Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #577 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-09-26
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 360 minutes

DVD Description
Series 1 A gentle yet compelling story of life, love, loneliness and blocked urinals. Each evening, the regulars bring their particular foibles and characterstics up to the bar. Overhearing their conversations and reliving the events in each of their lives is both moving and amusing. Series 2 The welcome return of the gentle, critically acclaimed comedy set entirely in The Grapes, a small pub in the North of England. Into this warm, slightly hopeless environment come a group of lovable characters who like a pint, but more than that, like each other. Lads Joe and Duffy command centre table and most of the conversation, largely at the expenses of landlord Ken's less acute regulars, such as Eddie, for whom a change in the town's traffic flow can become a preoccupation Features As per original releases

Early Doors S2 The welcome return of the gentle, critically acclaimed comedy set entirely in The Grapes, a small pub in the North of England. Into this warm, slightly hopeless environment come a group of lovable characters who like a pint, but more than that, like each other. Lads Joe and Duffy command centre table and most of the conversation, largely at the expenses of landlord Ken's less acute regulars, such as Eddie, for whom a change in the town's traffic flow can become a preoccupation. Meanwhile, Ken's preoccupation is how his stepdaughter Melanie will respond to having met her real dad, while local policemen Nige and Phil show their concern over the level of crime in the neighbourhood by listening to police radio in the comfort of Ken's snug. Overhearing their conversations and reliving the events in each of their lives is both moving and amusing.

Special Features
Commentary Track Out-Takes

Synopsis
A comedy about the lives, loves and loneliness of the regulars who frequent a small pub in Manchester. Each evening the regulars swap tales about their lives as we overhear the gems of wisdom that pass between them.

Customer Reviews

Mine's a pint!
Series two of this excellent comedy is currently enjoying a re-run (or rather its first run on BBC1 as it originally ran on BBC2) and it's great to see both series (so far) in one package.

For those who've no experience of Early Doors, it's co-written by Craig Cash (formerly the partner - in both senses - of Caroline Aherne; they co-wrote and starred in The Royle Family) and his mate Phil Mealey. Both of them star in the series as regulars of The Grapes, a traditional backstreet Manchester boozer. Mealey had never written for television before Early Doors and he makes a great job of it.

So what's it about? Basically - like its ancestor The Royle Family - it's fly-on-the-wall observation of ordinary people and their lives played out in one and sometimes two rooms. You've various archetypes here: the troubled landlord, his awkward mother, an irritable old bloke, a rather dim couple and two visiting policemen who are as lazy and bent for themselves as one could wish.

All in all, it's a total joy to watch. It's not "here comes the punchline - can you see it yet?" comedy. Indeed, it's slight and unassuming but the dialogue fizzes with superb insight and observation. If the BBC has any sense, a third series and the big push would be a great idea. It sure beats 'My Family' or some of the other dire 'comedy' we're handed.

Note for the eagle-eared: at some point in the scenes involving the lazy coppers, listen out for their walkie-talkies. The phonetic code that you hear coming from them spells out naughty words!

Life is Wonderfull
Early Doors is that great thing, a tv program you can watch over and over again and get increased pleasure every time. The humour is underplayed and very quick, the repeat viewing reveals more whit and great comic timing. There is also strong and believable emotion on display which is more effecting because it is mixed with great humour. If you love some one, give them this set.Job done as Duffy would say.

Thumbs up in the corner
Beautifully observed, gentle, subtle comedy that you can watch again and again just to see new nuances of the interplay between a quality cast. Marvellous!