Customer Reviews

Irish R.M. - Series 3 [VHS]

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4 star:		(2)
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The Irish R.M. is a wonderfully entertaining series that originally ran on the PBS "Masterpiece Theatre" program with the exception of the final six episodes that concluded the series. For the legions of viewers who delighted in the adventures and misadventures of their favorite Registered Magistrate and the Irish community of Skebawn he served, that omission is now addressed through the six-video boxed set now available from Acorn Media. Each episode runs 54 minutes and brings back all our favorite characters, with the exception of the Major's wife who is back in England tending to a sick relative. Her place in this third season is taken by the introduction of the Major's sister to his household. Beautiful landscapes, wonderful interior sets, meticulous attention to authenticity with respect to costuming, engagingly funny plots, The Irish R.M. is one of the best written, directed, photographed, and enacted comedies television ever offered the viewing public. Of special note is the final episode when the denizens of Skebawn are threatened with the loss of their R.M. to another position elsewhere in Ireland -- and the absolutely brilliant and unpredictable conclusion that caps off not only the best single episode of the series, but the entire and brilliant series itself! The Irish R.M. Series 1 & 2 are still available, and this outstanding series will prove to be one of the most popular acquisitions to a community library's video collection ever!

These tapes conclude the adventures and misadventures of Major Sinclair Yeates (Peter Bowles), a British resident magistrate in turn-of-the-century Ireland. The show continues with most of the same major characters, as did the second tape series, with the notable absence of Philippa Yeates (Doran Godwin). She is back in England for these shows, and replaced with Barbara "Babs" Yeates (Sarah Badel), the Major's sister.

As with the other two series of tapes, this one contains 6 tapes, each one a one-hour episode. This show contains nothing objectionable, and is great for viewing by the whole family. Thankfully, these shows succeed in recapturing some of the lightheartedness that marked the first tape series, but was missing in the second. Of most importance, though, the final episode makes the whole purchase worthwhile! I will avoid spoiling it, but in this episode the Major finally gets one up.

Buy these tapes!

The third series of The Irish R.M. truly is a fitting end to one of my absolute favorite tales. Although the absence of Major Yeats' wife (tending her sick mother in England) is a blow, new characters and expanded roles for earlier ones fill the gap admirably--notably Major Yeats' sister, who is keeping house for him while his wife is away, and the brash Bobbie Bennett, who has an eye for the major. The series continues the wonderful dance of the local Irish inhabitants and the AngloIrish gentry, but Major Yeats is finally catching on. No longer the correct and bewildered Englishman of Series 1, or even the correct and rueful resident of Series 2, he is actually going native, and coming to view life with a tolerant and humorous Irish eye. I loved it from beginning to end. It even hooked my 14-year-old son!

As a viewer who loved the first two seasons of this charming series, I was delighted to learn that the third and final season was at last available on videocassette. The Irish R.M. 3 returns with most of its excellent cast intact, with the exception of Doran Godwin, who played Philippa Yeates, the wife of R. M. Major Sinclair Yeates. While Philippa's warm presence and delight in Irish unconventionality are missed--her absence is explained by her going to tend a sick parent in England--the Major is not forced to languish in lonely solitude at Shreelane House: his levelheaded sister, Barbara (ably played by Sarah Badel) comes to look after him. Although the addition of Barbara to the mix does take some adjustment--on the part of the viewers AND the characters--the transition is fairly smooth, especially after Miss Yeates, like her brother, falls under the spell of the Irish locals. A void that is somewhat more keenly felt and less satisfactorily filled is that of Rosemary Anne Sisson, who scripted the entire first season of the Irish R.M. and much of the second, as well. Sisson has an uncanny knack for making the necessary adaptations to her original source material without sacrificing its integrity or authorial vision. In her capable hands, the Somerville and Ross stories retained all their humor and zest, even as the onscreen perspectives expanded from that of one character, Major Yeates, to those of several: Flurry Knox, Philippa, and Sally Knox. Sisson remains on board as Script Editor for the third season, but, alas, pens none of the episodes herself. Nonetheless, the writers of the final six episodes do a capable job, even if a few of the installments lack Sisson's sparkle. The writers are aided, of course, by their talented ensemble of English and Irish actors who, by now, are so at home in their roles that they can elevate fairly standard material to remarkable heights. Veteran cast members Peter Bowles--as dapper, kindhearted, often clueless Major Yeates--and Bryan Murray--as the impish and irrepressible Flurry Knox--are in fine fettle. I was also pleasantly surprised by the maturation of Lise-Ann McLaughlin's Sally Knox who, over the course of three seasons, has evolved from mischievous girl to starry-eyed young bride to strong-willed but affectionate wife and mother. There is more attention paid, in this season, to the marriage of Flurry and Sally Knox, which is a welcome development. For two people who kiss exactly twice in the entire series and never remove a stitch of clothing in their scenes together, Flurry and Sally generate a remarkable amount of chemistry and convey the impression of a loving, if occasionally contentious, marriage between equals (or as equal as any marriage COULD be in the early 1900s!).The various misadventures of Major Yeates and his friends include an attempt to introduce high culture into the town of Skebawn, a possible haunting by a family ghost, a foray into another county to hunt hares, and an ill-fated sailing expedition that ultimately lands the waterlogged crew at the doorstep of a private asylum inhabited by rich eccentrics and a homicidal cockatoo! Overall, the tone is lighthearted, recalling the buoyancy of the first season (the second ventured at times into more serious dramatic territory). However, Irish R.M. 3 is the most autumnal of the series--a pale, sepia-toned light bathes most of the exterior scenes and the interactions between the characters have aged like a fine wine. But if the theme of the first season was the classic "fish out of water," and that of the second involved putting down roots in Ireland, the third season ultimately puts the tolerant "understanding" between Major Yeates and his Irish neighbors to the test in a conclusion that makes all parties examine the worth of their eight-year relationship more closely. Highly recommended.

These tapes conclude the adventures and misadventures of Major Sinclair Yeates (Peter Bowles), a British resident magistrate in turn-of-the-century Ireland. The show continues with most of the same major characters, as did the second tape series, with the notable absence of Philippa Yeates (Doran Godwin). She is back in England for these shows, and replaced with Barbara "Babs" Yeates (Sarah Badel), the Major's sister.

As with the other two series of tapes, this one contains 6 tapes, each one a one-hour episode. This show contains nothing objectionable, and is great for viewing by the whole family. Thankfully, these shows succeed in recapturing some of the lightheartedness that marked the first tape series, but was missing in the second. Of most importance, though, the final episode makes the whole purchase worthwhile! I will avoid spoiling it, but in this episode the Major finally gets one up.

Buy these tapes!

I just loved this series when it originally came out, however I had not seen all of the three series when they were originally shown on t.v. so when I saw it was available I was thrilled to be able to procure it even though Series 3 is only on VHS.

The acting is brilliant. Peter Bowles as the English Resident Magistrate a perfect foil for the many wacky Irish characters.
I feel it has stood up well to the passage of and anyone who enjoys a clever British comedy series will certainly enjoy all three series.

A wonderful series, well worth the investment. It was great to be able to return to a show that we missed years ago. These days there is so much on broadcast and cable stations, but actually very little worth seeing. This series fills a large void.

I have purchased Series 1 and 2 DVD. Now when are you going to release Series 3 in DVD. I have been waiting a long time and feel by now it should be in DVD. I am stuck without the final conclusion of the DVD Series. This program is so good I can't understand the delay.