Not exactly superman....more like stupidman (My Hero)

Member Name: blissman70

Product:	My Hero
Date:	15/01/09 (109 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great family humour for all to enjoy

Disadvantages: maybe not to everyones taste.

Creator: Paul Mendleson
Producers: Geoffrey Perkins, Marcus Mortimer and Sophie Clarke-Jervoise.
Writers: (Several, including) Paul Mayhew, Paul Mendelson, Simon Braithwaite, Paul Alexander, Ian Brown and James Hendrie.
Stars: Ardal O'Hanlon (series 1-5), James Dreyfus, Emily Joyce, Hugh Dennis, Geraldine McNulty, Lou Hirsch, Philip Whitechurch, Lill Roughley ans Tim Wylton


This sci-fi sitcom first aired on the BBC in early 2000 creating 50 half hour episodes and one Christmas special, split into 6 series, running through until September 2006.


* MAIN CHARACTORS...

* Thermoman/George Sunday, (played by Ardal O'Hanlon in series 1-5) is an Irish shopkeeper with a secret identity...namely being the super hero 'Thermoman' from the planet Ultron.
He comes across as a bit of a fool as he stumbles around in his everyday life before changing into his cape and boots to save the world.
Thermoman has many 'special' abilities, including being able to freeze things with his breath, flying, speed, x-ray vision and ultra strength, plus a strange ability to 'smell' trouble as it is happening. (think superman with a low I.Q. and you've got Thermoman).
(Although in series 6 George Sunday changes form and becomes George Monday played by James Dreyfus who poses as a doctor at the local health centre)...


* Janet Dawkins/Sunday (played by Emily Joyce) is a nurse who becomes the unfortunate girlfriend to Thermoman, trying to stay in control as the super hero stumbles around in his stupid way. She is one of few who actually know the true identity of the caped hero.


* Dr Piers Crispin (played by Hugh Dennis) is the very arrogant and sometimes annoying doctor at the Northolt health centre, but his part as a television doctor is his main priority and he will do anything to get ahead, including selling some rather unorthodox 'health drinks'.
He honestly believes that he is gods gift to all women and simply can not understand why he is constantly rejected..?


* Mrs Raven (played by Geraldine McNulty) is the rather mean and very obnoxious receptionist at the health centre, believing that her job would be easier if it wasn't for the patients. She hates children, especially her triplets which she believes are possessed by the devil.


* Arnie (played by Lou Hirsch) is George's cousin and since losing his super powers he works in a café in New York... (although in series 2 he moves to Las Vegas and opens up a casino, then in series 3 he moves to Northolt)... He is a constant source of help to Thermoman through out the super heroes life on earth.
Arnie is a bit of a jack the lad who enjoyed using his powers to gain for himself... including charging for his services and stealing many items.


* Tyler (played by Philip Whitechurch) is Janet and Georges slightly mad neighbour who seems to know georges true identity, although his insanity helps keep the secret hidden from the world.
He enjoys throwing his own kind of dinner parties with guest including many fictional characters... although the parties are usually only in his mind.


* Ella Dawkins (played by Lill Roughley) and Stanley Dawkins (played by Tim Wylton) are Janet's parents who have a hard time accepting George as their son-in-law... mainly due to his very strange behaviour..
Stanley seems to dislike his wife's snobbish attitude and is always complaining about her.

* Apollo "Ollie" Sunday (voiced by Finley Stroud) appears from the end of series 2 as George and Janet's baby son. He has the ability to talk and has his fathers superpowers... giving Janet more to worry about.


*Cassandra "Cassie" Sunday (voiced by Madeline Mortimer) appears from the end of series 5 as George and Janet's baby daughter... although it seems her only super power is to be able to see into the future, which causes more trouble than it should.



* BRIEF PLOT

When George Sunday, a slightly stupid and sometimes clumsy man with a secret identity, begins his life on planet earth and soon finds it a little more hassle than he first thought, especially as he has no idea how to act as a human.
He soon falls in love with Janet after he rescues her from certain death, trying hard to be the perfect husband, (and father), doing his best to fit into the human way of life.
Unfortunately for George, the people he knows best, and uses as role models so as to seem more human, are not what you'd call the best choice... one's a Doctor with a passion for stardom and an ego the size of the Australia outback, another is a mad neighbour who has dinner parties with imaginary people and another is a vicious receptionist who hates everyone she sees and tells them to their faces... so no wonder George is a little uneasy on human life.

