Mike and Angelo S9E7 (1997) - FULL EPISODE

Jitterbugs. Mike's happily heading off to his swimming training, until Zoe turns up at the house - as arranged, but subsequently forgotten. Can he possibly be in two places at once, thanks to Angelo's latest invention? Meanwhile, Katy's parents arrive for a visit ahead of the final of their dance competition, and they find themselves having a bit of a domestic. Who's going to end up partnering whom in the final? This episode was first broadcast on Thursday, 27th February, 1997 (which actually means a week was skipped, but I've no idea why).

I've said it before, but I like the fact that the show grew up with the character, giving Mike the usual teenage 'complications' - if it's fair to call Zoe in that - rather than pretending he was 10 years old or making him get excited about Playmobil or something equally ridiculous. Having him trying to keep a young lady sweet added so much, but it was never overplayed and just treated as part of a natural progression.

Something else I like is that the zaniness never descends too far into farce. Take Mike's belt in this one, for instance: I can think of lesser shows that would have run that gag into the ground and kept the deception up way beyond what's funny, and then have a massive argument at the end as the lazy pay-off. Instead, though, (without spoiling anything) the daft idea turns out to be its own punishment, and Mike learns his lesson accordingly - much cleaner, and nobody loses the audience's sympathy.

Katy's parents are played by June Watson (whose impressively long IMDB entry lists the likes of Z Cars and Angels, plus Dickens and Sherlock Holmes, and I gather she's still working) and James Ellis (sadly no longer with us, but also in Z Cars - 627 episodes as Bert Lynch, in fact - plus regular appearances in Nightingales and In Sickness and in Health, amongst so many other things). While we're busy singing the praises of all and sundry, these two are both excellent: June as the angry mum (and boy do the creators of the show do a good line in angry women!) is excellent, but James as the melancholy dad who just accepts his lot in life and carries on despite obviously being very upset really steals the show in an understated way, if that's not a contradiction. I'm pleased that it was all done in a non-patronising, non-signposted way, rather than stating aloud everyone's emotions. Again, I can think of lesser shows that would have spelled everything out in great detail for the hard-of-thinking, rather than treating the young audience with the respect it deserves.

Many thanks to Grant for providing this recording.

(This is a transfer from an old videotape, so please don't expect full HD quality. To the best of my knowledge, this material is not available commercially anywhere in the world, and has been uploaded for its historic interest. That said, if you are a copyright holder and object, please don't hesitate to contact me.)