G.B.H. (1991) (Episode 5)

Part 5 of 7 of the dark 1991 drama series. Michael Murray emerges from his night of passion with Barbara Douglas reinvigorated and sets about trying to quell the race riots that are building, unaware that some of the Militant Tendancy thugs have attacked his black waiter the night before. Meanwhile Bubbles the reporter realizes he is being used as a pawn in someone's game as Lou Barnes reveals a secret to him in his bid to use him to get info on both Nelson and Murray. Meanwhile, oblivious to all that is going on are the Nelson family who finally go on holiday to South Wales as Jim starts to believe he is going mad. Seeing their chance, the Militant Tendancy group decide to ransack his house for the school records on Murray that they know Nelson has got, unaware that Nelson has taken the records with him... Starring Robert Lindsay, Michael Palin, Lindsey Duncan, Dearbhla Molloy, Tom Georgeson, Paul Daneman, Gareth Tudor Price, Julie Walters, Philip Whitchurch, David Ross, Bill Stewart, Michael Angelis, Julia St John, Alan Igbon, Peter Hugo-Daly, Stephen Hoyle, Jane Danson, Jimmy Mulville, Jake Abraham, Anna Friel, Hayley Fairclough, Edward Mallon, Jean Anderson, Andrew Scofield, Peter Armitage, Arthur Spreakley, Michelle Atkinson, Daniel Massey, Debra Gillett, Clifford Rose, Ray Emmett Brown, Kulvinder Ghir and Rachel Laurence among the cast. It's interesting to see former "Boys from the Blackstuff" cast mates Tom Georgeson, Michael Angelis and Alan Igbon reunited in an Alan Bleasdale drama and each add their own weight to this series in various ways and sad to think that only Georgeson survives from the trio. Igbon makes a wonderfully cynical and grounded support to Robert Lindsay, while Georgeson is magnetically menacing as Lou Barnes. Michael Angelis adds humour to the Neslon's stay at their hotel on holiday, but he's helped no end by Daniel Massey as the eccentric and at times seemingly unhinged hotelier (there seems to be a theme running here...). That said, there is a couple of irritations in this episode: the first involves Neslon's wife Linda's rant at Jim after he snaps and tackles a thug who attacks their car, with her "he doesn't know better, hasn't had a chance in life" rhetoric proving grating. And then there is the sudden chance of accent for rent a thug Peter Granville. There is a reason for this: he has a secret (and no, not as a former Eton fag boy), but the problem with this he does the accent in front of Murray, who isn't even privy to this and nobody seems to question why! Still, the majority of the cast are on top form and Robert Lindsay - who so deserved his BAFTA here - gives a superb speech at the Town Hall when things begin to tip over the edge regarding the race riots. Please note that this contains swearing, violence and nudity.