The Muscle Market (13 Jan. 1981)

Director:

Jim Goddard

Writer:

Alan Bleasdale

Stars:

Pip Donaghy, Mike Donohoe, Steve Faye

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Pip Donaghy	...	Maxie (as Philip Donaghy)
Mike Donohoe	...	Heavy
Steve Faye	...	Heavy
Ronald Forfar	...	Costello The Second
Jackie Hamilton	...	Heavy
Paul Harman	...	Abbott
Mike Hayden	...	Heavy
Brian Jacques	...	Heavy
Paul Jesson	...	John
Johnny Mallen	...	Heavy
Barry McCarthy	...	Hutchinson
Derek McLean	...	Bernard's Son
Adrian Mills	...	Bernard's Son
Bill Moores	...	Arthur
Mitzi Mueller	...	Pauleen

Storyline

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Release Date:

13 January 1981 (UK)

Company Credits

User Reviews

Brilliant - Don't miss if repeated

In this missing link between "The Black Stuff" and "Boys From" - why this wasn't included in the DVD release is a mystery - Pete Postlethwaite excels as the out of his depth Duggan and the piece has all the warmth and incisive writing you'd expect from Bleasedale. Responding to success of "The Black Stuff", the BBC commissioned Bleasdale to expand each character into a separate drama. The first of these, The Muscle Market, featured Pete Postlethwaite replacing Calder as the owner of the building contractors, and Alison Steadman. It went out under the Play for Today banner in 1981 as a stop-gap measure while Bleasdale finished writing the other five.

Danny Duggan, played by Postlethwaite, runs a failing building contractors, and resorts to sub-gangster thuggery to keep the business afloat. However, with the bottom falling out of the building game, Duggan finds that playing at gangster is only fun when you're on the winning side.

The plot is brilliant with great Black Comedy - If you Ignore the Old Cortinas, this play would stand up well today