The Show:
ITV is a channel well known for it's very poor attempts at comedy shows, especially over the last ten or so years where they have aired a range of failed attempts, including "Hardware" and "Babes In The Wood". "Girls On Top" is one of ITV's mid-eighties efforts written by and starring four women who have all since made it big in varying degrees. The show follows four very different women who end up sharing a flat together in a posh part of London. Amanda (Dawn French - The Vicar of Dibley, French and Saunders) is the headstrong feminist of the group, Candice (Tracey Ullman - Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Bullets Over Broadway) is the diva who loves to go to 'charity parties', Jennifer (Jennifer Saunders - French and Saunders, Absolutely Fabulous), who is Amanda's very boring sister and Shelley (Ruby Wax - The Borrowers, Tara Road) the obnoxious, annoying American, which is quite fitting for Wax, because that is how she comes across in every interview with her I've ever had the misfortune of seeing.
With this much talent, the show must be good, is what I thought originally. Unfortunately, it's pretty average, with big laughs few and far between and unlikeable characters. The stories, despite being a situation comedy, leave a lot to be desired, not even attempting to move some sort of storyline forward. The acting is OK, but Wax is so annoying, she would've probably been enough to put me off the show from the start and I can't find any scene involving her funny in the slightest, as I'm too busy cringing at that godawful voice and general obnoxiousness. Thankfully, for this show, French and Ullman save the day, with better characters and what seems like more consience to put any kind of effort in. If it wasn't for them, this show could've been unbearable. I think as a whole, this series should be filed under the watch it once for curiosity's sake, but don't say I didn't warn you category.
Episode Guide:
Four-Play - After hanging aroubnd the local letting agents for what seems like an eternity, Amanda finally manages to snag a luxury apartment, but after realising it's very expensive, must allow herself to welcome some flatmates.
Staying Alive - Amanda has had her feminist publication, "Spare Cheeks" published, Candice makes up another illness, Shelley fails another audition and Jennifer manages to hang around for yet another week.
C.O.D. - Candice brings her new latin lover, Julio, back to the flat, but when the are about to get down to business they realise they are not alone, and are joined by Amanda's cousin Jennifer.
Cancel Toast - Shelley has a big audition for RADA, but insead of asking her to do some dialogue from Shakespear's Romeo and Juliet, they ask her to pretend to be a fried egg, much to her dismay.
Ident: Candy Time - Amanda starts to become annoyed that Candice is spending her money on new cothes rather than her share of the rent, and starts to believe that she may be a prostitute.
Skankin' - Amanda becomes annoyed when her volunteering to help with the street festival is ignored, so she finds a couple of young black lads, and tells the organisers she has a reggae band for the celebrations.
Hark - Jennifer lands the girls in big trouble and needing an excuse when she manages to lose the landladys dog.
Mr Fluffy Knows To Much - Sheeley and Amanda try to stir up trouble by getting Jennifer to confront Candice about her pornagraphic habits, yet Candice has left note saying she's in hospital.
Big Snogs - Amanda falls in love with Tom, who has come to teach all the women working at the Spare Cheeks publication how to do electrical repair work.
Who's Ya Uncle Shelley? - Despite everyone thinking that Jennifer is extremely dull and not the sharpest tool in the shed, she manages to surprise everyone by showing she's a financial whiz.
Bring Me More Flamingoes - Shelley holds a massive gamour party for herself to try and get her foot on the ladder to superstardom, but the only people who show up are her landlady and The Beverly Sisters.
Mr Yummy Brownie - Shelley's mum arrives and is disappointed to find her daughter playing a tadpole with a local education group rather than eing in the Royal Shakespear Company.
Lower The Donkey - Shelley thinks the world is going to end when Lady Carlton blows up her microwave that she won in a competition.
The DVD:
Video:
Network have provided the show in it's original 4:3 aspect ratio and it is adequate. There are no huge, underlying problems with the print, but it doesn't appear that any restoration work has been done since the original mid-eighties broadcasts. Colours are a little on the light side, but all in all, it isn't bad. As is normal with Network releases, no subtitles have been included.
Audio:
Network have provided us with the original English Dolby Digital Mono track here and there's nothing majorly wrong with it. Dialogue is clear at all times and volume levels are consistent throughout. The only real problem with the soundtrack was the noticeable (but low volume) background hiss, present on all episodes.
Extras:
Network have provided a couple of interviews on this release.
The first one is with Tracey Ullman and is found on disc one. It's taken from TV show Sunday Sunday and in the interview, Ullman talks about going to stage school between the ages of 12 and 16 and why she hated it, stating it was nothing like Fame and they didn't burst into well choreographed song and dance every two minutes. She also talks about what it was like going to auditions as a child. It runs for 8 minutes 7 seconds and was originally broadcast on the 8th January, 1984.
The second interview is with Ruby Wax and can be found on disc two. A lot less informative than the interview with Ullman, Wax sees only fit to talk about which parts of her body she doesn't like. Her answer should've been all of it, because let's be honest, she's quite the ugly duckling. The interview is conducted by Michael Aspel and also present is a comedian who I can recognise but can't name and future Who Wants To Be A Millionaire presenter Chris Tarrant. It was originally broadcast on the 22nd January 1988 and lasts 7 minutes 3 seconds.
