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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9781569382400 Format: Box set, Color, NTSC ISBN: 1569382409 Label: Acorn Media Manufacturer: Acorn Media Number Of Items: 6 Publisher: Acorn Media Release Date: September 11, 1999 Running Time: 325 minutes Sales Rank: 28207 Studio: Acorn Media
Amazon.com: "Things are different in Ireland." So learns Major Sinclair Yeates, "a fine gentleman from England," who resigns from the military to take a post in rural 1897 Ireland as the Resident Magistrate. Peter Bowles, one of PBS's most valuable players (Rumpole of the Bailey, To the Manor Born) stars in the first series of The Irish R.M., six of Masterpiece Theatre's finest hours. Based on the book by Somerville and Ross, The Irish R.M. is a fish-out-of-water comedy. Think Green Acres and Northern Exposure, only, you know, much more classy. Bowles is pitch-perfect as the well-meaning, but initially confounded Yeates, who finds himself presiding over "improbable" cases. Together with his incredibly tolerant wife, Philippa (Doran Godwin), Yeates finds himself at home among (and frequently at the mercy of) a gallery of eccentric characters, including his formidable housekeeper, Mrs. Cadogan (Beryl Reid), his Puckish landlord, Flurry (Bryan Murray), and Flurry's indomitable grandmother, Lady Knox (Faith Brook). As one character remarks, "It's all devilishly funny, no doubt." --Donald Liebenson
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Absolutely delightful
"The Irish R.M." is surely one of the most delightful shows I have happened across. It relies upon absurdity for humor, instead of the coarseness and crudity that have invaded almost every show on television. However, if you are not able to appreciate British humor...please do not waste your time watching this show. It is utterly delightful, but those who are unaccustomed to British humor may not enjoy it. However, my entire family, from my baby-boomer parents to my 11 year old sister love it, in addition to my college roommate. I really hope that seasons 2 & 3 become available on DVD soon. ... Read More
Rating: - Celtic Pandemonium
This wonderful comedy, contrasting English reserve with Celtic abandon and imaginative mischief, is a delightful exposition of that culture which was transplanted, in large measure, from the Celtic lands to the southern climes of North America. What we call "Southerners" in the United States are, in their cultural essence, of Celtic origin, and Southerners will recognize themselves in this charming revelation of Celtic (Southern) manners.
While there are major differences between Englishmen and Yankees, nevertheless Southerners will appreciate the difference between Flurry, who represents ... Read More
Rating: - A Thoroughly Charming & Delightful British Comedy-Drama
Those who enjoy Peter Bowles' roles in the ever-popular Rumpole of the Bailey and To the Manor Born will surely enjoy his role in this lovely series set in Ireland of the late 19th century. Bowles stars as Major Sinclair Yates, a retired English army officer who accepts a position in Ireland as a Resident Magistrate. His role here is reminiscent of Guthrie Featherstone in the Rumpole series, although Yates is a more multi-dimensional character, and his ineptness is due largely to an unfamiliarity with the customs and ways of life of the Irish.
Major Yates is joined by his fiancee/wife, Philippa, ... Read More
Rating: - The Irish R.M. series 1
The Irish R.M. is I think one of the Best done series I have ever seen! In the first episode you see Major Sinclair Yates leaving for Ireland as Resident Magistrate with hopes his fiancee will come and join him. The first episode shows the major getting settled in his new home (Shrilane)! The second episode is the funniest in the whole series, it involves Flurry's abnoxious grandmother and horse stealing (by none other than the Major)! All the following episodes are of great enjoyment to any audience and I highly recomend a buy! If you like this one there is a follow-up series called the Irish RM II. ... Read More
Rating: - Fun and high jinks in late-Nineteenth Century Ireland.
Major Sinclair Yeates (Peter Bowles) leaves the army and becomes a Resident Magistrate in late-Nineteenth Century Ireland. There he encounters a people so foreign to his way of thinking that he often finds himself befuddled and hopelessly confused. Surrounding him are such people as the formidable Mrs. Cadogan (pronounced "Cayder-gorn"), the forceful and self-confident Mrs. Knox, and the leprechaun-like Flurry Knox. Major Yeates, though outmaneuvered and outthought by Flurry at almost every point, comes to appreciate the people he now lives amongst, and their charming culture.
