It wasn't made clear what "King Billy" was- retired market porter but how else had he got his reputation? His sons were a builder, ex-con
and club owner, cab driver, mature student and boxer.
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marktayloruk27 July 2018
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buckaroobanzai5018 March 2003I remember this series quite well. It was essentially a British TV version of the first Godfather film, but followed the lives of a small time East End gangster family in England, headed by the patriarch Billy Fox. While some of the Fox siblings have no quarms about joining the criminal fraternity, others reject it without hesitation. Much like Coppola's movie, we also see the family member's relationships with each other, and the outsiders who threaten it's existence. Unfortunately, the Fox family are about to experience an unexpected and terrible loss.
Certainly worth viewing on VHS or any satellite channel near you. -
chuffnobbler21 September 2006Spoilers follow.
FOX has some standout moments. There's a brilliant atmosphere, and a great sense of the time and the place. Loads of smoky bars, Granadas and Cortinas. The idea of the community and the family being one and the same is very believable and well demonstrated.
Brother Ray Fox is the standout. A real stillness and calm, making him more than "just" a shady gangster. Brother Phil is occasionally a weakness: devotedly in love with his middle-class girl ... until he chucks her in favour of some woman we have never seen before and who is barely even named on screen. A real disappointment and a weakness to the story. Brother Joey's lovelife presents some fun, with mad Patricia Quinn, eccentric Maggie Steed, and sublime Mary Peach as the love interests.
Peter Vaughan provides a rock-solid centre to the series. After his death, the family begins to dissolve ... and the series loses focus a bit.
Ray Winstone, looking extremely young, is good as the soft-hearted boxer; vulnerable and heartbroken when he accidentally kills someone in the ring. However, the series dwells on this for a good three episodes, and all drama is stalled for the resulting wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Some great performances from some actors that are a pleasure to see! Trudie Goodwin, who seems to have been June Ackland in The Bill since the dawn of time, is a treat as Ray's put-upon girlfriend. There's a good role for a young Bill Nighy. Small roles also for Christopher Ellison, Dilys Laye, Christopher Ryan, John Rhys Davies, and loads of others. Some of these just pass through for a couple of scenes, adding extra depth to the story. Biggest surprise of all is Carry On floozie Margaret Nolan, giving a strong performance as Ray's despised ex-wife. She gets to slap her appalling daughter not once but twice, and raised a cheer both times. Elizabeth Spriggs as matriarch Connie and Rosemary Martin (so good in Tenko) as sharp-edged daughter-in-law Renie get some great scenes.
Dark, shifty, gloomy and dour, this is telly as it USED to be. because of that, I can almost forgive a few loose ends and un-completed plot lines, such as the Fox family's relationship with the "other" local heavies, which could have had plenty more screen time. I cannot, however, bring myself to forgive the truly horrible songs used to illustrate some of the character elements of some of the episodes.
Loads of characters tell a sprawling story that sometimes runs out of steam but is often ready with a new face and a new set of characters. A shame it only lasted one year.