I too saw this many years ago and loved it. The cast was excellent including many of the great character actors from British TV, like James Fleet and Trevor Peacock (Vicar of Dibley), Alun Armstrong (New Tricks), David Troughton (A Very Peculiar Practice) and many others. However I too am having trouble finding any information about its availability on DVD. I note that no-one has yet responded to the plea for DVD information by the 3 previous posters on this board, Internet searches using the series title are now overwhelmed with the new "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" which is something different entirely. Please please can anyone tell us where we might find a DVD of this excellent TV series?
9 Reviews
Superb oddball comedy-thriller series which is never predictable
garsonfarm10 November 2015
One of my favourite ever TV series from the days when Channel 4 (in UK) would present some of the quirkiest television dramas. It's a comedy-thriller which manages at times to be both very funny and at others very thrilling, but is very difficult to categorise in a way which does it justice. Perhaps its greatest strength is that it has a bizarre storyline which keeps taking unpredictable twists so that you can never anticipate what it's going to throw at you next. So you sit there and enjoy the ride.
Trying to describe the plot is a bit futile - basically 2 ordinary boring 40 year old (give or take) siblings get caught up in old- school gangster feuds in suburban London (or wherever it is) - because the switchback journey to its finale is what makes it great viewing.
Excellent acting and script, good character development for some very strange characters, lots of laugh-out-loud one-liners, other moments of carefully built high tension, some very poignant sub- plots - it all comes together very nicely. There are a couple of brutal scenes which now - nearly 20 years later - look fairly dated and unnecessary and some of the gender portrayals are a bit old- fashioned. But these are more reflections of what was acceptable in 1990s TV than anything else.
Never released on DVD as far as I know, but definitely worth revisiting if you can find it - I did, and it was just as good as I remembered from its original TV screening.
Trivia: it was produced by Hat Trick Productions, who also produce the BBC series "Have I Got News For You", which often features one of its founders - Andy Hamilton - as a panelist. Andy was one of the screenwriters for Underworld and makes a couple of uncredited cameo appearances as the neighbour with the flat cap. Some of Underworld's funniest and/or more surreal moments very much reflect the spirit of his contributions to Have I Got News For You.
Trying to describe the plot is a bit futile - basically 2 ordinary boring 40 year old (give or take) siblings get caught up in old- school gangster feuds in suburban London (or wherever it is) - because the switchback journey to its finale is what makes it great viewing.
Excellent acting and script, good character development for some very strange characters, lots of laugh-out-loud one-liners, other moments of carefully built high tension, some very poignant sub- plots - it all comes together very nicely. There are a couple of brutal scenes which now - nearly 20 years later - look fairly dated and unnecessary and some of the gender portrayals are a bit old- fashioned. But these are more reflections of what was acceptable in 1990s TV than anything else.
Never released on DVD as far as I know, but definitely worth revisiting if you can find it - I did, and it was just as good as I remembered from its original TV screening.
Trivia: it was produced by Hat Trick Productions, who also produce the BBC series "Have I Got News For You", which often features one of its founders - Andy Hamilton - as a panelist. Andy was one of the screenwriters for Underworld and makes a couple of uncredited cameo appearances as the neighbour with the flat cap. Some of Underworld's funniest and/or more surreal moments very much reflect the spirit of his contributions to Have I Got News For You.
Fantastic series - how to get hold of it again?
karen-ashe2 June 2006
This was an amazing series, one of my favourites. At the time of course I didn't have the wit to record it - I came across it by accident in the first place, and didn't record it from the outset, so there seemed no point after that. Now I am dying to see it again.
To be honest, I don't remember all that much about the dialogue or specifics of the plot - I just remember thinking it a brilliant series. Thus, I'd love to see it once more.
So, can anyone help the previous poster and myself? I've looked at all the major online DVD retailers, and none of them appear to stock a DVD of this series. I can only assume that it hasn't been released, but if anyone knows differently, please tell all!
To be honest, I don't remember all that much about the dialogue or specifics of the plot - I just remember thinking it a brilliant series. Thus, I'd love to see it once more.
So, can anyone help the previous poster and myself? I've looked at all the major online DVD retailers, and none of them appear to stock a DVD of this series. I can only assume that it hasn't been released, but if anyone knows differently, please tell all!
Loved this show - would love to get the DVD
gryffydd25 December 2005
I loved this show and I missed the first episode. The series develops beautifully and the characters are great. I especially liked the 'Cabbie'. It was shown in Australia a few years ago and we have not seen it since. Definitely worth a repeat viewing. The protagonist is quite easy to empathise with, even though he is less than effective. His sister's attitude to situations plays well against her brother. The father/son relationship of the gangsters is fantastic to watch and similar to everyday relationships. The apparent logic of strange situations is hard to argue with and the fact that William and Susan start to behave in line with the gangsters is very well done. Any one know where the DVD is for this one? I would love to have a copy.
Underworld - where is the video or DVD?
jhooke7 June 2005
Liddy Oldroyd's 'Underworld' was absolutely brilliant. We were clever enough to tape most of it when it was shown here, but our tape is severely worn and my whole family would dearly love to get a new copy. Does anyone know if the series was ever issued on video or DVD and if so where I could buy one? All my searching and inquiries have yielded nothing so far. It has to be one of the all-time best series I have ever seen and deserves to be available commercially. The whole cast and all the production crew have done an absolutely superb job. But we want to watch it more - someone, anyone, what's the chance of finding a DVD or video copy?
