Mike and Angelo S4E8 (1991) - FULL EPISODE

Sunflowers. Trying to teach Angelo a little about art and culture, Rita and Ellie have have taken him on a visit to The National Gallery in London. Rita in particular was very impressed by a certain Vincent Van Gogh masterpiece, so imagine everyone's surprise when the following day's newspapers carry reports of the same painting as having been stolen. This episode was originally broadcast on Thursday, 5th December, 1991. Many Mike and Angelos start with a small problem that slowly grows with time. I absolutely love the fact that, without giving too much away, this is instantly a full-blown mega-crisis - but then still gradually gets worse anyway. Mr Pinner sticking in his perpetually unwanted oar turns it up a notch, the unexpected arrival of Mrs Roper (Rita's boss, played by either Maggie Ollerenshaw or Theresa May) takes it even further, while Angelo's sheer obliviousness throughout is positively maddening. And it all comes to a head - literally - as the drill and saw come through the basement door at the end, much to everyone's horror, including that of the viewer. It's a brilliantly excruciating moment, as the *slooooow" destruction of the priceless artwork takes place before our eyes, and all you can do is laugh. It really caps off a near enough perfectly balanced episode in terms of tone, comedy, farce, and just plain family life. I really can't praise this one highly enough, and as usual there are lots of great gags. The "I don't know my art from my elbow" line naturally stands out, but for one reason or another the "You're detached"/"Divorced, actually" exchange got the biggest chuckle out of me. Of course, the Andy and Fergie tea towel has dated worse than the rest of the show, but it somehow seems fitting to be uploading this the week their younger daughter announced her engagement. (That wasn't planned, by the way. [The coincidental uploading, I mean, not the engagement.]) One device used sparingly by the writers that always makes me giggle is the casual serious crime committed by the heroes to get themselves out of trouble. Usually, it's something like entrapment and blackmail, but here it's kidnapping and false imprisonment. Oh, and stick around for a punchline which, I suppose, they were duty-bound to use at some point, and I think they picked precisely the right moment to do so. Look out for a little bit of Children's ITV continuity at the end, presented by Tommy Boyd. Many thanks to Lee 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.)