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Wheels of fortune
Streetwise takes an undercover look at the dangerous, cutthroat world
of bicycle couriers
Toronto Star, January 27, 1996
STARWEEK
by Louise Brown
Little did the cheery bicycle courier know, but the package he handed
me this frosty morning was an advance copy of a new TV series on . . .
bicycle couriers. How appropriate that at 17 below Celsius, when I
couldn't close the door fast enough, here stood one of these hardy
urban voyageurs, oblivious to the weather as he checked his next
destination.
Streetwise, a half-hour British series starting this week on Showcase,
takes a raw look at the underground culture of bike couriers. Set in
London's busy streets, this gritty drama weaves the story of a small
courier firm and its motley group of moonlighting shiftworkers.
Not for the very young or squeamish, Streetwise makes a bold change of
pace for teens and adults. In the first episode, the firm's fastest
rider wins a race against a motorcycle courier, boasting afterward that
"two wheels are good - but two pedals are better!" Moments later, the
elation is shattered when he is struck by a car and loses his leg. This
26-part series goes behind the scenes in this subculture, exposing
risks couriers face beyond traffic, such as cutthroat corporate
rivalries, sexual harassment, office politics and solving the mystery
of the hit-and-run tragedy. Mondays at 5.30 p.m.
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