ShadeGrenade
Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to put Wales and its people on the television screen, ranging from the cringe making Ronnie Barker sitcom 'The Magnificent Evans' to the touching period drama 'We Are Seven'.'Mine All Mine' was a piece of whimsy from the pen of Russell T.Davies, starring Griff Rhys Jones as the head of a dysfunctional Mumbles-based family who discovers he is the rightful owner of the land on which Swansea is built. Of course his new-found status as 'King of Swansea' creates untold problems for both himself and his family.As one would expect from a Russell T.Davies series, the writing is first-rate. The cast are wonderful, particularly Jones as the dreamer 'Max Vivaldi' and Rhian Morgan as his long-suffering wife Val. Even the minor characters, such as Debbie Chazen's 'Big Claire', are beautifully put over. For me, though, the real showstopper was Ruth Madoc as Val's trouble-making mother Myrtle. Being Welsh, I could recognise those characters from everyday life. Seeing familiar locations such as Mumbles pier and Swansea Town Hall was also a joy.The only annoying thing about this show was that it ended on a cliffhanger. Despite having many excellent qualities, 'Mine All Mine' failed to find an audience. Perhaps its very Welshness alienated English audiences. I don't know.Russell was bitterly disappointed by the cancellation, he had plans for two more series. Four months later, however, he had a ratings blockbuster in the shape of 'Dr.Who'.To think I.T.V.-1 let this go after one series, yet pumped out five seasons of the execrable 'Footballers' Wives' - it beggars belief!
lisaglonghurst
A tremendous view of Swansea, Wales and its kin. As an American living in Swansea for 6 years, this show proved my point of view. So VERY funny. I don't know why they did not make another series but I really hope they do. Note to BBC Wales. :)The daughter Candy is the same girl from the "porn" scenes in "Love Actually". One of the lighter moments from the show...look out for it "I'm an MPEG!" and "I'm going to change my name to Candy ZETA if I'm going to be famous!" And Griff Rhys Jones is further proof that Welshmen have a wicked sense of humor. Watch it and roar with laughter!!!!
cloisterbell-1
The John Scott Martin connection is great. As broadcast on BBC America,this series proves that Russell D. Davies was the perfect person to adapt Doctor Who for a modern (mainstream) audience. In many ways it appears to be his love letter to Wales. For the first time since Blue Scar, a WELSH drama. It depends on stereotypes to be sure, but they are lovingly realized, full of nostalgia, beauty, affection, and great sentimentality. I love it, with a big smile on my face throughout. Brilliant. Without spoilers, the story contains superlative acting, realistic drama, lines and stories much more similar to "Bob and Rose" than "Queer as Folk" but similar in approach. One thing that really appeals is the direct comedy. It's refreshing that this seems to be essentially a comedy, without the constraints of "drama". Davies seems to relish in this liberation, especially the manicness this allows.
evebay39
I completely agree with the other review. We started off recording this and watching Blackpool - by week 3 it reversed and we only watched the rest of the incredibly poor Blackpool (Potter knock-off) to get it finished.But Mine all Mine was a joy. It was funny, wonderfully written and beautifully performed (Siwan Morris is a superb discovery). The Shakespearean subplots gave the script a richness other writers can only dream of for their main ideas. The off-the-cuff humour had us in stitches (when Max takes over TV and accuses the helpers of grooming his son, the mad taxi rides, the slightly subverted fish-out-of-water storyline for Danny).Davies and Paul Abbott are clearly our best writers in TV (more so than the arrogant Poliakoff, who seems to be copy/pasting his stuff since the beautiful Shooting the Past).Nasty cliff hanger though. BAD ITV.Pleased to see it is finally getting a DVD release in March. Unlike Blackpool, we've already pre-ordered this one. Now how about Davies's kids progs finally getting a release?