Empire Road

I rate Empire Road as good as anything on TV at that time such as Boys from the Blackstuff. It showed life as it really was and still managed to be entertaining. It was a shame the BBC didn't realise what a gem it was and give it a third series. It is an even greater shame it is not on DVD.

It managed to portray what life was like in inner city Britain without being pretentious. Furthermore it was able to tackle tissues like racism and unemployment amongst the youth while still entertaining and being as show for the whole family.

One interesting subplot was the romance between West Indian Desmond and Asian Ranjana. The Reid brothers Royston and Desmond graphically showed what it was like to be young black and unemployed in these recessionary times.

This was a trailblazing programme. It is a pity and to the shame of the BBC that it was never adequately followed up on.