The Wall

Having hurled a batch of glass bottles at a window at his own house Jan Zapotski's family enlist the help of Doctor Corder.

With almost every single passing episode I become inmore and more impressed with this gem of a series, and though I wouldn't class this as my favourite episode so far, I'd still say it's pretty revolutionary and groundbreaking.

It doesn't have the centre piece crime, it's more of a character study, Jan's story is an interesting one, the sib of Polish immigrants, a man who's struggling to find his way, find his place, it's a story I can't remember being told too often from this era.

Poor Jan and Rita are the most henpecked couple on Earth, you look at people these days who struggle to grow up and become adults, it's clear it's been happening for some time.

Ruben does tick every possible stereotype box going, that family are definitely a rabble.

Depression, self harm, these were themes that simply weren't spoken about until many years later, this show deserves so much credit, consider it, it's 1963, I don't think I became aware of self harming until the 90's.

Several well known faces here, Irene Prador was well know as the funny Mrs Lemenski from Dear John, Hana Maria Pravda was I think best known for playing Emma Cohen in Survivors.

This was so different.

7/10.

Jan Zapotski is showing his frustrations by throwing glass bottles through the windows of his own family home.

Jan and Rita Zapotski are a young family couple. The family home is living in the same house of both sets of parents.

The families are Polish jewish emigres. They escaped Nazi persecution and settled in Britain.

Jan is 20 years old, works for his father in law's firm but has no real responsibilities.

Jan is a housewife but again her mother and mother in law give her nothing to do.

Dr Corder gets both Jan and Rita to express their frustrations in group therapy. To open up.

Both of them want independence, away from their families and a house that is full of people and no privacy. It is this that has sent Jan into breaking point.

An interesting look at immigrant extended families. I did like the role playing scenario and Jan and Rita's discomfort looked very real.

However both sets of parents come across as Jewish stereotypes. It might have looked different back in 1963. Of course even Herbert Lom was an immigrant from eastern europe.

This series is being re-shown on UK TV by the wonderful Talking Pictures channel. Exploration of the inner mind as subject matter was not uncommon in the early sixties but the background elements to this particular episode were brave and challenging, even though in the end it could not combat the then stereotypes of how characters born outside of the UK should be portrayed. Also, the need to produce an ending that satisfied the hour length format no matter how ambiguous or contrived.

Beyond this though, I was impressed to find the themes of self-loathing and self-harm clearly identified and examined within the setting of a family structure influenced by the forced exodus of Jews from Poland.

This is worth a look, at least to credit the writer for tackling downbeat themes when most TV series at the time were light entertainment. I noticed that he later went on to write the popular comedy series Two's Company.