Seaview (1983–1985) User Reviews

Good, honest, seaside fun!

[DPMay · 7/10 · 6 June 2020]

A generally enjoyable 1980s series from the BBC, Seaview was a children's comedy drama centering around the lives of teenage brother and sister George and Sandy Shelton, whose parents run a hotel in the northern seaside town of Blackpool. The first series has the Shelton family newly arrived. The idealist Sandy is trying to pursue her dreams of fame and a creating a better world, a situation not always helped by the machinations of her mother, who has high aspirations for the girl. By contrast, younger brother George seems undervalued by his family even though he's bright and generally has a far better grasp of everything going on than the people around him. His predilection for answering everything with a wisecrack does him few favours, however, nor does his habit of initiating money-making schemes (often in tandem with his new-found friend, local boy James) which invariably end up going awry. The first series oversaw situations such as Sandy going for an audition, George installing Space Invaders machines in the hotel, the kids going on strike as they hold out for decent wages from their parents for helping out with the running of the hotel, James finding himself abandoned, and Sandy trying to make the big time with a pop group. When Seaview returned for a second series, there was a slight change of emphasis as it became more soap opera than situational, with the ongoing story arc of Sandy's romance with new boyfriend Ian. By now the Sheltons had moved into a different hotel (presumably the BBC could no longer film at the original site) and there was a new baby brother (who is only ever seen and referred to in the opening episode). With the children now being slightly older, James forms an attraction to Sandy and George also has his first dalliance with romance when he meets keep-fit enthusiast Lisa. Throughout the series' run there was plenty to see of Blackpool, the dialogue was often sharp and the acting of a high standard. Maggie Ollerenshaw, best known as the dithering Mavis in Open All Hours, played the overbearing mother with David Gooderson (one-time Davros in Doctor Who) as the more level-headed and empathetic father. Aaron Brown, then a familiar face from a Rice Krispies commercial, made for a likeable George and the young Yvette Fielding, just before achieving real fame a Blue Peter presenter, coped admirably with the singing and emotional wrangling required in the role of Sandy. Perhaps Seaview's greatest strength lay in its presentation of a teenage brother-and-sister relationship, with the two central characters forever at odds but on occasion demonstrating a grudging mutual respect and, touchingly, a deep emotional bond.

Hideous children's comedy from the eighties

[world_of_weird · 7 June 2005]

SEAVIEW had one thing going for it, and one thing alone, and that was the fact that it was set in the popular British seaside resort of Blackpool, and if you were a youngster like I was at the time, you'd watch it just to see the shots of the Pleasure Beach fun fair, the Tower, the three piers and the Golden Mile that popped up in just about every episode, either to remind you of your last holiday there or to get you in the mood for a holiday to come. Aside from the travelogue angle though, SEAVIEW was truly rank. One episode I remember was based entirely around the fad for arcade machines (and was already years out of date) - the owners of the Seaview hotel thought a Space Invaders console in the foyer would be a nice money-spinner, so what does their annoying son do? He rings up the supplier, gets them to deliver several of the things and invites all his friends around to play on them. Even as a not-too-cynical nine-year-old, I got the mental image of some smug, slicked-back junior producer at the BBC smirking to himself over the prospect of this jaw-droppingly dismal attempt at childhood wish-fulfilment humour, thinking he'd strike a chord with kids everywhere. It didn't. Most of us just wished the parents would clobber the kid and make way for more of those mouth-watering shots of the cheerfully gaudy resort we knew and loved. Another episode had the standard-issue "we're forming a rock band" scenario. Dear God...