I have had many a great holiday on the Isle Of Wight and of course this means going over by ferry, i love this bit.Im not a sailor, but i do love boats.I love visiting harbours and hearing the wind in the rigging and the seagulls squawking over head.I must visit The Jolly Sailor one day for a nice cold pint of cider out side with the brilliant view across the river Hamble where Jack Rolfe would sit and have his, this is just down the road from Southampton and also not to far from Portsmouth.I am at present collecting the complete series of Howards Way, as i just love the drama of it all so much, i have just bought series three.If you have not seen it yet, please do, it's great, i believe there are Howards Way boat trips to go on up the Hamble in the area as well, they should be good.So there you are a very nice family drama to watch and enjoy.And then when you are in the area you can visit all the filming locations as well, brilliant.Hope this comment helps you all, good luck and farewell.From Dave Horton, Croydon, Surrey. Added 2nd September 2007.

I watched Howards Way in the 1980's and would agree it is something of an icon for that decade. I am less sure about the programme quality as most of the acting was wooden and the story lines paper thin.Maurice Colbourne was very arthritic as Tom, the archetypal 80's man who, laid off and down and out, rose from the ashes to develop and run a successful business of his own.Jan Harvey was passable as was the actor who played Ken Masters, Tony Anholt was also reasonably believable. But Edward Highmore, Tracey Childs, Cindy Shelley, Nigel Davenport Michael Dennison and Dulcie Gray - to name but a few, were just picking up a fee. Certainly actors of Dennisons and Davenports quality must have realised that this was just a small gravy train. That said, the series was hypnotic because it was so bad - and I watched it most weeks for this. If you want to praise good 80's drama - maybe the Boys from the Blackstuff would be more like it. Howard was escapist drivel by comparison.

Having lived and worked on the Solent I can vouch for the characters being very true to life especially the husbands & wives behaving badly!! The clothes were realistic for the time ( I can remember wearing a huge hair bow)and anyone who thinks there's no money in Southampton needs to think again you only need to look at the Port Solent & Ocean Village developments with the Sunseekers parked outside!I'm glad to hear its being released on DVD next year-all we need now is a re-run of Eldorado and my happiness will be complete. I don't think Howards Way would have worked as a soap as it would have been difficult to keep up the great story lines but it has to have been worth a few more series at least!

Howards Way was the greatest television series of all time and i am sick of continuing to enquire as to why this series is not released on DVD. No one can give a definitive answer if it were on DVD it would be an instant hit. Tony Anholt was by far my favourite character, an extraordinarily handsome man the epitome of suave. I still cannot believe that he is no longer with us, Tony was brill!! Its just wonderful to see him again on the re runs on UK Drama. It seems more interesting now than it did then. i would dearly like to know where all the locations were on the filming of the series. I just wish the series had continued beyond the 6 series.