The Irish R.M. is a classic "fish out of water" comedy situation, in this case set in rural Ireland at the close of the 19th Century. Major Yeates (Peter Bowles) is a well-intentioned, slightly stuffy Englishman who decides that, since his prospects of advancement in the military aren't enough to allow him to marry his beloved Philippa (Doran Godwin), the position of "resident magistrate" in a remote Irish county is the right career move. Of course, the fact that he's completely green as a magistrate and, on top of that, knows next to nothing about Ireland leads to a variety of misconceptions and misadventures.

Based on a series of short stories by Somerville and Ross, The Irish R.M. involves the hapless Major in a variety of amusing situations involving his decidedly eccentric... or perhaps just decidedly Irish... neighbors. Taking center stage (and often stealing the show) is Major Yeates' landlord and neighbor, the charming and disreputable "Mr. Flurry" (Bryan Murray), who thinks nothing of shady horse-trading and hanging around with scoundrels, but who really has a heart of gold. If Flurry is one side of the rural Irish character, then the Major's cook and housekeeper is another side. The prickly Mrs. Cadogan may be a servant, but she's really the one who runs the house, one way or another. And then, of course, there's the assortment of cousins, uncles, nephews, and so on, since it seems that everyone in the area is related to half a dozen other families. Reigning over the whole territory is Flurry's wealthy grandmother, Mrs. Knox, who may look respectable, but who has a devilish streak of her own.

The six episodes of the series' first year involve an assortment of stand-alone escapades with a few ongoing story elements involving the various characters. The opening episode "Great-Uncle McCarthy" is probably the best of the set, simply because the situation is fresh and new, and we're gradually led into the absurdities of life at Trelawney House bit by bit. In the rest of the episodes, the stories tend to be a bit unfocused in the first half of the episode (like the rather rambling "Trinket's Colt"), generally shaping up to offer an amusing situation in the second half of the episode (as in "O Love! O Fire!").

Despite its somewhat uneven pacing, The Irish R.M. is a pleasant series to watch, due without a doubt to the excellent comic acting from the principals. Peter Bowles gives the straight-laced English Yeates enough of a soft heart and sense of humor that he is a realistic and likable character rather than a stuffed shirt. Bryan Murray is perfect as Flurry, capturing the mercurial spirit, recklessness, and essential good nature of the character. The series, which was filmed entirely on location, also offers an appealing look at turn-of-the-century rural Ireland and the lives of both the "gentry" and working people.

The DVD

The Irish R.M. is a two-disc set, with each disc in its own keepcase, with the two discs inside a glossy paper slipcase. The set includes all six episodes from Series 1, with three 50-minute episodes on each disc.

Video

The episodes, which are now more than twenty years old, show some wear and tear in the form of print flaws, but overall the transfer more or less hits the average mark. The transfer could most likely have looked better, but as is the case with many lesser-known series making their way to DVD, fans will have to settle for having the program on DVD to begin with. Colors tend to be somewhat faded, but they're reasonably natural-looking, while contrast is acceptable in well-lit scenes and too heavy in darker scenes. Edge enhancement is kept to an acceptable minimum, and I didn't notice any compression issues.

All the episodes are presented in their original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Rather annoyingly, the title placards that appeared immediately before and after a commercial break have been left in rather than edited out, as would have been sensible.

Audio

As with the video transfer, the Dolby 2.0 soundtrack rates as about average for an early-1980s television program. The sound is fairly flat and tends to be a bit muted, but the dialogue has a generally clear and natural quality to it. The only exception is when voices get raised; at that point, a touch of harshness appears in the sound. The charming theme music is well integrated into the soundtrack.

Extras

The first disc in the set contains the special features. Of most interest is a 25-minute featurette called "The Making of The Irish R.M." This informative piece was evidently done at the time that the show was in production, and while it's more or less promotional in nature, it does include some interesting background on the show, as well as interviews with the main cast and crew.

Other assorted features are four recipes from "Mrs. Cadogan's Kitchen," a text profile of original authors Somerville and Ross, and cast filmographies.

Final thoughts

For viewers who enjoy British comedy and drama, The Irish R.M. offers a pleasant and charming program. This "fish out of water" story is told with gentle humor that comes from the characters and overall situation; the six stories here are a bit uneven in their pacing, but remain fun to watch. Recommended.