Independent, 5 January 2002, by Gerard Gilbert
Staying In: Walking with dinosaurs; a new drama follows the 
misadventures of four middle-aged men. 
-----------------------------------------------------------

From Nick Hornby to Cold Feet, Tony Parsons to Friends, 
books and television have been preoccupied with twenty-to-
thirtysomething blokes for such a long time now that poor 
old menopausal male has found it hard to get a look-in.

Mid-life crises haven't been in fashion since Reggie Perrin 
"did a John Stonehouse" back in 1977 and faked his own 
death. It could be argued that the whole concept of the 
"mid-life crisis" was largely the product of the sexual 
revolution, in which men who had invested dutifully in the 
marriage-and-mortgage market suddenly discovered the kids 
were having a lot more fun. In fact, with men postponing 
commitment ever longer, it could be argued that the real 
contemporary mid-life crisis doesn't involve a sudden 
interest in S Club 7 and the new receptionist, but marrying 
and starting a family.

Be that as it may, a new drama resurrects the menopausal 
male as an object of scrutiny. Manchild follows four forty-
somethings - Terry (Nigel Havers), James (Gold Blend-to-
Buffy star Anthony Head), Patrick (Don Warrington - still 
best known as Philip, the African student in Rising Damp) 
and Gary (Ray Burdis).

With the exception of Gary, who remains married to his 
"shrewish" wife (their words - actually, she seems quite 
sassy), Cheryl (ex-EastEnder Lindsey Coulson), the boys are 
either divorced or never married in the first place. To 
quote the synopsis: "They have paid the alimony, education 
fees and emotional price and now they're ready to play."

And you don't have to be a raving feminist or a post-Parsons 
new man for that to sound like a drearily old-fashioned view 
of marriage. Essentially, Terry, James, Patrick and, to a 
lesser extent, Gary are idealised versions of middle -aged 
men. They have gym-toned torsos, dress expensively and 
generally have plenty of money with which to enjoy their 
"middle youth". Havers's character Terry addresses the 
camera conspiratorially about his "well-timed divorce" and 
life being his "fat, juicy oyster", while Head's James 
invites models back to a private railway carriage for a spot 
of... well, the clue is in the actor's surname (the drama 
itself is less sparing with the details).

It becomes clear the men's delusions are about to be 
punctured - but their fantasies are pitched at such 
unrealistic levels that it hardly comes as a jolt when they 
are deflated. The writer is that industrious journalist Nick 
Fisher, the Sun's movie critic, a magazine "Agony Uncle", 
and author of Living with a Willy (as well as Inside Men's 
Mind). His writing in Manchild has a practised fizz, and 
it's essentially sympathetic to its protagonists in a way 
that a similar drama written by a woman probably wouldn't 
be. But it's also rather shallow and predicated on 
stereotypes. It's a sort of male menopausal version of 
"chick-lit". "Dick-lit" perhaps?

'Manchild', part of BBC2's new season, begins next month



-----------------------------------------------------------
                     Bentley's Bedlam
            http://www.BetsyDa.com/bedlam.html

This website is for information and entertainment purposes only 
and is not intended to infringe on copyrights held by others.