Blackpool (aka the one with all the footnotes)

I've been to Blackpool twice. Once on a freezing day at the beginning of March, as part of the now legendary 'Radio Tour'. I think that was the day I became manager of our ficticious 'girl band'. And we didn't see much of Blackpool apart from an old man's pub, a very scary roundabout, and the radio station. The second time was last year, as part of our JCS* touring. This time it was May, but for some reason Blackpool still seemed shut, and it rained. A lot. I nearly ruined a new pair of shoes**. I think you can say I wasn't impressed.

So, http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/blackpool/***, the drama series, passed me by. I guess I was aware of it, but the title probably put me off, and if I had read about it, the comparisons with Dennis Potter**** would also have put me off. But this weekend, I bought the dvd*****, and I love it. Funny, absorbing, quirky, and very well acted.

It explores the seedy side of life, focussing on Ripley Holden, a self made 'jack the lad', owner of an amusement arcade but with ambitions to build Blackpool's first 'casino hotel. I'm not giving anything away here, as you learn all this in the first 5 minutes. The series revolves around Ripley and his dysfunctional family, his neglected wife, Natalie, his daughter, the bizarrely named Shyanne, and his son. And a suspicious death, which the police become involved in. And I say no more, other than to highly recommend it.

Oh, and did I forget to mention, it also stars the lovely David Tennant, as the detective inspector?

And as for an update on the dvd player - it now seems to have no power - I think it's going back to the shop!

*Jesus Christ Superstar (can't think why I'm explaining this)
**don't you just hate it when you go out in new shoes in the rain?!
***unpretty link, as I still don't know how to do the pretty ones
****I feel the same about Potter as I do about Pinter, I just don't get it
*****what, you thought I bought the dvd player because it was on sale?!!