Wonderful to see this again
Colin_Sibthorpe_II30 October 2021
I'd have bought this like a shot on DVD - if it had ever been made available. But tonight, even better, I found it on All 4 and watched it streaming. Characters, script, plot, acting, all marvellous. Episode one is a little slow and that probably hurt the ratings; otherwise it's hard to account for the lack of repeats or a DVD.
Wonderful characters, A1 portrayals by the cast
tony-sullivan9929 May 2023
The excellence of the series lies in the characters, their clashes, and their truly first class portrayals by the cast. The weak and insipid William (James Fleet), a middle aged teacher, is married to flighty young Gilda. Gilda is barely able to read her own tattoos according to William's strong, bitter and brittle sister Susan (Susan Wooldridge - amid A1 performances she manages to stand out), whose own husband left her for another woman. Their lives become entangled with two sets of gangsters. Boss Teddy Middlemass (Alun Armstrong) is tough but trying hard to raise himself to a higher moral and cultural level, an effort despised by his father (Vicar of Dibley's Trevor Peacock). Rival boss Mr Jezzard is a rolled-gold psychopath, whose sadism is lightened only by his love of the theatrical. The second tier of characters are also well drawn and brilliantly brought to life.
Like other reviewers I am immensely frustrated at how this series has been buried. If any old TV series should be re-run it's Underworld.
Like other reviewers I am immensely frustrated at how this series has been buried. If any old TV series should be re-run it's Underworld.
Of gangsters and family
myriamlenys27 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
A teacher comes home and discovers that his wife has left him, taking all the furniture with her. In despair, he telephones his older sister, with whom he has a nettlesome relationship. Brother and sister don't know it yet, but they're going to have to depend on each other a lot...
A blend of mystery, drama and dark comedy, "Underworld" deals with two middle-aged siblings who suddenly find themselves trapped in a blazing gang war. These two douce, law-abiding citizens are about to discover a world full of mayhem, corruption and lunacy. On the whole the series strikes a good balance between light and shadow, deftly combining the wit and fun with far darker elements.
Performances are good, with beautifully cast actors playing interesting and well-fleshed-out characters. The story proceeds in an antic, unpredictable way, involving twists that function as satire by themselves. (For example : how do you hide from a dangerous gang boss who knows where you live ? Well, you go camping in a nice big tent, in the time-approved middle-class fashion.) Indeed the movie does not shy away from social satire, for instance by describing hospitals where hard-working doctors are pushed ever harder. After a while this results in hollow-eyed, overstressed zombies taking life-or-death decisions - but don't worry, it's all going to work out fine, given that the top managers have awarded themselves a 20 percent pay rise.
It's possible to read "Underworld" as some kind of allegory on the topic of midlife crisis, what with two middle-aged protagonists rehashing their past, thinking about their parents and worrying about mortality. Note the dismal visit to a childhood holiday resort, which is essential to any good burn-out...
To end on a minor note, the series' ending feels somewhat protracted. It could easily have lost half an hour.
A blend of mystery, drama and dark comedy, "Underworld" deals with two middle-aged siblings who suddenly find themselves trapped in a blazing gang war. These two douce, law-abiding citizens are about to discover a world full of mayhem, corruption and lunacy. On the whole the series strikes a good balance between light and shadow, deftly combining the wit and fun with far darker elements.
Performances are good, with beautifully cast actors playing interesting and well-fleshed-out characters. The story proceeds in an antic, unpredictable way, involving twists that function as satire by themselves. (For example : how do you hide from a dangerous gang boss who knows where you live ? Well, you go camping in a nice big tent, in the time-approved middle-class fashion.) Indeed the movie does not shy away from social satire, for instance by describing hospitals where hard-working doctors are pushed ever harder. After a while this results in hollow-eyed, overstressed zombies taking life-or-death decisions - but don't worry, it's all going to work out fine, given that the top managers have awarded themselves a 20 percent pay rise.
It's possible to read "Underworld" as some kind of allegory on the topic of midlife crisis, what with two middle-aged protagonists rehashing their past, thinking about their parents and worrying about mortality. Note the dismal visit to a childhood holiday resort, which is essential to any good burn-out...
To end on a minor note, the series' ending feels somewhat protracted. It could easily have lost half an hour.
Underworld rides out the Cockney gangster clichés
pgchamberlin28 June 2010
With its pathetic drip of a hero and its Cockney gangster psychopaths Underworld could easily have been just another clumsy comedy pastiche, instead it is a gem.
The series is well written, produced and directed, its story brought to life by superb performances. It has an engaging plot whose many twists are sustained by a witty script.
Underworld is a kind of Midsommer Murders-paced bastard child of Mike Leigh and Guy Ritchie (although I think it pre-dates Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels).
This is a great show, and can currently be watched for free on Channel 4's "4OD" website in the UK - which I highly recommend you do!
The series is well written, produced and directed, its story brought to life by superb performances. It has an engaging plot whose many twists are sustained by a witty script.
Underworld is a kind of Midsommer Murders-paced bastard child of Mike Leigh and Guy Ritchie (although I think it pre-dates Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels).
This is a great show, and can currently be watched for free on Channel 4's "4OD" website in the UK - which I highly recommend you do!
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