Each episode mainly revolves around George's life as he tries to be more human, usually trying to do things that he has seen other people doing or saying, which tends to lead to many chaotic scenarios as he blunders through everything.
As the series role on George and Janet end up spawning a couple of rather special children who in turn have some special powers and some rather strange outlooks on life.
Although he does sometimes sniff the air and suddenly go to the rescue of people in danger all over the world... because he is Thermoman from the planet Ultron... the super hero with a difference.


*IN CONCLUSION...

A great comical series regarding a rather different super hero with some weird super human powers...and his struggle to fit into the ways of the human race.

Ardal O'Hanlon, (who you may remember as father Dougal McGuire from the brilliant Father Ted series) does another stupidly splendid part as the dim witted super hero with a knack for messing things up... and with Emily Joyce playing the character of Janet...George's total opposite, with her being level headed and a very strong nature... this rather tame comedy has many laughs throughout...
Philip Whitechurch plays the part of Tyler, the mad neighbour, to perfection, with his weird, out of this world imagination and terrible stories about galactic events which seem to happen in his flat....
As for the rest of the characters...well they all seem to fit together like a jig saw puzzle... having a posh mother with a down to earth husband, an arrogant doctor who spends all his time between trying to get his face on television and avoiding Mrs Raven, his rather vicious receptionist, ( whose character is excellently portrayed by Geraldine McNulty), who is constantly trying to ruin the health centre with her bad manners and 'potty' mouth.


Each episode is as harmlessly comical as the last, giving some rather good one liners and a very odd look at a super hero who just can't seem to settle on planet earth, seeming to cause more trouble as he plods along...

In all... a good family comedy which has no offensive material at all...apart form Mrs Raven and her outlook on life...

Although I was a little apprehensive about Ardal playing a super hero after watching him in his role as the brain dead priest from Craggy Island I was quite impressed with the outcome... although he does seem to take many characteristics from Craggy Island and uses them to bring out the best for his role as Thermoman...
But when James Dreyfus takes over as Thermoman in series 6 ... well you know it is going to be one funny show in the way only Dreyfus can make it...

* The DVD selection..?

As far as I can tell the only series available on DVD is series 3 (for region 2), which is issued on two separate packages for around £12.00 (episode 1-5) and £15.00 (episode 6-10) each from www.amazon.co.uk... with each DVD having a few little extras, including out takes, biographies of some of the character and interactive menus...


******
This next bit is a brief run down of each episode...yes all 50 episodes plus the Christmas special... read on if you want to...


* SERIES...

Series 1 (February 2000-march 2000)
Episodes

* 1... My Hero
When Janet returns home after her near death experience and the rather strange hero who saved her life...but when a mysterious Irish stranger, and I do mean strange, comes to the health centre she soon realises that her life will never be the same again.


* 2... Guess who's coming to Lunch
With Janet and George becoming closer they finally move in together, against the wishes of Janet's mother and the confusion of all Janet's friends.


* 3...Mission Impossible
When Thermoman is needed to save Grimsby from a falling Space station his stained attire leads to some delays... but things get a little worse for Thermoman when Janet's does his laundry, leading to some itchy problems.
Meanwhile, Piers tries to blackmail George as he uncovers his secret identity but George has a plan...which goes slightly wrong from the onset, much to every ones amusement.

* 4... Thermoman's Greatest Challenge
With Thermoman continuingly visiting Janet at the health centre when ever she needs 'saving' from trivial things like wasps or creepy crawlies, people are soon becoming a little suspicious about there relationship...
So when Piers invites Thermoman to be guest of honour at one of his fund raisers things get really confusing, especially when Janet's parents insist that George turn up in person to thank the super hero for saving Janet's life...


* 5... Old Man Riverdance
When George's father turns up he soon let's George know that he is not happy about his relationship with Janet...believing she is not good for his son, so he gives them both 48 hours to prove him wrong or they should go their separate ways so George can do his job properly...
Janet and George devise a plan involving her parents... but not everything goes according to plan... yet again.


* 6... The party's over
It's Janet's birthday and George plans to throw her a party... only he has no idea what a party is let alone how to throw one... meanwhile, Piers must find a girl to take to the party and persuades a pretty young thing to be his guest.
Also, Tyler seems to have gone more insane as he begins to find Mrs Raven rather attractive.


* 7... Christmas (22nd December 2000)
With George getting confused about the spirit of Christmas he is soon in hot water as he dresses up as Santa and begins to deliver presents to every one he knows... leading to some rather chaotic scenes...
But only Piers is the loser when George brings out a real surprise at Christmas dinner.

Series 2 ( May 2001-June 2001)
Episodes

* 1... Parents
With trouble brewing at Stanley and Ella's amateur dramatics show Janet reveals George's true identity...eventually forcing Thermoman to mess with peoples memories. Only Mrs Raven has other ideas for the unsuspecting super hero.

