"The Wire" to be shown on BBC 2

[rafletcher]

Announced today, all 60 episodes will be screened "stripped" across the week, on BBC2, although no transmission dates have been announced.

[Jezza]

Good news. I've never seen it, but heard a lot about it.

[StuAff]

One of, if not the, best TV series ever. Rented all the series, I think I'll be recording & burning this lot.....

[geoff]

Starting tomorrow night 11.20 BBC2

[Mike r]

I started watching it on-line. It is very good.

[citoyen]

Much has been made of whether or not it's "authentic" but what's important is that it's just brilliantly written and some of the dialogue will stick in your mind for a long, long time after the scene is over - one of my favourite scenes from the first series has one drug dealer explaining to two of his young lieutenants that "the game" (ie dealing) is a lot like chess. And here it is, if anyone wants a taster:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/S1HUlTKvDUI&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/S1HUlTKvDUI&rel=1</a>

And the characters on both sides (cops and dealers) are fully fleshed-out, interesting people with all the moral complexity of real people. Omar (who Barack Obama says is his favourite character in his favourite TV show) is one of the most fascinating characters in a work of fiction this side of Charles Dickens.

Be warned that it may seem a little slow to start, but it will really get under your skin.

It's great that it's being shown on consecutive nights, too, because it's one of those things that once you get into it, you can't wait for the next instalment.

d.

[little miss mac]

Not great that it's on so late, for those of us with early bedtimes and no digital recording equipment 

[citoyen]

Here's another great scene -
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/2ycAwhR3oEg&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/2ycAwhR3oEg&rel=1</a>

(warning: don't read the comments on either clip unless you enjoy spoilers)

[ChrisO]

Mrs ChrisO was loaned the first series on DVD while recovering from a knee operation a few weeks back and has been raving about it since.

I've just bought her the second series and I'll take the first one to Abu Dhabi with me.

Each series is about £20-25 on DVD at HMV if anyone is interested.

[Wascally Weasel]

I'm waiting for the full box set to get to £60 or below.

[hairyhippy]

I started watching it on-line. It is very good.

How? It doesn't seem to be on iplayer and I have now missed the first one.

[Mike r]

You can see links here TV-Shows : All|W

[Really Ancien]

I assumed that it would be an updated 'Homicide, Life on the Streets' , based as it is on the same book, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html?curid=1873235  The main difference is that the pacing is more even due to the lack of adverts on HBO. The anachronisms are interesting, the lack of computers for instance. I liked the soundtrack, 70s Soul being more my style than rap, 'Use Me' by Bill Withers was an especially fine choice.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/g3hBYTkI-sE&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/g3hBYTkI-sE&rel=1</a>

Damon.

[citoyen]

I assumed that it would be an updated 'Homicide, Life on the Streets' , based as it is on the same book,

Homicide is the story largely from the police point of view, and The Corner is the story largely from the point of view of people "on the street". One of the things that makes The Wire so great is that it tells the story equally from both sides.

d.

[mattc]

Be warned that it may seem a little slow to start, but it will really get under your skin.

Hmmm. I've watched maybe 1.5 of 3 so far, and it IS rather slow, and none of the characters have grabbed me.

I really wanted to like this. May give it more time ...

(every night is darn silly. I'm bound to miss some, and that sounds a bad thing with the kind of plotlines it is known for)

[ChrisO]

Well I'm about halfway through on DVD.

After the first two I was thinking it was OK but not great.

Then I got to the episodes where they explain chess in "gangsta" and the one where the whole scene is just two cops saying fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, motherfucker, fuck, fuck, fuck, motherfucking fuck. Brilliant.

I'm definitely on board now. The problem is rationing myself when I have the whole DVD set.

[Jezza]

the one where the whole scene is just two cops saying fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, motherfucker, fuck, fuck, fuck, motherfucking fuck. Brilliant.

That was superb. Doesn't sound it, but it was.

I just found out McNulty is played by an English actor - Dominic West. Srsly impressed how well he carries it off.

[Robh]

I just found out McNulty is played by an English actor - Dominic West. Srsly impressed how well he carries it off.

Even more bizzarely, imho, Dominic West is an old Etonian. And the guy who plays Stringer Bell - Idris Elba - is from Hackney.