'Gentry' is an episode of The ITV Play written by Nigel Kneale and released on DVD with 'The Crunch' by Network on Air in 2017. Another of his more obscure surviving works, it sees him predicting the property development boom of the nineties when it was only in its very early stages and known as gentrification.
'Genrty' sees Yuppie couple Gerald and Susannah moving into a run-down house in the East End of London, intending to do it up and sell it at a profit. Things soon go horribly wrong however, when it turns out that the man who sold the house to Gerald is dead in the bath upstairs, having been killed his fellow gang members after they robbed an armoured van and want the haul from their crime, which he has hidden in the building.
Kneale explores the impact of gentrification on traditional neighbourhoods, with gangster Colin reflecting on his childhood memories of visits to the house, and establishing shots of a street now inhabited largely by middle class families who have moved into the area. It has a wistful nostalgia to it, and although Gerald and Susannah are clear the victims of violent criminals, Gerald is portrayed as an unsympathetic, avaricious man whose main concern is profit; he bought the house without discussing it with Susannah, and blithely dismisses her objections.
At the same time, Kneale's script proves to be a gripping slice of drama, which boasts excellent characterisation. Both protagonists are believable, with Duncan Preston and Phoebe Nicholls giving convincing performances, especially when Gerald and Susannah are both terrified. As soon as he appears, Roger Daltrey steals the show as Colin, and although his developing relationship with Susannah - who gradually comes to sympathise with his anger at the loss of the neighbourhood he grew up in - smacks of rough diamond Cockney gangster stereotypes, the character nevertheless works well. So too does Michael Attwell's convincingly psychotic Slatter.
After the couple arguing and exploring the house, the sudden revelation of the vendor's corpse in the bath (and Nicholls' believable reaction to it) comes as a real shock, whilst the great twist at the end, which reveals that every minor character seen in the first part of the episode is actually an undercover policeman lying in wait for Colin's gang, is a typically ingenious Kneale touch. Roy Battersby's dynamic directing style contributes significantly to the success of the episode, from the opening establishing shots of the street to the scenes of Slatter smashing the fittings and fixtures to the strains of Dave Kelly's striking incidental score. It's a tribute to Kneale's skill as a writer that during these scenes, the viewer is likely to share Gerald's horror and dismay at the damage inflicted on the old house, and it helps that the run-down, shabby interior sets are impressively convincing.
'Gentry' is almost forgotten amongst Kneale's more famous, science fiction-based output, but it deserves to be seen now that it is available on home media. As well as being well acted and well made by everybody involved, it is also a fine example of Kneale's ability to write believable characters, naturalistic dialogue, and an engaging plot.
'Genrty' sees Yuppie couple Gerald and Susannah moving into a run-down house in the East End of London, intending to do it up and sell it at a profit. Things soon go horribly wrong however, when it turns out that the man who sold the house to Gerald is dead in the bath upstairs, having been killed his fellow gang members after they robbed an armoured van and want the haul from their crime, which he has hidden in the building.
Kneale explores the impact of gentrification on traditional neighbourhoods, with gangster Colin reflecting on his childhood memories of visits to the house, and establishing shots of a street now inhabited largely by middle class families who have moved into the area. It has a wistful nostalgia to it, and although Gerald and Susannah are clear the victims of violent criminals, Gerald is portrayed as an unsympathetic, avaricious man whose main concern is profit; he bought the house without discussing it with Susannah, and blithely dismisses her objections.
At the same time, Kneale's script proves to be a gripping slice of drama, which boasts excellent characterisation. Both protagonists are believable, with Duncan Preston and Phoebe Nicholls giving convincing performances, especially when Gerald and Susannah are both terrified. As soon as he appears, Roger Daltrey steals the show as Colin, and although his developing relationship with Susannah - who gradually comes to sympathise with his anger at the loss of the neighbourhood he grew up in - smacks of rough diamond Cockney gangster stereotypes, the character nevertheless works well. So too does Michael Attwell's convincingly psychotic Slatter.
After the couple arguing and exploring the house, the sudden revelation of the vendor's corpse in the bath (and Nicholls' believable reaction to it) comes as a real shock, whilst the great twist at the end, which reveals that every minor character seen in the first part of the episode is actually an undercover policeman lying in wait for Colin's gang, is a typically ingenious Kneale touch. Roy Battersby's dynamic directing style contributes significantly to the success of the episode, from the opening establishing shots of the street to the scenes of Slatter smashing the fittings and fixtures to the strains of Dave Kelly's striking incidental score. It's a tribute to Kneale's skill as a writer that during these scenes, the viewer is likely to share Gerald's horror and dismay at the damage inflicted on the old house, and it helps that the run-down, shabby interior sets are impressively convincing.
'Gentry' is almost forgotten amongst Kneale's more famous, science fiction-based output, but it deserves to be seen now that it is available on home media. As well as being well acted and well made by everybody involved, it is also a fine example of Kneale's ability to write believable characters, naturalistic dialogue, and an engaging plot.
