Mike and Angelo S5E4 (1993) - FULL EPISODE

Tunnel of Love. Mr Pinner's broken gnome is the least of his problems: his niece has come to stay, and he just can't cope with the sulky untidy moodiness. Rita invites her round for a girly chat, and there's absolutely no way that Mike would ever be interested in getting involved in that on any sort of level at all. This episode was originally broadcast on Thursday, 28th January, 1993. Regular viewers of this channel will recognise Alexandra Milman in the part of Melanie - she was one of the stars of the B&B movie (from the same writers) the year before, and this marks the first of her recurring appearances on this show. It strikes me as a little soon into the new Mike's tenure to be giving him a whirlwind romance to fall into feet-first, but on the other hand it provides plenty of opportunity for Angelo to act as the friend, confidante, and guardian angel type of character he was always meant to be. The ceiling scenes take the show right back to its roots, while the running cupboard joke gave me a good laugh, as did the "I could murder a sandwich" silliness. Nice blend of comedy and emotion. There's probably a serious point to be made about Mr Pinner's ridiculous over-reaction to the blossoming relationship, but instead I'll just say that I like how it's portrayed in comparison to Rita's acceptance of it. (That said, I have to confess maybe I'd have asked a couple of extra questions if I'd found myself as the parent in that situation.) But the whole funfair thing keeps everything in the realms of the world as children see it, and all in all it's really quite a heart-warming episode. If anything, it could probably have done with an extra five minutes just to let the sentimental parts sink in a bit more. [EDIT: And as pointed out in the comments below, the spooky bits starting around 21:37 were reused three years later at https://youtu.be/Bi8B9-fqXR0?t=678 in the episode Night of the Zombie. Tremendously well spotted, Ludicrous Wolf!] Look out at the beginning and end for some generous chunks of CITV continuity presented by Glenn Kinsey, plus a full ad break to get you in the retro mood. 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.)