As a long time fan of Danny Baker and a reader of his two brilliant autobiographies I was really looking forward to seeing Cradle To Grave. The first episode was spot on. It introduced us to his family (including his dad 'Spud' and his mum Bet) and his mates in a logical but amusing way and was choc full of funny, charming incidents. My favourite being the story of the rare green tonic trousers who were begrudgingly lent to a friend who dies and was laid to rest in said strides. Others included a visit to the West End to see the hippy musical Hair only for the young Danny to be slapped in the face by a too-close dancing male member. The tone was right, the costumes were right, the music was perfect (of course it was, this is Danny Baker), the scenes were not too long and the focus was always on Danny (nicely played by Laurie Kynaston) who was more-or-less in every scene.
But I have to say that by contrast the second episode was a little disappointing (sorry Dan). Out went the episodic nature which copied the book so well and in came some long-winded scenes focusing on Danny's mum and dad taking a cut-price caravan holiday (Spud's idea of giving Bet a good time) and going to a civic dinner. The former was like an outtake from an early episode of Only Fools and Horses with Spud and Co turning into stock BBC cockney caricatures and I happen to know that the latter story was not taken from Danny's life but from a caller who rang into his successful BBC Radio London show. She was invited to a works "do" and unintentionally ended up dancing with her husband's boss causing much embarrassment. Her version of it was very funny, sadly Danny's version, via Jeff pope, via Peter Kay somehow lost something in the translation. And therein lies the problem, stick to the truth and it's works. Start to tinker with it and it is in danger of failing.
So please, please let the remaining episodes go back to the superb style of the first one and focus on the young Danny and his mates. The real Danny, the one we know and love, with just occasional references to Spud's antics otherwise Cradle To Grave could be in danger of morphing into The New Peter Kay Show (although I suspect Peter had a hand in the writing).
Looking forward to see the young Danny meeting Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Marc Bolan in One Stop Records, the "David Essex" incident and of course Blackie the dog!
But I have to say that by contrast the second episode was a little disappointing (sorry Dan). Out went the episodic nature which copied the book so well and in came some long-winded scenes focusing on Danny's mum and dad taking a cut-price caravan holiday (Spud's idea of giving Bet a good time) and going to a civic dinner. The former was like an outtake from an early episode of Only Fools and Horses with Spud and Co turning into stock BBC cockney caricatures and I happen to know that the latter story was not taken from Danny's life but from a caller who rang into his successful BBC Radio London show. She was invited to a works "do" and unintentionally ended up dancing with her husband's boss causing much embarrassment. Her version of it was very funny, sadly Danny's version, via Jeff pope, via Peter Kay somehow lost something in the translation. And therein lies the problem, stick to the truth and it's works. Start to tinker with it and it is in danger of failing.
So please, please let the remaining episodes go back to the superb style of the first one and focus on the young Danny and his mates. The real Danny, the one we know and love, with just occasional references to Spud's antics otherwise Cradle To Grave could be in danger of morphing into The New Peter Kay Show (although I suspect Peter had a hand in the writing).
Looking forward to see the young Danny meeting Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Marc Bolan in One Stop Records, the "David Essex" incident and of course Blackie the dog!