Mike and Angelo S9E10 (1997) - FULL EPISODE

A Turn Up for the Books. A mysterious scary bloke from another galaxy gatecrashes through the wardrobe, stating in no uncertain terms that he "has business with Angelo" - which is all Mike needs, as he's just about to head off to his debate contest. Who exactly is this Darth Vader wannabe, and how deep is the trouble in which Angelo finds himself? This episode was first broadcast on Thursday, 20th March, 1997.

This one is an absolute cracker, and that's thanks in no small part to the two guest actors. The more I see of Matt Zimmerman, the more I wonder why he isn't more of a household name - he notched up a number of appearances in Mike and Angelo, Spatz, and a fair few T-Bags, and was always terrific value. He was the original voice of Alan Tracy in Thunderbirds, too. Gareth Marks, meanwhile, is another of those guest actors who you can immediately tell absolutely 'gets it'. He's a familiar face and has lots of small parts to his credit (you may recognise him from the honeymoon hotel front desk in Bottom), but by far his most notorious role is also his least famous: that of Adolf's downtrodden long-suffering Jewish neighbour in the cancelled-after-one-episode sitcom, Heil Honey I'm Home. I still live in hope of getting hold of recordings of the unaired editions of that one, but that would be like finding the Holy Grail within the Fountain of Youth. In Atlantis. (Seriously, though, collectors everywhere are looking for those, and I know there are copies out there - if you can help, please feel free to get in touch.)

Anyway, children's comedy for me is all about being silly and fun, without being simplistic or patronising - and this fits the bill perfectly. The situation progressively keeps hitting new levels of ridiculousness, and the guest stars playing their characters in an almost pantomime style only improves matters further. On top of that, there's a level of sophistication (e.g. the legal case) that means it's not just a farcical romp, but a properly thought-through storyline. What better way to round off series nine of Mike and Angelo?

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.)