The world burns, and we seek metaphorical shade in the not-too-distant past. In supermarkets, sales of Arctic roll are up; in the cinema, Barbie is plastic fantastic; and on television, we have The Power of Parker, a comedy set in Stockport in 1990 that will be only half comprehensible to anyone under 45, bulging as it is with jokes about Juliet Bravo and Anneka Rice. Watching another episode the other night, I thought of that year, which I remember well – the summer of 1990 was also record-breaking, with wildfires breaking out on the moorlands a short drive from our house – and wondered that I’d been so innocent. My idea of an apocalypse back then was a Conservative victory at the next general election – and when that happened, the sky did not, after all, fall in, and I went on ignoring pretty much everything save for Tony Blair’s hair and teeth.
But I’m going off-piste (it must be the anxiety). The Power of Parker is written by Sian Gibson and Paul Coleman, who previously worked together on Peter Kay’s Car Share. It stars Gibson, Rosie Cavaliero and Conleth Hill, who played a drunk Smurfette (aka Elsie) in the best ever episode of Car Share, and it comes with a soundtrack that features – just count them – the Teardrop Explodes, Human League, Dead or Alive and the Jam. Honestly, what’s not to like? Take a Fab lolly out of the freezer, and knock yourself out with the entire series.
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