Beyond the TARDIS Golden Years Film Review by DJ Forrest

Written by John Miller, Nick Knowles and

Jeremy Sheldon

Directed by John Miller

British Action Comedy film

Released 29 April 2016

It’s that luxury of watching films through a popular streaming channel that allowed me the opportunity of seeing this film, as I think, I probably wouldn’t have rented it at a DVD store (if any of those still exist, anymore). That’s not to say the film is rubbish in any way, far from it, but it’s one of those films, that you’ll probably only ever really watch on your own, randomly. Browsing video stores means you’ll choose an action film with familiar names and not something with a bunch of aging stars – although I’m not sure how to explain The Expendables…

I love British films. I love American films too but, there’s something about British films that put me in a nostalgic mood. Of course, I’m talking about films that rely on the background of childhood familiarity, and of familiar faces of the older generation, and doesn’t rely on ‘shoot em up’ scenarios and car chases through the busy streets of London.

That’s not to say that I would rather sit through endless episodes of Miss Marple on a Sunday afternoon while working my way through a plate of cucumber sandwiches and sipping tea from a china cup!

Golden Years is a 2016 film about a retired couple – Bernard Hill (Boys from the Blackstuff), and Virginia McKenna (Born Free), who discover that their pension fund paid into is now in crisis and the bank is looking to take their home. Bernard who plays Arthur is worried for his wife as she suffers from an illness and when she falls into a deep sleep there’s a fear she may never wake up again. Martha, Bernard’s wife, loves her garden, and hates that her body is not as fit as it used to be. Meanwhile, to keep her busy, she makes casseroles and the like for her hard of hearing neighbour Menna Trussler (Torchwood).  

After visiting his bank regarding a letter he’d received, Arthur leaves with his wheeled trolley just as the Securicor guard is returning from the bank. Unfortunately, the guard trips over the trolley and knocks himself out on the side of the van. The guard inside thinks it’s a call from his mate and pushes the cannister with money in it into the hatch and you can guess what happened from there on in.

There are some obvious outcomes within the film, which I’ll not give away, but are funny nevertheless. There are bungling policemen and an infuriating Detective with a spray tan that I had no time for, but knew he was well placed within the story. There’s familiar Who faces, including Mark Williams (Doctor Who) who plays the barman, Simon Callow (Doctor Who) who plays one of Bernard’s friends, the lovely Una Stubbs (Sherlock), Phil Davis (Doctor Who), Ellen Thomas (Doctor Who) and Alun Armstrong (New Tricks) to name but a few.

As I say, there’s no shoot em up car chases. There’s no violence or swearing to the degree we see these days, so anyone can watch it, so long as they don’t have an aversion to old people!