Writer Jack Rosenthal was inspired to write this comedy drama when his own children were checking out universities to attend.
His wife Maureen Lipman plays Shani Whittle who along with husband Bevis, are a working class couple from Blackburn. They have not been to university but son Neil has an interview at Queens College Cambridge.
So has Pippa, although she is under more pressure from her middle class father Hugh (Tom Wilkinson.) He went to the same college and greatly enjoyed the experience. He very much demands that Pippa passes the interview.
They are just a few of the prospective students hoping to pass the Cambridge University entrance interview.
Malcolm who is attending alone is unaware that his mother has secretly made a trip to Cambridge to see how he goes.
Simon (James Fleet) who is doing the initial interview as his mind on other things. He wants his elderly father James (Alec Guinness) to go to a care home and has arranged a visit. James is reluctant to go.
At the heart of Eskimo Day is letting go. There is a scene when Neil waves goodbye to Shani before he goes to the interview she realises that her son has grown up. Independent of their parents. Hugh gets the same sensation with Pippa.
On the other end of the spectrum is Simon who feels the need to let go of his father. You can sense Rosenthal came up with the title Eskimo Day because of how elderly eskimos go off to die when they are no longer of use to their community.
This BBC television film has a lot of pathos which was a Rosenthal trademark. Los of humorous observations. Several students asking taxi drivers for direction but they do not want to take a cab. Future brains of Britain one taxi driver wryly remarks.
I do think that outside of Neil and Pippa, the other students were underwritten and they were not interesting. Maybe it could had done with a third family that could had interacted with other two.
There is a sting in the tail when the overbearing Hugh upsets his wife Harriet when another prospective student asks him for direction. Hugh never went to Cambridge, he just lied about it for years!
His wife Maureen Lipman plays Shani Whittle who along with husband Bevis, are a working class couple from Blackburn. They have not been to university but son Neil has an interview at Queens College Cambridge.
So has Pippa, although she is under more pressure from her middle class father Hugh (Tom Wilkinson.) He went to the same college and greatly enjoyed the experience. He very much demands that Pippa passes the interview.
They are just a few of the prospective students hoping to pass the Cambridge University entrance interview.
Malcolm who is attending alone is unaware that his mother has secretly made a trip to Cambridge to see how he goes.
Simon (James Fleet) who is doing the initial interview as his mind on other things. He wants his elderly father James (Alec Guinness) to go to a care home and has arranged a visit. James is reluctant to go.
At the heart of Eskimo Day is letting go. There is a scene when Neil waves goodbye to Shani before he goes to the interview she realises that her son has grown up. Independent of their parents. Hugh gets the same sensation with Pippa.
On the other end of the spectrum is Simon who feels the need to let go of his father. You can sense Rosenthal came up with the title Eskimo Day because of how elderly eskimos go off to die when they are no longer of use to their community.
This BBC television film has a lot of pathos which was a Rosenthal trademark. Los of humorous observations. Several students asking taxi drivers for direction but they do not want to take a cab. Future brains of Britain one taxi driver wryly remarks.
I do think that outside of Neil and Pippa, the other students were underwritten and they were not interesting. Maybe it could had done with a third family that could had interacted with other two.
There is a sting in the tail when the overbearing Hugh upsets his wife Harriet when another prospective student asks him for direction. Hugh never went to Cambridge, he just lied about it for years!