2.6 Fox

An A to Z of UK Television Drama

Andy & Martin get their cock-er-nee on as they explore the London-set family saga Fox, executive-produced by Verity Lambert. Written by Trevor Preston (The Sweeney) and directed by Jim Goddard (Out) and boasting a stellar cast - Peter Vaughan, Elizabeth Spriggs, Bernard Hill, Rosemary Martin, Ray Winstone and many more - Fox was expected to be a big success but just did not catch the imagination of the ITV audience back in 1980. Fox is a curious beast, with its ambition to be a sprawling epic despite only covering a period of 8 months and its incredibly off-putting musical content which really has to be heard to be believed. Its also a difficult watch in places principally due to its casual depiction of domestic violence and terrible treatment of its female characters. Achingly toxic masculinity aside, Fox also has a proto-Eastenders obsession with family and loyalty and yet is populated by characters who are much less engaging than those in Albert Square. If you’ve never watched Fox we still invite you to hop in this televisual music-filled black cab to the East End of 1980 in order to muse in a pre-Brexit daydream why fings aint wot they used to be...