Customer Reviews

Waiting for God: The Complete Series

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The WHOLE THING in ONE SET!!! About time, too!

"Waiting for God" became a favourite from the moment I first saw an episode. (It was "The Spiritualist" from Season Four.) A friend sat me down and told me, "You WILL watch this." I met Tom, Diana, Harvey, Jane, Geoffrey, and Marian.

Don't let the title put you off, it has nothing to do with religion or dying and everything to do with life and living. The series is set in the Bayview Retirement Community in Bournemouth, England. The place is run by Harvey "The Idiot" Baines, with the help of his side-kick Jane Edwards. When a new inmate - er, resident - Tom Ballard checks in, he moves in next to Diana Trent. Tom is a widower with one son (according to Diana, he's thick as a plank) and a daughter-in-law ("and she's something out of the Twilight Zone," also according to Diana). Tom was an accountant for 40 years, and when he becomes bored he tends to let his mind wander into his own imaginary world, populated by B-Movies and their plots. Diana, on the other hand, is a spinster - proud of it - who was a prize-winning wartime photojournalist. Together, Tom & Diana keep things at Bayview stirred up, so much so that Harvey spends the entire five year run of the show trying to chuck them both out. (The show never made it to the US, but if it had my idea of "Dream Casting" would have been Harvey Korman & Bea Arthur. Acid wit meets silliness.)

Graham Crowden and Stephanie Cole are superb as the troublesome twosome. (Ironically, Ms. Cole had to be aged for the part, which she took on when she was about 50 years old.) Daniel Hill plays Baines, and Janine Duvitski plays Jane. Jane is smitten with Harvey, and Harvey thinks his ideal woman sits on tractors in bikinis. Once in a while Jane decides it's hopeless and tries to become a nun. Harvey, who is totally inept, can't run the place without her. Geoffrey

The writing is sharp and well-paced. The show tackles many problems of aging (prostate problems, adult-onset diabetes, loneliness, the scams perpetrated on aging, and others) with taste and laughs. THE SERIES IS A WHOLE STORY WITH A BEGINNING, A MIDDLE, AND AN END. Start at the beginning and keep going until the end. Prepare for laughing out loud. Several episodes may cause soreness to ribs from doing so: the trip to Brighton in season one, the scandal in season three, and the last four episodes of season five. The set includes the two Christmas specials, and hopefully some extra features.

It took YEARS for this wonderful series to appear on DVD. Fans eagerly bought up each season, fearing it would be the last released. NOW comes the full series all in one go! If you count the number of discs in the individual seasons, you come up with SEVEN. The count on this set says EIGHT, and the cover artwork actually says NINE. So, we may be faced with a dilemma: keep buying the individual seasons or go for it and get the whole set. Your choice. If you haven't gotten the seasons as they were released, go for this set.

The point is, everyone should visit Bayview. Once won't be enough!

This is one of the finest comedies ever made on either side of the pond. I've been watching seasons 1 to 4 from the library's copies, and got my boyfriend hooked on it as well. I pre-ordered it right after it was announced in January. I got it a few days after it was released on May 26th. I am already very happy.

Tom and Diana are nearly polar opposites, but they get to be friends, and later, more, during this series. Always good to see The Idiot Baines put in his place. The entire series, including two Christmas specials, are included, as well as a number of extras. I'll agree that this series was cut short too soon. I won't spoil the ending, but you won't see it coming.

Additionally, there are two Christmas specials, both are very good. However, the second Christmas special is my favorite--people get hurt! My kind of Christmas special!

The distinguishing factor for this show is that it takes the old standby of doddering, dumbed-down senior citizens and flips the equation. In Waiting For God, the "old folks" are shown for what they really are--intelligent, experienced, well-spoken, and dealing with the issues of aging, while they younger people are the dunces. No Botox or silicone here, either! Stephanie Cole was awarded an OBE and won a BAFTA award for her role as Diana Trent, and also appreciated for bringing attention to the issues that face senior citizens every day. While it's not preachy, it's intelligent, funny, and leaves you wanting to go back to Bayview for another visit.

This would be a great gift for someone who enjoyed The Golden Girls as well. Waiting For God went on the air around the time that The Golden Girls went off the air, so the time frame is about the same.

LONG LIVE TOM AND DIANA!!!!

The above ad lib found only on the American copies of this BBC 5 Season BBC romp of the 90s (the cover art on the British copies are the same though) sums it all up. Tom Ballard (Graham Crowden) is a happy go lucky guy who is being sent to a retirement community by his son Geoffrey and constantly drunk or worse daughter in law Marion because they can't deal with him any more (always in a fantasy world, and "other problems" that come with age). At Bayview, he is neighbored by Diana Trent (Stephanie Cole) who as Tom would say later "puts the tank in cantankerous". An old spinster who is tired of living the life of being unliked, etc. and now wants to live her declining days in peace. In spite of their differences, this "oddball couple", find common ground, a disgust for the way their "home" is being run by Harvey Baines (Daniel Hill) and his equally ditzy assistant Jane (Janine Duvitsky) who (God only knows why) is smitten with the blithering idiot. Eventually, they get others in their community (including oversexed maniac Basil) on their side to do what they can to oust "the idiot Baines", and develop a friendship and even love for each other by series end. This gem was released on DVD in England between 2006 and 2007, but Warner in their deal with BBC Video, has been releasing them here one at a time for the last 4 years, the 5th set being released the same day as this complete set (ironically the other 4 were all released at the same time each year since 2006). As I see it, nothing extra will be in the complete collection, that is not in the separate releases. The 3rd and 4th sets include Christmas Specials made during those seasons. If you waited for all 5 sets to be out to buy, then get this set as (like other BBC Video releases here) it will be a better deal, than the 5 individuals. If you have a multi region player, you can get currently get the British copies individually (but unfortunately not in a complete mega set) for a few bucks more or less now. But do what is easier for you. Just buy it, and get ready to laugh your tush off.

Every since I first saw the first episode on PBS back in the 90's, I was hooked! I have the complete series and have watched it over and over for some years now! The dry humor and wit can not be surpassed!

This series is one of Britains best comedy series. Just about every episode is funny and almost a classic. So true to life yet very funny. All the actors are cast very well. I highly recommend it.

Only the British could come up with a wonderful satirical point of view from the older generation. The younger crowd had better watch out. Waiting for God, with the main characters of Tom and Diana, shows us that older people are not "dead", they are healthy and alive and can get into just as much mischief as the younger generation. A terrific show to watch (especially if you are over the age of 50) that leaves one with a warmhearted feeling AND something to contemplate. After all, we will all be in the same position one day.

I have loved Waiting For God ever since I saw it on PBS years ago. I moved to a rural area that no longer received the same PBS series not even on satellite. I am so happy this is now on DVD. My husband has fallen in love with it too. The DVD's are great quality and of course the comedy itself is wonderful. I just wish the series had run longer. It was sad when we got to the last one. We enjoyed them so much we started from the beginning again and laughed just as much.

This is one of the best of the British comedy series out.
A curmudgeon and a loon make a great pair in beating the system.
The plots are so far out that they become possible.
Many hours of enjoyment for just a few bucks.

I did not know about this series but friends of mine assured me that it was very popular in their area on their local PBS station. They were right. It is not only entertaining but highlights the many things that happen to us as we age in a very humorous way.

Gift for my husband. Item exactly as described. Easy transaction. No problems. Quick shipment. Amazon is a great place to order from. Never any problems.