Black and Blue [BBC, 1973]

[Odeon68]

I done a site search, but nowt came up: I apologize if this has been covered before.


Some of you must remember this: a BBC excursion [in the shape of different plays each week] into bad-taste fare, more 'black comedy' than blue--the opener was called 'SECRETS' written by Pythons Palin and Jones. Human ' meat'[ in the shape of a chocolates factory-worker who falls into vat ] accidentally gets added into boxes of chocolate, and sales rocket.


This escalates into shots of corpses entering the production-line, including an Archbishop!

There was a glossy mock-TV ad, with a sultry lass proclaiming:


'We let people into our Secrets!'


Warren Mitchell played the central role, and I saw this in late Summer 1973.....it stuck in my memory for many years, and I was delighted when it finally turned up as an extra on the Ripping Yarns double-set. Regretfully, the quality is pretty atrocious-----the original BBC tapes are likely wiped, but someone in 1973 clearly had a VCR handy, but sadly the quality has deteriorated pretty badly-----I'm glad it exists at all though, but if you haven't viewed this poor-quality fragment, I reccomend watching it ona small-scale computer screen, where it is at least tolerable.



Anyone else remember this series? It was deffo tasteless, and a bit alarming, but it wasn't bland!

[didi-5]

Secrets is an extra on Network's Ripping Yarns release and it's brilliant, albeit from a domestic VHS recording.

I'd like to see more episodes of this off the wall series. I think some/all have survived.

[Odeon68]

Thanks for the response, Didi-----I also remember another early episode which started off with a gangster giving someone a severe beating...the phone rings, pleasentaries are exchanged in the middle of the violence, and the gangster reprimands his wife telling her to 'stop phoning him at work'.



The beating then continues unabated------

[716Jones]

I remember one episode, Soap Opera in Stockwell I think it was called, set in a launderette. The cast of women were mostly played by male actors in drag, but I can't remember what the plot of the programme was! Can anyone enlighten me?

[Euryale]

I remember one episode, Soap Opera in Stockwell I think it was called, set in a launderette. The cast of women were mostly played by male actors in drag, but I can't remember what the plot of the programme was! Can anyone enlighten me?

This is the episode I most want to watch, as I do like to see mainstream actors in drag. I remember it advertised in the papers at the time, but don't recall actually viewing it when broadcast.

It was about a baby being snatched at the local laundrette. There is an overview of the series here - all episodes apparently survive:

http://www.startrader.co.uk/Action%2.../blackblue.htm


E.

[Odeon68]

Thanks for the link, Euryale-----good stuff, the Mitchell interview. Hopefully the series will eventually be put out by Network or someone, and that SECRETS likely exists in decent shape.