麻豆社

How important do you think Boys from the Blackstuff was? Is it still as powerful today? Do you recognise the Liverpool depicted in the series?

jackie waters
The messages in "Boys from the Blackstuff" are even more relevant today.Alan Bleasdale's writing is like Shakespeare's-it will still have relevance a thousand years on. People should watch it and do some comparisons. I've just finished reading "Portrait of Liverpool" written in the 70s and some of the fears and aspirations for the city that the author closes his book on are poignant in their realisation or non realisation. It's good to look back-It's even better to learn from it.Boys from the Blackstuff should be a learning module in every school.

Joe Muller
A truely great series of social significance. I saw a clip recently where they are in the van. Can't remember the character but he said "this country is turning in to a facist dictatorship".. how prophetic that line was... could still apply today. deserves a re-run.

Paul
The series was a parody of reality, it did not reflect the actual reality. I was a young man at the time and the actual reality of unemployment meant that people left the city for work elsewhere, they did not sit around feeling sorry for themselves. Alan Bleasdale lives in a middle class ghetto, the 'ordinary people' he tries to depict have much more energy and positive ideas about how the world is and should be. A much more realistic view can be seen in Brookside and the works of Willy Russel which portray the real Liverpool not the depressing chauvanistic view portrayed in BBBS.More importantly, Bleasdale's view has blighted Liverpool's economy over the last 20 years with the stereotypes engendered by Bleasdale causing British business to shun the City. Only now with the advent of Capital of Culture has this view begun to change.Maybe Alan should cheer up and look at the real world, not the negative construction he projects onto the people of this great city.Paul, Mossley Hill

Joan
I can almost remember every line - a searing and true account of our lives here in Liverpool at that time. No one is writing anything as honest at the present time - it's a miracle it was ever shown. Wouldn't happen now eh?

J.Cochrane
Television at it's best, and yes I shed tears watching 'Georges last ride'.Sentiments expressed then still hold true today, we may well have multi millions being spent on a flash new shopping centre, new hotels a plenty and the like but without the likes of Tate&Lyle, Crawfords, Leyland cars, Imperial Tobacco (Ogdens included),Meccano, Galaxy, Metal box, GEC, Plesseys, need I go on, who can afford to go to them. Sadly 'Yozzer's' phrase" Gizza job!" still haunts this great city. Don't get me wrong I'm delighted that we have finally achieved financial investment but can we really rely solely on tourism without a proper solid foundation given by industry? my greatest fear is that we may not and the tragedy of the 80's will be replayed.On a footnote, I wonder How Mr Bleasdale would portray the boys now 25 years on....possible one off eh Alan? surely worth considering.

Darren Lilly
I watched the series as a 13yr old. My parents let me stay up late on a sunday to watch it. It was the first time that I realised how hard things were at the time, how hard my parents were striving to keep food on the table for me and my 4 siblings, to provide warmth, light and water for us. I grew up just outside Liverpool, but the problems were just the same. I work in the Royal Liverpool Hospital now, just across the road from the Bridewell Studio's, which was the setting for the Snowy Maguire death scenes and the famous Yosser Hughes 'Gizza Job, I can do that, I can build walls' scene. Fantastic gritty drama, delivered with a slight hint of humour. Years and Years ahead of its time.

Paul
Brilliant series, I have the DVD, but when are they going to release the earlier Play For Today from which the series was spun off? I think it was called the Muscle Market and had Alison Steadman and Peter Postlewaite.

PHIL GUINNESS
Superb television,showing things as they were at the time.I was unemployed in Norris Green in the early eighties and this show rang true for so many people. How we could do with some quality drama today instead of the utter trash reality tv we get insulted with.

Jaime Glenn
One episode still fresh in my mind today is Georges Last Ride. Still chokes me thinking about it, how the new and old liverpool atittudes merged together at the time. Pity I live in Ohio now..but Ilived through that and remember how realit portrayed the nations feelings.

Craig Elliott
This was "reality" television in the early 1980s. Confronting social issues in a gritty and realistic way. Almost every film or TV depiction of unemployment and post-industrial society since then (incl. Full Monty) has been flippant and somewhat contrived.Going back one generation seems like stepping back into another world for most people today. Sadly, we're dreaming that we're in an affluent society which blinds us from confronting the pressing social issues on our doorsteps.Society and our community mattered then. Could we care less about our neighbours now?

davekayll
this was the real liverpool as i remember it

Beaney
I live in Canada now. I was brouught up in Liverpool. this is one of thebest series I watched. It was spot on for meBB

Alan
It was brilliant and I'd give anything to watch it again in its entirety.

Mike Reid
Iconic characature - a wonderful social comment in the midst of antisocial Thatcherism.

chris s
how ironic 20 years on and liverpool still holding unions to threat after postal strike why does liverpool always protray as a staunch city/the series was fantastic and vivid memories of ysser hughes

James New York, USA
I just bought and watched the DVD of Boys From The Black Stuff. Growing in Liverpool during the eighties, this series really did capture the mood of the city. I remember the effect it had on older people around me more that the show it's self...but on watching it again I was able to see it for the excellent work it was/is. It also made me realise what propelled me to work so hard and eventually move to the US. It is the memory of how tough things where and the drive not to be in that position again. A perspective a lot on younger people today lack.

John H - Living elsewhere but always a scouser
Boys from the Blackstuff was a true account of the time in Liverpool and many other cities. many other parts of the country suffered the same when the coal mines were closed in more right wing decisions control the workers.Things haven't changed much for many people but unfortunately a lot of people not accept this and feel they can't fight the system, hence the apathy come voting day. lots of youngsters now turn to drugs as a way to escape. - (I have been working and helping deprived communities for over 15 years). However, BFTBS shows that even when times are bad there is still humour to be found. Please 麻豆社 show this series again and again. Its better than any history book.

Phil Parry
The series was and still is an important insight into the eighties era and not just in Liverpool. I am sure many people in mining and heavy engineering areas found it relevant to their situations. I missed the original Black stuff in 1980 and have been unable to find information on any possible repeats. So come on 麻豆社 when are we going to have a Black stuff weekend?

Michael Williams
Quality drama at its very best, Blackstuff, scully and GBH, Bleasdales one of my local heros and always will be, One summer i do believe is mr Russells though another great Liverpool writer ... ahhh what talent we have in our pool of life!

Jamie
A series I still vividly remember to this day along with the drama series One Summer. Both were a rollercoaster of emotions and captured a time in British history perfectly.

steve chorley new york , usa.
the blackstuff was exactly how it was ,trying to get a job at that time was almost impossible thanks to a certain person i cant even write her name, oh yes it was so dull in the eighties for all of us up north liverpool manchester and all surrounding areas but we all got through it and eventually she got thrown out of office and it was like the sun came through the clouds that day ,now living in the usa i often think back to those days on park road and the riots that the government of the day had produced ,yes alan bleasdale hit a nerve to our society that will never be forgotten.

Dave Mc
I think alan bleasdale is a great writer and boys and the black stuff was excellent aswel as blood on the dole but just can not get copys anywhere!! i think they both showed how hard it was then. A****

Dot
Heard someone say 'giz a job' just yesterday ...still as funny as ever

Brian Holland
What a series... One moment laughs the next you were reduced to tiers. It summed up the frustrations of everyone that was cought up in that Thatcher era.

vincent lam
one of the best dramas i have ever seen real life ,should be shown to all 15+ year olds in liverpool schools as part of modern liverpool history