* 2...Girlfriend
A blast from George's past returns creating some problems for him and Janet... so he turns to Arnie for help...

* 3... Car
Thermoman tries to help Arnie out in return for a favour but is soon regretting his decision when Arnie returns to his old ways... but things do take a turn when Arnie and Mrs Raven seem to be getting closer.

* 4... Nemesis
George's arch enemy from his home planet arrives on Earth and is soon causing trouble for the dim witted super hero... much to Piers horror and confusion. Can George defeat his nemesis in an Ancient Ultronian ritual of a popular earth game..?

* 5... Pregnant
Janet discovers she is pregnant and George does everything in his power to protect her and their baby... but soon regrets it when he gives her some super powers as she seems to become a different person.

* 6...Wedding
With Janet due to give birth, considering the very short gestation period of an Ultron pregnancy, George is forced by his planets laws to marry her before the baby is born, leading to much confusion and total horror for Janet's parents.


Series 3 (June 2002-August 2002)
Episodes

* 1... Baby Talk
Janet and George's life is getting more confusing than normal as they realise that Ollie, their new baby boy takes after George in many ways... with some quite extraordinary powers of his own which George tries to encourage... bringing many troubles as they are finding it harder to keep the secrets hidden from Janet's parents.


* 2...Zero Tolerance
There's trouble at the health centre and George comes to the rescue, but not as his alter-ego, he is soon being portrayed as a hero by everyone around him, including Janet's parents... can he finally win them over?


* 3...Pet Rescue
George isn't too happy when Janet offers to home her parents dog, Biggles, when they are having there home decorated, but as he has promised to 'like' the dog he gets to know it in only the way he can, by actually talking to it using a special device...finding out many deep secrets from the four legged friend...
Unfortunately George/Thermoman takes it on himself to re-unite Biggles with his real parents...leading to some strange event indeed.


* 4... The older man
George's birthday is upon him and, unfortunately for him, his human form, as it is, is coming to its sell by date and is starting to show Thermomans true age... over 300 years old... so Janet has to try and hide the very old looking George from everyone, especially her parents until George can sort the problem out.
Meanwhile, Piers hires a pretty looking nurse at the Health centre even though she knows almost nothing about medial matters...


* 5...Puttin on the writs
Mrs Raven needs rescuing after an unfortunate incident in super market car park with some trolleys...but when her rescuer refuses a reward she comes up with a devious plan to gain some cash... and when Thermoman tries to solve the problem he is soon making matters worse for all.
Meanwhile, Janet's father, Stanley, has left Ella and moved in with Tyler... soon turning into a bit of a slob, much to Ella's disgust as she tries to persuade him to come home.
And with an escaped scorpion on the loose in the health centre Mrs Raven is soon regretting the hassle she has caused the caped hero.


* 6...Shock, Horror
When Ollie becomes ill George has to keep popping home during his world saving missions, soon causing some very unnecessary attention for Janet from the media as Thermoman begins to become a little careless...
So in all the confusion Janet's mother and father begin to believe that their daughter is having a relationship with a super hero...??? And as the confusion continues the media soon begin to make up some rather strange stories involving Janet, Thermoman and George... much to every ones amazement, especially when a new 'super hero' is used to save the day...
Meanwhile, Mrs Raven begins to feel tired at work due to her being kept awake at night with her triplets... but her plan to build them there own 'house' needs some re-thinking when she realises she needs Piers help.


* 7... Little green men
When Janet begins to believe that George is losing interest in her she decides to take action... but is taking advice from Mrs Raven the answer..?
Piers, however, seems to have found his perfect women...who happens to be a weather girl from the television... but her intentions are a little dubious.


* 8...Mine's a double
When George has to go to Ultron for a conference his 'body double', called Hilary, causes a little trouble for Janet and Ollie... especially as he dresses a little differently from the real thing and seems to enjoy spending time with Piers..?
When George tries to find out what Hillary is really up to he soon realises that he is in a lot more trouble than he can handle... but can Arnie and Tyler save the day?


* 9...A little Learning
When Ella and Stanley are organising an anniversary party they fail to invite George as they don't want the embarrassment which he would bring... but when George uncovers some 'special' pork scratchings he is welcomed by the couple due to his 'superior intellect' and new found charming manner..?
Unfortunately, George's new found intelligence leads to some rather bizarre situations as Thermoman turns his back on saving the world...
Meanwhile Mrs Raven has ulterior motives in marrying Arnie.


