Award-winning feature-length family film starring Kevin Whately as Steve, a single father who, after losing his job as an architect, sets up a guest house with young daughter Alice to avoid losing his home as well. Will they succeed, or will the unscrupulous property developers get their way? This was originally broadcast as a two-part drama on Friday, 19th and 26th June, 1992, and is absolutely not to be confused with the 2016 Paul McGann film of the same name, or the 1992 Roger Moore romantic comedy Bed & Breakfast.
This is wonderfully heart-warming stuff with a full range of emotions, yet it never crosses the line into soppiness and still manages to retain a sense of both real peril and humour at the same time. The set piece with Roger Sloman and the moving hat (trying to avoid spoilers) is genuinely funny and resolved cleverly, while the "heavies" provide a different dimension, but you're also left wondering just how far the ruthless bad guys are willing to go in order to get their hands on the house. There are question marks over exactly who can be trusted and who can't, plus the difficulties faced by single-parent families rear their head on occasions. Overall, this really is very enjoyable, and in my book unfairly forgotten in the mists of time. Another bonus point is that I don't like it when a film tries to wrap up every single thread at the end, as if all the characters needs to receive either their reward or their comeuppance. This tells its story, and when it's finished, it ends - perfectly satisfying, and still open to a sequel or spin-off series. It's no surprise that B&B went on to win The Writers' Guild Award for Best Children's TV Show.
Besides Kevin Whately (who, despite his decades as Lewis, I still look at and think "Oh - it's the dad from Geordie Racer"), the central role is played by Alexandra Milman. As the independent and motivated daughter, she's excellent, and it was almost an inevitability that the same writers would go on to cast her in Mike and Angelo as Melanie and The Tomorrow People as Jade. She subsequently landed the lead in The Genie from Down Under (a BBC/Australian co-production I don't really remember) and played Anne Bronte in a 2003 TV movie - but unfortunately her IMDB doesn't list anything in the last 10 years or so. I wonder what became of Alexandra. Working on the stage, perhaps? Stealing the show in many ways, though, is Katy Murphy as troubled wandering busker Billie. We, of course, know Katy as a regular in Spatz and Mike and Angelo, but her performance here runs the full gamut and adds an element of unpredictability. In fact, the more I see of her, the more I wonder why we haven't seen much more of her in TV and film. Also making appearances are (amongst others) the likes of Ian McNeice, Jan Ravens, Joanna Kanska, Caroline O'Neill, Tim Healy and Dicken Ashworth - all recognisable faces on British TV, which add up to a very impressive ensemble indeed. Oh, and look out for a young Sam Stockman, too.
On top of all that, I'd like to give a big mention to director Graham Dixon, who pulled it all off brilliantly. Also to Jim Parker for providing great music, Joyce Nettles for getting the casting so right, and production designer Mark Tildesley, who - get this - went on to co-design the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. No wonder Spatz always looked so good!
This is a lot longer than most of my uploads and something of a departure, but I hope you stick at it and enjoy it as much as I do.
Many thanks to Grant for providing this recording.
(This is a transfer from an old videotape, so please don't expect full HD quality. To the best of my knowledge, this material is not available commercially anywhere in the world, and has been uploaded for its historic interest. That said, if you are a copyright holder and object, please don't hesitate to contact me.) …...more
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