| Oasis | |
|---|---|
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Production company | Carlton Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 5 January – 9 March 1993 |
Oasis is a short lived CITV drama series which was about a group of children who ran an inner city farm. It is best known for featuring John Simm and Dean Gaffney. It was set in a wasteland site in south London.
The drama series ran from 5 January to 9 March 1993 for 10 episodes, made by Zenith North, the team behind Byker Grove for Carlton; their first children's drama series for the ITV network.
Oasis is Carlton Television's first significant television series for children and has 10 episodes.[1][2] Barry Purchase, whose previous writing credits included Tucker's Luck and Grange Hill, is the Oasis's writer.[3] Produced by John Price, it was directed by Chris Clough and Joanna Hogg.[4] Peter McNamara whose past roles have been the antihero or a goon, plays a completely different role as "a loveable down-and-out who becomes a kind of hero to local children he meets in an inner city wilderness".[3] McNamara, who has asthma and a horse allergy, filmed multiple shots with the horses.[3]
Appalled by the animal cruelty, Jimmy Cadogan, a rodeo clown, leaves his job and directs his efforts towards starting a city farm that serves as a sanctuary for animals he saves. He works with a learned drifter and dropout, Posh Robert, and children to transform The Jungle, a South London wasteland, into a farm, against the wishes of the council and the antihero Bob Bulger.
In a critical review, Pat Moore wrote in The Stage, "I hope this series will be popular with children because the plot seems plausible and city-kids can at least identify with the problem of having nowhere safe to play. Some of the older cast members do seem to be overacting, however, a fault I've noticed before in children's productions. Kids are far quicker at detecting a baddie or the untrustworthy than many adults, so snarling a lot just looks daft."[5]
Maggie Drummond of The Daily Telegraph stated, "There is a sad lack of useful factual programmes for teenagers; even worse is the lack of drama redeemed only by the new 10-parter Oasis (Carlton) set in a south London wasteland inhabited by youngsters who behave like mini Arthur Daleys."[6] The Times's Melinda Wittstock called the television series "a ground-breaking children's drama".[7]