* 10...A day to remember
A bit of an accident leads George to forget who he is... leading to some happiness for Janet as she has finally found the helpful man of her dreams... but when the Earth is in serious danger from complete annihilation she realises that Thermoman is needed to save them all.
In the confusion of it all Piers makes a startling revelation and Mrs Raven makes the headlines about it...
Can Thermoman save the world...??


Series 4
Episodes

* 1... A sporting chance
When Piers asks George to join his cricket team George soon realises that winning is quite an enjoyable thing indeed...especially when his competitor is Piers?

* 2... The living dead
When George is hit by a bus everyone thinks he's dead, especially Janet's parents who are soon trying to match her with Pier... forcing Janet and George to come up with a quite bizarre plan to bring him back into the public eye...
Mrs Raven, how ever, has come up with a devious plan to get money from people when she learns hypnosis... and also has fun getting certain people to do stupid things.

* 3... Taking the credit
George gets himself into financial trouble when he gets a credit cards, much to Janet's annoyance... but when she comes up with a plan to pay the debt, using Ollie and his 'special' ability to predict the lottery numbers, it is not long before the Ultron officials decide to investigate... bringing a rather short ending to a very short man.

* 4...It's all in the mind
George uses his mind reading powers so he can finish a report about the human race which was requested by the Ultron Council... but as he reads the mind of Janet's parents, Pier and the dreaded Mrs Raven his report leads to devastating results for the Planets population... but Janet has her own ideas to save them all.

* 5...Space Virus
Thermoman has caught a virus which is very dodgy to humans, causing a lot of trouble as people begin to catch it, and Piers has finally got his own talk show, but his first guest is not exactly what you'd call 'a full shilling'.

*6...The mayor of Northolt
George decides to stand for Mayor but his opponent is none other than Pier...but the pressure leads to marital problems for him and Janet...
As Pier uses some underhand tactics to discredit George the battle heats up... only George's reason for becoming Mayor are rather trivial.

* 7... Big
As Ollie begins to grow...considering he is half Ultron, causing him to age quite a bit in one day... Janet and George soon discover that the aging process, which at one point becomes gender changing, could lead to disastrous results...

* 8... The Consultant
When Arnie is ordered to do an assessment check on Thermoman it is not long before the super hero's rescuing skills take a turn for the worst due to paper work... but things come to a head when he brings a highly explosive guest home... forcing George to think about retirement

* 9... The family way
George has decided to do a favour for an Ultron couple, but his appearance is leading to many people asking questions...
Meanwhile, Piers is in trouble when he mistakes Stanley's kidney stone for something a little more peculiar...

*10... Time and time again.
After an argument with Janet George uses time travel to put things right... but then decides to go further back in time to put some other things right as well...leading to many disastrous events, including Janet's marriage to Pier and Mrs Raven being 'nice'...
So with al the time travelling things are bound to get a little confusing.



Series 5 (January 2005-march 2005)
Episodes

* 1... The foresight saga
Janet and George have another baby...this time it's a girl, named Cassandra, or Cassie for short, with only one particular power, to predict the future... so when she predicts the demise of Ella George is forced to follow her around to keep her safe. But when Cassie begins to predict millions of other peoples deaths George realises what is happening...
Meanwhile, Pier has landed a role on a reality show and Arnie wants to give Mrs Raven a baby..??

* 2...Illegal Aliens
Immigration take interest in Arnie and George, believing they are illegal aliens...so Tyler comes up with a plan to stop the pair being deported, which doesn't go quite the way it should.
Meanwhile, Mrs Raven is up to her scams again, involving Piers and his alleged long lost son.

* 3...The first husbands club
Janet asks Pier to help George become more up front and confident... but Piers has ulterior motives for helping, so when they from a group to 'get women back into the kitchen' things don't go to well... until Thermoman uses his mind control powers to get his way with the women of the world.
And with Cassie desperate for a new dolls house she begins to take telephone jobs, until Ollie becomes jealous of his younger sister.

* 4...Cassie come home
Janet's mother has managed to become a magistrate and is soon bossing people around, especially George and Janet.
George decides to spend more time with his kids but has to make sure that the world is safe before he does, so as to not be disturbed... but things again don't quite go to plan and Janet's parents end up taking the kids away due to an unforeseen birthday party.
The only way they can get there kids back is by attending parenting classes...but things take many twists and turns for everyone, especially Ella and Stanley.

* 5...Nothing to hide
When Thermoman recovers a stolen painting he, or rather George, is soon under suspicion of theft when the painting is found in his flat... but things get worse when Arnie pretends to be his lawyer.
Meanwhile Pier organises an competition but Mrs Raven soon puts a spanner in the works.

