Customer Reviews
Interesting with annoying sound track - By: W. Hutchinson, 27 Jul 2008 
This series of separate but inter-related stories had me glued to the screen. True, there is some over-acting from Morrissey & the sound track keeps repeating the same irritating sounds with the odd irrelevant but annoying noises (putin by a 'creative' sound engineer?), nevertheless this annoyance did not totally smother the good drama foundin this story. I just wish it had not been spoilt by the noises putin to lead the viewer by the nose when,in fact, the acting was sufficientin itself. For instance, why the romantic music when someone is booking an airline ticket - could it be romance isin the air? - well obviously! & that's the problem with this sort of sound track - the plot become a no-brainer. No thinking required. I just wish that the constant chord from the synthesiser did not always pop up. Presumably this was to add 'atmosphere' - it does not.
Despite this, the 'leading sounds' are not there all the time & the plots show various emotions & are good social commentaries.
Well worth watching.
...for dear life - By: R. Fitzgerald, 21 Apr 2008 This was an intriguing & ambitious series subject to considerable promotion at the time it was broadcastin the autumn of 1997. It has become something of a forgotten classic, only by virtue of the timing of the initial broadcast (in the aftermath of the still well publicised death of Diana, Princess of Wales) & the fact that there were several interlinking storylines instead of one dominating centralised plot made it deeply fascinating & at times incredibly challenging.
In fact, since its broadcast there is no doubt that TV drama has gone so far backwards that many of the actors who featuredin Holding On have ended upin that medium we know & love called `continuous drama' - an all too sorry tale of how British TV relies on focus groups these days. Holding On was supposed to be indicative of the ability of televisionin the Blair era to entertain but also inform & challenge. Instead you see so many hallmarks of what is missing from British TV today. For one thing, the decision to shoot on locationin such an up close & personal way is seemingly no longer an option these days, especiallyin a post 7/7 London. The scenesin the Tube are particularly harrowing as you see the extras packedin like sardines; claustrophobia has never been so graphically portrayed. And the glimpses of an ever moving ever vibrant London that wouldn't even stop for the stabbing of a girl from out of town was revealing to the point of being almost overwhelming. Clearly someone had a steady-cam & they were not afraid to use it.
And the characters that come across as being the least savoury (including the bulimic barrow boy food critic Gary Rickey, a real tour de force courtesy of Phil Daniels) end up eliciting a great deal of empathy. Even David Morrissey as a corrupt tax investigator who cheats on his wife & denies the existence of his schizophrenic brother is able to come across as someone we should feel for. It is a testament to the quality of the writing & the acting. But for all of the talent involvedin this series it is London & the haunting soundtrack courtesy of Nick Bicát that stands out, a fusion of music styles that almost serve as a reflection of the diversity of the London portrayedin the series - it fills the voids between scenes beautifully allowing us to takein what just happened with considerable emotion.
Holding On may well stand out as being one of the last great drama series made on British TV but if it proves too much for you then you can always do a bit of face-spotting; chances are you will have seen them crop upin the likes of Coronation Street, EastEnders, The Bill, & even that refuge for seemingly every actor who can't find workin Doctors. Treasure this series as they certainly don't make them like this any more.
Zero! - By: D. Kelly, 05 Jun 2007 
Shame the Amazon system would not let me allocate zero stars to this item.
What utter rubbish.
Don't waste your money on this one.
A mish mash of bits & pieces of disjointed & uninteresting stories of the lives of several people with no obvious connections, no suspense, no intrigue.
Might as well go & sitin any town centre & watch the people go by - about the same effect.
What is it with the guyin the first 10 mins doing a monologue to the camera likein some Guy Richie film.
Hands up who else... - By: DeskMeister, 14 Jan 2007 
... sat down with the good intentions of watching one episode per night, then eight hours later came up for air having watched the whole lotin one go.
I remember watching this on TV backin the innocent days of '97 & thinking to myself thatin some way we we're all just one little shove, one little error, one little mistake away from losing it. That it takes next to nothing for you to lose your placein the world. This show encapsulated that perfectly then, & does so even more so now.
What's going on? - By: D. J. Marfleet, 12 Jan 2006 I saw Holding On when it was first shown on TV, & was completely & immediately hooked.
The episodes follow a number of seemingly unrelated people as they experience a variety of tragedies & upheavalsin their lives. As the story continues the plot becomes ever more confusing & convoluted (butin a good way), & intense (also,in my opinion,in a good way) which will leave you with a constant feeling of wondering what's actually happening & where it's all heading, while being completely compelled to see the next episode & find out. Finally, towards the end of the series everything starts to come together & make sense, which is where it's possible to appreciate exactly what a brilliantly constructed story this is.
Holding On is not, by & large, the most emotionally uplifting of experiences, & will require an amount of patience & a willingness to just accept that it is all going somewhere, but fantastic viewing nonetheless.
Highly recommended.
