The
lowdown: 'The Tales of Para Handy' is a comedy-drama
series set in the 1930s, and based on the
series of stories by Neil
Munro, who used the pen name Hugh Foulis. The series features the exploits
of
the captain and crew of
the Vital Spark, a "puffer" boat which delivers cargo in the Scottish Highlands.
Two
seasons, comprising six
and three episodes respectively, were broadcast on BBC1 between 31 July
1994
and 21 August 1995. It starred
Gregor Fisher as Para Handy, Rikki Fulton as Dan the engineer and Sean
Scanlan as Dougie. The adventures
of Para Handy had been filmed by the BBC twice previously, as 'Para
Handy - Master Mariner'
(1959) and 'The Vital Spark' (1965-1974).
The
episode: 'Para Handy's Piper' was the second episode of
the very brief second season, and was first
broadcast in August 1995.
Para Handy and his crew are required to bring a piper to Kilhaven, as said
piper
is to play the bagpipes
at the wedding of a local landowner's daughter. However, a young man named
John
McBryde (played by a very
young David Tennant in one of his earliest TV roles) breaks into the home
of the
piper and steals his bagpipes
and piper's clothing. He passes himself off as the piper in order to travel
to
Kilhaven. It turns out that
the young woman to be married was his lover, and he had left to make his
fortune,
with a promise to return
when he had done so. However, he has returned to Kilhaven in order to stop
his true
love marrying a much older
man. The lovers are eventually reunited, and it seems they are to married,
but
she rejects MacBryde when
she learns that he has not made his fortune. Her wedding to the older man
goes
ahead, and MacBryde is last
seen driving off in a stolen car, with a not-so-broken heart.
The
verdict: 'The Tales of Para Handy' is an entertaining
series that will please fans of the original stories,
although those who are familiar
with the stories of Neil Munro may have a greater appeciation of the show.
The mix of gentle humour
and low-key drama will please fans of British shows of this genre, and
it is clearly
aimed at a family audience.
Gregor Fisher is superb as Para Handy, and David Tennant shows that he
could
act well even so early in
his career. The show has never been released on DVD, and only the first
six episodes
have ever been available
on VHS, so it is rather hard to find nowadays.
Video Clips:
MacBryde
and Para Handy 8.8mb |
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