* 6...Brain Drain
When George tests out the internet to see if it safe for his kids he is soon overcome with a strange illness, causing him to chat about special offers and adverts.
And when the Health centre is due an inspection Piers pull out all the stops to clean the place up... but Mrs Raven is soon up to her tricks again
Meanwhile, there is a lot of mind transferring going on and it is not long before things get mixed up...causing people to act very strangly.

* 7...Fear and clothing
George becomes superstitious after a mass of unfortunate incidents on Friday the 13th, causing him to become afraid of almost everything.
Meanwhile, Piers has decided to market a diet...the Crispin diet... but all is not what it seems, especially with his new health drink.

* 8...How green was my Ollie
Trying to get kids to eat their greens is never easy, especially when the kids are from another planet, so George resorts to fetching some vegetables from Ultron... only these veg have some unwanted side effects if eaten by humans.
Things get worse for Thermoman when Piers accuses him of not caring about the enviroment after he uses a mink whale to bung up a volcano, so he decides to stop flying... leading to some very slow rescues indeed.

* 9...Big brother
George is forced to admit to Janet that he has been recording their lives for a reality TV show that is being aired on Ultron, but htings get even worse for him when he suggest they both apply for a part on 'wife swap'.
Meanwhile, Pier thinks he's struck gold when he has to examine a movie star, but when she dies he feel a little guilty.

* 10...Night fever
When George starts having nightmares about Mrs Raven his mind starts to crumble, making him become confused between reality and dreams, but Tylers advice is a little too drastic.
And when Pier discovers that Mrs Raven has been kidnapped he automatically thinks it's another of her money scams.


Series 6 ( July 2006-September 2006)
(George/Thermoman is played by James Dreyfus during this final series).

Episodes

1...Footloose
After a rather weird poker game George loses everything... including his entire body, leaving only his soul... so the Ultron council are forced to send in a new body, much to Janet's surprise.
Unfortunately, the new George is a little hyped up, due to Tyler accidentally using his sole to make a brew..?. Leading to many mishaps and a lot of confusion.
So, with Janet not too happy about the new looking George, although it is the old George underneath, there is a lot of trouble on the marital side....
The confusion really piles on as Janet tries to explain to everyone she knows who the new man in her flat is... and where the simple minded George Sunday has gone.

2...Here's one I made earlier
With Janet and George trying to get used to the new George's body some of their past begins to haunt them... including ex- partners who seem to be hell bent on making trouble...
Pier has managed to find himself a stunning young woman, much to his happiness, but his new true love is not all she seems.


3...Here's my Kingdom for a cat
With George making every effort to win back Janet's heart he asks for assistance from a very unlikely source... but soon realises that he may have made a bit of a mistake in his choice.

4... Sidekick
As the new looking George has landed a job at the health centre he is doing what he can to please Pier, but as Thermoman is still needed to rescue people in trouble he soon realises that he may be in over his head, until he comes up with a plan to lighten his load... unfortunately, things go a little wrong when he upsets Janet even more.
It looks like George' marriage may well and truly be on the rocks...and his job isn't looking to safe either.

5... Not for prophet
Janet's annoyed at George once again when he decides to teach his children the meaning of Ultron life... but George take things a little to far when he is mistaken for the 'chosen one' by a group of followers, only Pier decides to intervene in the way only he knows how.

6...Dermoman
George is arrested for breaking the speed limit... but not by the Earth police of course... he must re-sit his super hero test and pass or face a life back on Ultron, away from Janet and his kids...
Unfortunately, George takes an over dose of some strange drugs and ends up acting like a spoilt teenager, with new interests like wanting to form a band with Tyler... only none of them can muster up any form of musical talent at all... and vandalism.
Janet is desperate to make sure George reverts back to his adult self and passes hi superhero test, for the sake of the children, so she is forced to ask Arnie for help.

7...Top of the table
With George being seen as the second best super hero in the galaxy he must do something to get to the top, if only to impress Janet enough and re-ignite their love life, So he and Arnie come up with a plan to publicise Thermoman... by making Thermoman merchandise to sell in the shops.
So with George now trying to impress everyone so as to boost his ratings he soon begins to make many silly mistakes.
Meanwhile, Mrs Raven is in serious money troubles and decides to take drastic action, offering her services at Piers cousins stag night... much to the stags horror.

8...Believe
For some reason George's powers seem to be a little off as he tries to rescue people in danger... almost putting them in lore danger than they were originally in.... realising that he must sort out what the problems when he begins to hit people for no reason.
Meanwhile, Tyler is baby sitting a cat which turns out to be a wig and Pier has released a new 'self-help' book.

Summary: Even superheros have their off days