The BBC have been on a good run recently when it comes to original historical drama, what with the excellent The Village and the equally good Peaky Blinders, not to mention the exquisite Wolf Hall. To continue the run they have enlisted the reliable talents of Jimmy McGovern, he of Cracker and The Lakes fame, … >
‘I hate gay men,’ said Henry (Vincent Franklin) in Cucumber’s opening episode last month. ‘It’s all ‘Hi!’ and ‘Oh my God! Look at you!’’ It was the kind of comment that was all whipped cream with knives: the kind of frothy acerbity which – following on from a titillatingly phallic opening sequence – wolfishly opened … >
A drama of the old days of England. An England of Brideshead Revisited and A Jewel In The Crown, the sort of dramas that the BBC has a worldwide reputation for. But, despite what your memory tells you, those two programmes never aired on the BBC (they were both, in fact, ITV gems) and this … >
Hilary Mantel’s award-winning Wolf Hall is a historical book steeped in intrigue and gritty, dark drama. A page-turner based in the difficult, relentless world of Tudor politics, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy screenwriter Peter Straughan’s new six-part adaptation takes well-known elements and figures from history and casts them in a new light. In December 2013, the … >
In 1984, the BBC produced one of the most memorable and ambitious children’s television programmes of all time. Based on the novel by John Masefield, The Box of Delights was a tick-all-the-boxes psychedelic alchemy that combined captivating story, superb ensemble performance and special effects that transcended the clunky, pre-digital technology of the age to create … >
In 1984, the BBC produced one of the most memorable and ambitious children’s television programmes of all time. Based on the novel by John Masefield, The Box of Delights was a tick-all-the-boxes psychedelic alchemy that combined captivating story, superb ensemble performance and special effects that transcended the clunky, pre-digital technology of the age to create … >
Since 24 rose phoenix-like from the ashes, it’s been on something of a roll. The streamlined episode order means that the plot has moved along at a snappy pace, and many of the pitfalls and traps that usually derail a season that has twenty four episodes to fill have been excised. Unfortunately Hour Six sees … >
More men have played Ian Fleming on-screen than have portrayed his key creation James Bond 007. At least nine in total. Charles Dance (Goldeneye, 1989), Leo Fenn and Jason Connery (Spymaker, 1990), Ben Daniels (Bondmaker, 2005), Skip Goeree (Bernhard – Scoundrel of Orange, 2010), Tobias Menzies (Any Human Heart, 2010), James D’Arcy (Age Of Heroes, 2011), Jeremy Crutchley (A Caribbean Mystery, 2013) and now Dominic Cooper in Ecosse Films’ new four-part Sky Atlantic / BBC America series Fleming.
In fiction, it never pays to be a randy teen. You’re always being chased through your house by some knife-wielding fiend in a Halloween mask, or attacked by a werewolf while smooching with your sweetheart in your dad’s Studebaker at Make-Out Point.
After last week’s bamboozler of an opener, tonight’s follow-up was an attempt to restore normal service with a return to the domestic comedy of earlier series.