At last something on British television worth watching! I'll be putting a review in my film review section shortly but Billy Elliot has been the highlight of my viewing since I got home on 20 Dec 2002. Set in the North East of England with the backdrop of the 1980s miners' strike this is the folksy tale of the young lad who trades boxing for ballet dancing. The characterisations are simple but good and include a dotty granny, working class hero type father and brother, both miners, and a sprinkling of others. The cross dressing friend will lead to a wry smile or two and Billy is pencilled in for stardom ... perhaps. A social story along the lines of Kes, another must read and must see story about working class Northern England, and Purely Belter, set in Newcastle upon Tyne, Billy Elliot gives us a view of life in a mining community: it shows us how "men" live their lives and parade their prejudices for everyone to see; it gives us tiny insights into the Miners' Strike and it gives us some idea of what it takes to succeed through hard work ... not the instant rubbish that we see these days when music groups have become "boy bands" and "girl bands" and naturally talented groups of people like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones can never come together again. I'm ranting! The postman just came: let's see what he has showered on us today! DW