite mean spirited and downright hilarious at times, thanks to the solid performances. John Thaw, best known for his work as Inspector Morse, is terrific here and has a lot of spark, while Reece Dinsdale provides a great teenage counterpart in all respects. While not as humorous or warm as Sanford and Son, Home to Roost offers an enjoyable experience, without question. The show has some flaws, but for fans of British comedies, Home to Roost is well worth a look. A total of twenty-nine episodes were produced and in this release, the first seven have been included. The price is on the high side, but the show is fun and I hope to see the rest of the episodes released soon.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. The image here is on the soft side, but looks much better than expected. I had hoped for a passable treatment, but BFS has delivered some more than solid efforts here. The prints used look great, with no signs of grain and minimal debris to be seen. This allows the visuals to come through unhindered, though as I said, softness is still an issue. This is not an old series by any means (produced in 1985), but it has some years behind it and I assume it was shot on less than high end equipment. As such, I think these episodes look terrific and fans should be quite pleased.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is nothing to write home about, but given the limited needs of the material, no problems arise. The various dialogue comes across in fine fashion, with crisp vocals and no troubles in terms of volume balance. The series has little music, outside of the opening & closing credits, so that’s never an issue and on the same line, sound effects are infrequent also. I mean, you’ll hear the usual kind of stuff, footsteps, glasses clinking, and such, but this series is all about the dialogue and very little else. And the included audio treatment more than handles that, so no need for concern in the slightest here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes some talent files.
