The University of London turns out to be a grubby, little "cramming college". Dismayed, Sunil soon becomes sucked into the dangerous world of a charismatic but crooked card sharp. Even the young man's break into acting turns out to be a humiliating role in a soft porn movie and ricocheting from disappointment to disaster he encounters a series of outré and outrageous characters. It soon becomes horribly clear that to escape this grave new world, Sunil will need to rediscover all his legendary luck.

DID YOU KNOW?
	Hugh Cornwell, who appears briefly as Charlie, was a member of the group, The Stranglers.   Director Michael Caton-Jones scored with Scandal the year after Lucky Sunil was broadcast.   Niamh Cusack is the daughter of actor Cyril Cusack and the sister-in-law of Jeremy Irons.

This Screen Two production benefits from a strong cast, featuring the familiar faces of Niamh Cusack, who later became a regular on Heartbeat, and Michelle Collins, who pops up (and out) as a young porn star. Tariq Yunus steals the show, however, playing the predatory con man and cod philosopher, Balam. Yunus conceived the story, and the essence of his tale is timeless - a pilgrim searching for knowledge encounters perils and moral jeopardy in a strange, foreign land. But the feel of this fable remains overpoweringly 80s, from the OTT fashions to the soundtrack which includes hits such as Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

Andrew Davies penned the script and although written before his rise to fame in the 1990s, it bulges with his trademark witty dialogue and satirical mischief. Don't expect a Ken Loach-style indictment of English society - this is Davies reveling in an opportunity to unleash black humour, larger than life characters and a stream of marvelously insane situations.

Gavin Collinson