Mike and Angelo S4E1 (1991) - FULL EPISODE

Mike's Farewell. Despite the fact that they're always arguing, Angelo senses the chance to get Rita and Tony back together again when Mike's father flies in for a visit. What follows is a rollercoaster of emotions and a string of hellos and goodbyes, with feelings hurt and no-one quite knowing how we ended up where we did considering where we all started from. This episode was originally broadcast on Thursday, 17th October, 1991, and just in case you don't know what happens and haven't put two and two together, MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW BELOW. This is the last episode in which Rita's son Mike King - the original Mike - appears, to be replaced by Ellie for the rest of series four (and subsequently three other Mikes). It's nice that Matt Wright agreed to round off his storyline neatly, and I sense that his departure was deliberately left open enough for future guest appearances - but such a thing unfortunately never happened. So even though it's the end of an era, at least he sort of got a personal 'Happily ever after'. So that's the destination, but on the journey there are issues explored that normally don't come anywhere near children's television, and I'm not just talking about the oyster references and similar mild innuendos. The fact is that, until everything's resolved, we simply don't know what anyone really wants or what they're really feeling. The will-they/won't-they *seems* to be the theme of the show, and everything *seems* to point to the outcome that they will - and there's an unbelievable moment as they're discussing Mike's school work that Rita's mask appears to slip and show she actually would very much welcome a reconciliation. But a moment after thinking there's a chance that the three could be a family again, the realisation hits that not only is she not regaining a husband, but he's also keen on taking away her son. Turns out the will-they/won't-they wasn't the main theme at all. Heavy stuff, and I doubt anyone saw that coming back in 1991. Which isn't to say there isn't any comedy on offer. Angelo's attempts to get Mike off the scene for a bit and the confusion over the 'OK grades' definitely made me laugh, but it's a credit to the writers that they managed to get the balance between humour and pathos just about perfect. The speeches about the inevitability of change and the 'airports are no place to say goodbye' bit really tug on the heartstrings. Of course, Ellie is played by Jade Magri, who I'm pretty sure I've spoken about before, but as this is her first appearance, I should mention her guest roles in Spatz, Harry Enfield's Television Programme, 2point4 Children, French and Saunders, Playdays, and a more substantial part in Runaway Bay. I'm still waiting to find out whatever became of her - I hope she's doing well. Meanwhile, this is the last we see of Mike's dad Tony, played by Jeff Harding of Fast Show fame. Not content with stealing Mike away from us and dragging him across the Atlantic, a few short years later Jeff tried to pull exactly the same stunt with Father Ted, coincidentally resulting in Dougal having a misunderstanding very similar to Angelo's about going too. Look out for some Children's ITV continuity presented by Tommy Boyd at the beginning and end, plus a full ad break for that extra retro flavour. So outside of the actual episode, we're also treated to a joke about Freud and dreams, unexpected Ian Rush, a quick glimpse of Chris Packham looking like *that*, and plenty more besides. Who says you don't get value round these parts? (I also wonder whether what Tommy said about the kiss was true, and that this one was a record-breaker...) Many thanks to Grant for providing this recording. (To the best of my knowledge, the contents of this video have never been available commercially anywhere in the world. Please also note that I don't monetise any of my uploads. Nevertheless, if you are a copyright holder and have an objection, please don't hesitate to contact me.)