Reach for the Moon (2000– ) User Reviews

Very good, but could do better with some story lines!

[Shadwell99 · 9/10 · 16 July 2006]

I did watch every episode more than once, as it is where I had a first love, and seeing Johnathan Kerrigan (Paul Martin) go through hell, and also seeing his school kids go through the same thing in the first episode, all I can say is it is explosive stuff, especially the end of the first episode the story line was a little bit boring on the even episodes, but then most story lines entangle into the following episode, but I do mark it high, as the acting was good by the adults, and let's face it, how many programs go all out on the first show, and find that they can't keep up the momentum for the next episode? I think you will find that it is about 98%, and it is a story about love, and coming to terms with what is happening, and how they feel, it isn't something that goes bang, forget you, I really want her! sometimes I wish life was that easy!! the only problem is I can't find it released anywhere, anyone got a copy they don't want? or anyone know where to obtain it from please contact IMDb to contact me please

Just a small error in the cast list

[petshel · 7/10 · 25 October 2008]

Gareth Davies (that is his real name) is shown playing the part of schoolboy Nigel. If you click on his name a long list appears of acting parts that "Gareth Davies" has been involved with. However, the Gareth Davies in "Reach for the Moon" is my grand-son and at the time of filming was aged 17, clearly not the "Gareth Davies" that IMDb lists. Gareth did not appear in any other episodes after the first few and has not appeared on TV since. He has, however, been seen in various stage performances on the Isle of Wight, particularly good performances being given as the mad dentist in "Little Shop of Horrors" and in "Bugsy Mallone". We do have a VHS tape of the episode in which Gareth was featured.

A well crafted drama filmed in the idyllic setting of the Isle of Wight

[randy_saxe_coburg · 14 April 2000]

It's about time that television tackled the issue of school related drama in a sophisticated adult fashion. As Reach for the Moon reached its denouement I found my attention torn between the taught drama as the many interwoven sub-plots were played out against the beautiful backdrops of an England (in this case the Isle of Wight) almost all but lost beneath the relentless march of the motorways. I just hope that someone has the vision to bring this to the silver screen whilst there are still such unspoilt pockets of our remarkable planet remaining.

Not the best advert

[neil-476 · 5/10 · 16 August 2009]

We Isle of Wight residents awaited this series with bated breath - it's always welcome when our beautiful Island is used as a backdrop for something fairly high profile.

Well, the Island did indeed look beautiful. And we all delighted in seeing the odd person we knew as an extra, and we got a kick from our knowledge of the geography involved (strolling from Godshill to Shanklin for a leisurely pint, haha).

But the plots? Oh dear.

I remember being bemused by story lines involving a head teacher being blackmailed by someone who was jealous over girlfriend rivalries when they were teenagers, a brewery representative dumping the main character and his father without their trousers with a view to bullying them into making a beer order until the mother came back with a threat concerning the brewery rep's son's football team, someone's post-cremation ashes (due to be sent up in the eponymous moon rocket) being spilt all over the street....

We really wanted a strong, positive showcase for our Island. What we got was ludicrous poppycock.

A dreadful, dreadful bunch of nonsense, but The Isle of Wight looked gorgeous.

I grew increasingly disappointed as each episode unfolded.

[dennis-111 · 5/10 · 29 March 2000]

What a shame that a film that started off with such promise grew increasingly banal. The story lines became weaker with each episode and descended into the incredible. For instance the scene where the main character's mother and the head teacher managed to frighten off the local hoodlum by threatening to disallow his son from playing football, was very poor.

In the first episode the dialogue was tight and punchy and augered well for further viewing. Unfortunately it slid downhill with the introduction on soap-opera quality sub plots woven into each weeks episode. More could have been made of the main character's tensions around the triangular relationship instead of slipping in unappealing minor characters and sub-stories. The acting became increasingly wooden, particularly amongst the younger actors (school children).

Well acted by Linda Bellingham and Peter McEnery, but the choice of the actor playing the main character was all wrong for the simple reason that his Northern acccent kept slipping out, even though it was meant to be the Isle of Wight.

Great advertisement for the island. they'll be inundated with rubber neckers now. But I'm disappointed that Matthew Graham gave the nod to having his name put on the writing credits.