When this was broadcast in 1996 it was really important. Britain was tired of the Tories and they were incompetent but also the soul of what drives political ideals was gone. A year after this series was shown the Labour party swept to power. Not that there is a correlation there but the mood of the country had changed.Fourteen years later - in 2010 - there is so much to admire here, even if the political urgency has past: the writing, production, casting, and threads to the long story, but there also parts that don't work anymore: the sex and corruption theme stands out here. As this is a single writer's work it has great features in character and in the human play that covers 40+ years. It also tends to fall into dirge over the miner's strike - as important as that was but like some other elements it is a bit close to agitprop-theater of the 1970s.The biggest impression made now is that we have lost this type of story on TV. We are too involved with reality TV rubbish and contest shows of dubious merit and consuming more junk than stories about how people live. And finally, in an era of spin politics it reminds us that politics starts from simple things like housing and respect.It's over 9 hours to watch the whole series and it's worth the time.

Agreeing with all the other commentators, this drama is the best that the BBC can produce. Gina McKee, Mark Strong, Daniel Craig, and Christopher Eccleston all cut their teeth in this series and went on to bigger things - but never better. Even Daniel Craig's James Bond does not outshine his performance as Geordie. Watching the DVD set years after the first viewing, I cried all over again at human weakness, corrupt politics, illusions and disillusionment, and marvelled afresh at the supremely accomplished acting skills. I have lived right through the period of the play and empathise all the way with the four protagonists' dreams and aspirations then disappointment and demoralisation. And all credit to Peter Flannery whose script's excellence matches those of such playwrights as Poliakoff and Stoppard. He never misses a trick and his grasp of the vagaries of human behaviour are pitch-perfect, and nor do his actors ever fail in conveying his meanings and intentions. And despite everything in the plot lines implying a diastrous ending, the final scenes are upbeat and positive - an admirable achievement. I disagree with some of the other commentators who felt Mark Strong's acting was not quite as good as the others. Oh yes, it was. His character was a deceptively difficult one to play and Strong was convincing in every scene. His ingenuous naivete in its own way compared equally with Eccleston's. The different directions the four lives take were totally believable and every scene in all nine episodes was brilliantly played. And to maintain this the back-up cast were superb. The exceptional performances of veteran actors David Bradley and Peter Vaughan, and also Freda Dowie and Alun Armstrong, added acute verisimilitude, making the whole a complete and perfect drama. If I had to choose, then Daniel Craig's portrayal of the doomed but not defeated Georgie has to be the most powerful in a whole cavalcade of outstanding performances.I can't praise this series enough and would recommend it to any teacher of drama, film studies, general studies, current affairs, or history. All the younger generation should see this. It encapsulates their immediate historical background and provides a context by which they could understand why England is in the state it's in today.

Just a few years ago the BBC could and did make quality drama that was not a poor impression of American shows (Spooks), yet another costume drama or a mere vehicle for whatever large TV star had recently been signed up.Back in 1996 the BBC amazed us over 9 weeks with a sprawling drama covering the lives of four friends over 31 years and the immense changes in the UK over that time.It's not without its faults - Malcolm is an odd London porn baron; I can think of several actors who would have been better suited, and it does display its left wing credentials - although of course some of the chief villains are Labour councillors.The scenes in Scotland Yard in 1966,67,70 and 74 are the most compelling, and a little research will reveal the accuracy of the tale; the northern property corruption was famously accurate too, the real life persons died in 1993, paving the way for the screening of this show.I remember reading an interview with Daniel Craig, complaining that he was typecast as Daniel "Geordie Peacock" Craig; presumably his present 007 status has exorcised that ghost!

This is one of the very few programs in British TV that actually lived up to the hype. It was billed as one of the best TV drama's we would see and it delivered. It is the story about a group of friends from Newcastle and how they grow up from being angry young teenagers to mild middle aged parents. It starts off in the 60's and finished in the 90's. In that time it documents the change that they themselves have and the change that the north east had during the 30 years. The rebellious 60's to the 70's strikes and power shortages and the 80's hard times for working class families dished out by thatcher.The series culminates in one of the most unforgettable endings in British dramatic history. Never has and Oasis song been more appropriate. I also have to admit that i cried at the end. This truly was top quality drama from the writing to the acting..