Hi De Hi! - Complete Series [DVD]

I already had a box set of hi de hi but spread out in several packs and they did'nt have subtitles, i chose this new one as all in one neat box set with the added bonus of subtitles which i find invaluable these day's. HI DE HI has always been a great favorite of mine and makes me laugh however many times i watch it. ( all ) of the cast are so very good with writers Jimmy Perry and David Croft keeping the fun banter going in every single episode , this is great nostalgia viewing which i highly recommend . I gave my old box set to charity so hopefully someone else has enjoyed the " HI DE HI - HO DE HO " P,S, ALSO A VERY GOOD PRICE.

Set in an English holiday camp in 1959/60, it might at first seem lightweight and trivial. It is nothing of the sort. Like most good comedy, it is an interplay between various characters, the older being employed at Maplins as few people would have them elsewhere, and the young and bright eyed seeing this as the first step to stardom. Behind all the working class jollity is a cold hard head office and boss. This is good comedy and good drama, with success and failure, heartache and joy. I thoroughly enjoy Hi Di Hi. It is something the BBC is incapable of producing today.

Hi de Hi will always be in the annuls of British Comedy. Geoffrey Fairbrother (played by the sadly missed Simon Cadell) kicks off the series trying to fit in from the boredom of university life to the rough and tumbles of a holiday camp entertainments manager. Taking over the role was Squadron Leader Clive Demster (played by David Griffin), whose entertainment came from swindling camp host Ted Bovis. The series still holds appeal after all this time and is worth cherishing on dvd.

As sitcoms go, I think this is superb. At the time, I thought it was all a bit daft, but having recently watched a few repeats on tv, I realised that the scripting is really clever. The characters are really well defined and play well off each other. The pretentious dancing couple are always keen to be better than everyone, Ted is the schemer, always looking to make a fast buck. Peggy is superb as the dipsy cleaner who so wants to be a yellow coat. Heart of gold and she steals every scene.Every show takes place in and around the holiday camp where the campers, by and large, play second fiddle to the staff and their antics. Watching this series from the start, there’s real character development and each episode has a distinct plot. It’s funny, timeless in that it depicts many of the horrors of holiday camps but above all, it’s filled with insight and human interest. Hours of entertainment in this boxed set, but no bonus material.

This is a classic show from Croft and Perry so was pleased to get the series. Disappointed that the disc order for each series is confusing and there is no episode guide which is why the 4 stars. Haven't checked discs yet but it's great to have in collection alongside It ain't half hot mum another comedy classic from this great team.If you grew up in the 8os then you sat with your family and watched Hi De Hi and just laughed to good clean humour and the antics of the Maplins regulars showed how holidays with the family in the 50s used to be before foreign travel was popular .There were some stand out moments from the series especially the one where Spike and Peggy in the pantomime horse are on top of a real horse and Mr Partridge can't believe his eyes and continues to drink and of course Peggy finally becomes a yellow coat.Nobody can write comedy shows today so my generation has to go back to a time where there was talented people in front and behind the camera.Get for nostalgia.

Good story lines and well made and very funny

A case of either loving or hating it, this is one of the comedy series that the BBC used to do so well in the 70's/80's before 'new-age comedy' took over for a while. Based around the 50's fictional holiday camp of Maplins, it's inhabited by a selection of characters that range from the dotty chalet maid Peggy to the pompous ballroom dancing couple. All manner of schemes are dreamt up either for the holiday-makers benefit or more often than not for the benefit of the camp entertainers under Ted Bovis who, if there's something in it for him he'll do it. Second-in-command Gladys ('morning campers') tries with varying success to maintain standards and head off any suspicious going-ons to save the mainly unsuspecting camp boss, for whom she holds a candle, from embarrassment. A comedy from a more innocent age and along with other great comedy series such as 'Allo, Allo' 'Dad's Army' etc. this can be watched again and again - and with the whole family. Recommended if you enjoy this type of comedy.

A nostalgic and very funny series looking at holiday camp life in 1950s England and the conflicts and aspirations of the main characters, Geoff the academic, a genuinely caring but awkward camp boss, Gladys Pugh his hopelessly infatuated secretary, Peggy the cleaner trying to climb the ladder to fame by trying to become a yellow coat, Ted the consumate professional with his dodgy scams, Spike his young and enthusiastic colleague learning the ropes, Barry and Yvonne the bickering dance pros who have seen better days, Mr Partridge the Punch and Judy man who can't stand kids and who has a drink problem, along with many others to add to the mayhem. The character portrayals are excellent, evocative and the humour is genuinely funny. I imagine anyone who had visited a holiday camp in their younger years would get a real kick out of this set. Perhaps the only small negative is that given it's a complete series there is no booklet or any other 'collector' items provided with the set. Excellent nonetheless.