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Brush Strokes

AMIABLE ENOUGH series that despite its relative longevity and introduction of soap-opera style ongoing storyline never quite managed to break through to the comedy premier league. Which is a shame really as we would have loved to have seen Roland Rivron present a half-arsed programme extolling its virtues as part of that BBC “Best Comedy Ever” thing from a few years ago. Loveable proto-Flash squirting KARL HOWMAN played unlucky-in-love-cheeky-chap Jacko. Each episode would focus on his latest benign flirtation with some posh bird who’d hired him to come and paint her back room. Jacko’s first real love interest came in the shape of KIM “PRETENDING TO WORK SOMETHING OUT ON A BLACKBOARD WITH JOHN CORNELIUS BUT IS PATENTLY JUST CHALKING A LOAD OF BOLLOCKS” THOMPSON’s Lesley. Although Thompson only played the role for one series, she is still better remembered in the part than ERIKA “WHO?” HOFFMAN who took on would-be-upper-class-totty for the show’s four remaining series. However in the main the supporting cast were brilliant; there was official sidekick Eric (played by MIKE WALLING with just the right blend of permed hair pomposity), ELIZABETH COUNSELL as the possibly-still-up-for-it-and-not-all-that-dissimilar-from-Marlene-in-ONLY-FOOLS-AND-HORSES Veronica and of course the colossus of all angry baldy blokes that is GARY WALDHORN as Jacko’s long suffering boss Lionel (sadly written out at the end of series three). Special mention must be reserved for the incomparable HOWARD LEW LEWIS, whose turn as idiot barman Elmo formed the template for idiot second string comedy characters that has since been used by the likes of VICTOR MCGUIRE and DAVE ATKINS. Over its five series, BRUSH STOKES grew increasingly maudlin, perhaps in part due to the loss of the comic friction between Jacko and Lionel. Still the end title sequence with Jacko finishing off that last bit of wall was always quietly satisfying, helped in part by one of the most melodic and uplifting sitcom theme tunes of all time, courtesy of DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Lee James Turnock

    May 25, 2010 at 3:06 pm

    The woman who played Jacko’s sister was in ‘Snoopy – the musical’ when it was launched in England. The main attraction of the later episodes was Louise English, naturally.

  2. Tom Ronson

    March 25, 2022 at 3:09 pm

    It always makes me laugh when your man Howman turns up in the opening scenes from That’ll Be The Day along with David Essex and Robert Lindsay as three of the oldest schoolboys you’re ever likely to see. They make the Please, Sir! mob look positively spritely.

  3. Richardpd

    March 5, 2024 at 10:21 pm

    I agree this was above average without being outstanding.

    Written John Esmonde and Bob Larbey of Good Life & Ever Decreasing Circles fame.

    The title sequence was good, with Jackos nicking a girl’s crisps & kissing a policewoman.

    Erika Hoffman played German mother to be Anna in the Only Fools & Horeses episode “From Prussia with Love”.

  4. Sidney Balmoral James

    March 7, 2024 at 9:33 am

    Another in that fairly select cadre of unremarkable sitcoms that benefited from a really strong cast elevating routine material – Three up, Two Down, After Henry, perhaps even Fresh Fields from the same era (and arguably Last of the Summer Win at its peak). Not very many great sitcoms from this era however – sitcoms got very cosy and boring, but they still kept making them (presumably because we kept watching them. I must have seen every episode of The Two of Us, Me and My Girl, and – the horror – Home Sweet Home – and I’ve no idea why).

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