Over The Rainbow – Nostalgia Central

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1 9 9 3 (UK)
8 x 30 minute episodes

A spin-off from the successful Dublin-based movie The Commitments (1991), with two of the cast members reprising their roles, as young Irish women Finnoula (Angeline Ball) – known as ‘Finn’ – and Michelle (Bronagh Gallagher), this eight-episode series from Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais borrowed from their eight-part sitcom Thick As Thieves (1974).

Thick As Thieves focused on a married couple and the man’s best friend, and on what happened when the male spouse came out of jail to find his pal shacked up with his wife, leading to an unlikely but surprisingly not too uncomfortable ménage à trois.

In Over The Rainbow, the likely lads were best mates Neil (Peter Sullivan) and Spence (Ian Targett).

Despite Neil’s reluctance, the pair participated in a spot of safe-blowing during Neil and Finn’s wedding reception – it was meant to be the perfect alibi – which went disastrously wrong.

Spence, the lookout, got away from the scene of the crime, but Neil, the driver of the getaway car, was trapped inside the vehicle.

With her husband in prison, Finn left London and moved into a flat over a Brighton pub, The Rainbow – owned by Finn’s Irish Uncle, Roddy (Eamon Morrissey) – where, after a few months, she began a relationship with Spence.

He moved in, albeit into the spare room, and then, one year after their wedding, Neil was released from jail on probation, to find his best mate living with his divorce-seeking wife.

As with Thick As Thieves, the two pals quickly reconciled themselves to the unusual situation and settled down to make the best of their lot, sharing their desire for Finn. She, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with either of them.

Finn was the lead singer with the rock/soul band Static Cling. Her friend Michelle also sang and played guitar in the band, which rehearsed and performed in the Rainbow.

The other members of the band were played by Francis Magee, Jonathan Savage, Dominic Tandy and Murray Woodfield.

Roddy was something of a crime ‘godfather’ (he ‘masterminded’ the wedding reception burglary) and a lecherous sort, who lusted after Finn, unhindered by family ties – he married her aunt, so he was not a blood relative.

Eyeing up Static Cling’s talent, and always looking for their next scam, Neil and Spence fancied themselves as music-business moguls, and the series depicted their attempts at rock management.

Static Cling were renamed Wicked Cleavage and, eventually, with a little ‘help’ from Uncle Roddy, they hit the road for their first tour.

While the storyline and some of the dialogue were of a good class, the characters were probably too unsympathetic to win over the viewing public and Over The Rainbow never returned for a second series.

Finnoula (‘Finn’)
Angeline Ball
Michelle
Bronagh Gallagher
Neil
Peter Sullivan
Spence
Ian Targett
Uncle Roddy
Eamon Morrissey
The Band
Francis Magee
Jonathan Savage
Dominic Tandy
Murray Woodfield