This is a strange and unusual TV work from the pen of Andrew Davies. On the one hand it is a humourous observation on Brits abroad and how they revert to their regular habits even when on holiday. On the other it is also a drama that has a dark undercurrent to it that gives it a slighty unsettling feel to it that builds as the story progresses.
The story focuses on the Marriot family as they arrive at their campsite in France, but early on it becomes apparent that they are escaping recent traumas in their lives. Sarah (Zoe Wanamaker) is still grieving from the death of her father, and it's clear the holiday is a means to help her forget. Yet her husband Joe (Jack Shepherd) is so concerned about her mental state that when she swims out to sea one time at the beach he is convinced she is planning to drown herself. Joe himself is full of hidden anxieties, and it is this that fuels much of the story's plot. He is a children's novellist who is suffering from writer's block, worried about his wife's mental state, but himself in the middle of a midlife crisis and wondering if he is still attractive to the opposite sex. At times he becomes distracted by some of the women there, whether it is a woman handing out sweets on the beach, a girl in a hut at Club Toto he catches dressing or Early Bird, one of the campers at the campsite they are staying at - but more on her later...
The other campers are mostly a broad array of characters reflecting various types of Brits abroad. Early on the Marriot's daughter gives each of them nicknames. So the pernickety military chap with his long suffering wife and children are "the Pratts", due to his insistence of a regular routine and his habit of dangling his kids upside down. He is the first to introduce himself to the Marriots, if only to inform them that "residents usually park their car round the back." Others include "Mr and Mrs Topless" , a young couple so known because of Mr Topless's dream to go to a nudist beach - not shared by his shy and mortified wife; "The Fitness Family", who are a black family of health enthusiasts; and "Fatty Granada", who suits his name and rarely leaves the camp, but he and his wife are at least happy. Most of these characters are there for the comedy - such as when Topless (Peter Howlett - aka Joey from Bread) gets arrested for stripping off at a clothed beach - while a few are merely peripheral in the story.
What shakes up the campsite is the arrival of a rowdy and boisterous family, who are soon dubbed "Smiley Face" (Michael Kitchen) and "Early Bird" (Miranda Richardson). The Marriots soon make friends with the effervescent and slightly eccentric Early Bird and her children, and before long they are going to trips to the beach or taking in her children to sleep over at their tent. Joe soon finds himself entranced by Early Bird and her free spirited personality, but never to the point where he entertains being unfaithful to his wife. It is more that Early Bird's personality awakens in him that youthful energy that he thought had passed, in terms of enthusiasm and sexual drive. In one scene Early Bird walks in on him lying naked in his tent (the thought of which may terrify some seeing Wycliffe naked), and casually compliments him on his body, which only helps build his confidence that he isn't over the hill, both sexually and professionally.
The only fly in the ointment in this 'happy' campsite is Smiley Face, Early Bird's permanently miserable husband. From the first scene we see of them they are a volatile couple, with Early Bird pulling a knife on her husband when their daughters need the toilet to force him to stop the car. They argue and he threatens her not to leave the campsite, but she is far too free spirited and unpredictable herself to pay much attention to his threats, leaving him to glower at a table by his tent drinking. But as the holiday progresses Joe Marriot starts to get a sense of dread that something bad is going to happen, and that steadily increases as the story goes on. Indeed, there seems to be an undercurrent of jealousy within the campsite, but it comes to a head for Joe when Smiley Face 'invites' him over for a drink and rapidly gets him drunk, before showing him a revolver that he always keeps with him and becoming thoroughly unpleasant. After that Joe is convinced that something terrible is soon to happen...
The performances by the leads are great, with Shepherd in particular good with all the complexities of emotions his character goes through, as is Zoe Wanamaker as his wife still trying to come to terms with the loss of her father, and they play off well together. Michael Kitchen isn't given much to do for much of the drama, but he makes for a suitably intimidating presence. However, it's Miranda Richardson who steals the show, with her somewhat mad foreign accent (I'm not entirely sure what it's meant to be) and exuberant performance. Her energy lifts every scene she's in, which is vital in a story whose pace is leisurely at times. It's mix of comedy and drama gives it a somewhat uneven tone, but it's feeling of dread as the story builds is what keeps your attention, even if the ending feels slightly abrupt. This drama is also notable for featuring former Grange Hill child star Terry Sue Patt (as Young Fitness), as well as early appearances by future child stars Sarah Smart, who appears alongside her twin sister Donna in her screen debut (as a character who always ends up getting her leg slapped by her irate mother), and Victoria Shalet (aka Harmony from The Queen's Nose) in only her second screen role as Early Bird's youngest daughter Anna.
