Customer Reviews

Lovejoy: Christmas Specials

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have enjoyed the Lovejoy series since it originally aired in the early 90's. I and the family were stationed in East Anglia in England where most of the Lovejoy episodes were filmed; it was fun to watch the show on BBC then to spend the weekends visiting the historic villages and other places we had seen on Lovejoy. So as a Lovejoy fan and being homesick for the beauties and wonders of East Anglia the Lovejoy DVD's are a treat loved by the entire family.
Now for the Cons: (Not criticizing the series just the quality and manner it is being released.)
The DVD is not worth the $17.00 + S&H. Come on... It should not have been released as a standalone DVD? The two special episodes should have been left as part of the normal DVD series box sets. It makes no sense to break the timeline of the series in this way.
Now I find that the Complete Season 4 DVD is set to release 4 months from now. Why so long? The Lovejoy series ended over 10 years ago. The entire series has been available for sale in the UK for years. Why stretch out the US release dates to over two years? Is it a marketing ploy to test the waters? If season 3 doesn't sell well will season 4 never be released? And another thing, for the price of each season ($50.00 +) the sound and video should have been re-mastered to modern standards. The people releasing the DVD's are Visigoths with no feel for a classic bit of BBC television.

Since most British TV series only produce 6-12 episodes a year, popular TV shows produce special Christmas episodes. Lovejoy had two special double length episodes.

The Prague Sun (1992) - Lovejoy is alone for Christmas. But when a friend is attacked, Lovejoy and Eric are off to Prague on a treasure hunt. And Lady Jane shows up to help out. Guest Donald Pleasance and Peter Vaughn.

The Lost Colony (1993) - Lovejoy has relatives from America visit. But when some Sir Walter Raliegh antiques disappear, Lovejoy has to go to Carolina. But when he gets into trouble, his new love interest Caroline comes to his rescue. Guests Barbara Barrie, Ken Kercheval and John Gielguld.

Lovejoy was an iconoclastic series in England and had a strong following in America. The show was uniformly excellent. The Prague Sun is definitely the better of the two episodes.

The one thing to be careful is that these episodes do not appear on another series DVD set. (i.e. the As Time Goes By retrospect special was released seperately, then released with the Series 7 dvd!)

I would assume that most buying this DVD are fans of Lovejoy, and that they were on pins and needles waiting for the Christmas Special release along with upcoming season 4. This was an extrodinary show, that needs no vamping by me. If you are a true fan of the Lovejoy series, just be happy that they continue to release the episodes and seasons that made us happy. Enjoy

I am such a big fan of all the British mysteries. I believe my love for antiques and beautiful women, puts Lovejoy on top. Just wish they would hurry and put all of them on DVD for US deprived folks in the colony.

BBC/Warner did some creative packaging here...Christmas Specials?? As Tinker would say "I feel like a right punter." I fell for the pretty packaging...something Lovejoy would no doubt approve. One episode has Christmas vaguely in the background and the other has Christmas missing entirely. The title is misleading and it's a rip-off in price for content, but hey...it's still Lovejoy.

The first of these two movie-length features is up to the standards of the Lovejoy series and stars the familiar cast. It's pleasant and entertaining. The second, however, is an overly-long piece of TV schlock. Only two regulars are on hand, and no wonder; the script of "The Lost Colony" may have embarassed the others. Thus it's a mixed bag and, given the price, perhaps better forgotten unless you're into throwing money around.

For fans of Lovejoy this is a fun CD. Good story and great characters make these specials worth your time.

Love the Lovejoy series and anxiously awaited the arrival of the Special - the product came in excellent and highly recommend the vendor - always true to their word. The Special was good but i didn't think as good as the series - something was
lost in the intervening years. Good if you want to finish the collection but not so good if you want to get the flavor of the series.

The Lovejoy series from BBC is spectacular!
I brought the Christmas DVD with me to Lake Tahoe to share with my family. Young and all this is a five star hoot. Can't wait for season 5.Lovejoy - The Complete Season 1Lovejoy: Christmas Specials

I've been a fan of "Lovejoy" for a long time. "The Prague Sun" is the usual fine entertainment we've come to expect from this series. Very well done. "The Lost Colony" was a disappointment. More like "Lovejoy" meets "The Dukes Of Hazzard". Is this really the perception the British have of Americans? About all that's missing is an orange Dodge Charger.