fraud officers place on him and his wife (Julie Walters). It also features his closest friend, Loggo (Alan Igbon), who is least affected by the social climate. At the end of the episode, in an act of desperation, lacking money and food, Chrissie is driven to strangle and shoot his geese in an attempt to provide dinner. He also worries about his children's rabbits. Yosser's Story This is the most widely discussed episode of the series, following Yosser's struggle to avoid losing his children (who are played by Alan Bleasdale's own children) to the authorities as his mental health disintegrates. It is also the only one of the series shot on 16mm film, as opposed to videotape, although the original play was also shot on this format. Graeme Souness and Sammy Lee, then of Liverpool F.C., make cameo appearances in this episode. The episode contains the often repeated scene in which Yosser goes to confession looking for help, and tells the priest he is desperate. The priest, trying to comfort Yosser, tells him "Call me Dan – Dan"; to which Yosser replies "I'm desperate, Dan". George's Last Ride This episode reveals something of George's (Peter Kerrigan) politically active past. His trip (Chrissie wheeling him in his chair through the docks) leads him and them to reminisce about his younger days, the contrast between his recalled hopeful youth with the abandoned industrial infrastructure around him is marked. The death of George causes the main characters to be reunited if, in some cases, only briefly. The episode concludes with a surreal scene at the Green Man pub in Liverpool. DVD release The series, including the original play The Black Stuff but without the episode The Muscle Market, was released on DVD as a three-disc set by BBC Worldwide in 2003. A counterpart for the series is the book Boys from the Blackstuff, the making of TV drama, by Bob Millington and Robin Nelson. References External links Encyclopedia of Television British Film Institute Screen Online Kamera Review of the DVD release. TV Cream review of The Black Stuff (the original Play for Today play) (the series) 1980s British drama television series BBC Birmingham productions BBC television dramas Social realism Television shows set in Liverpool 1982 British television series debuts 1982 British television series endings 1980s British television miniseries English-language television shows