Inspired by the historical events of 1666 and with the decadent backdrop of King Charles II’s court, ITV’s The Great Fire drama series focuses on the circumstances that led to the catastrophic fire and is out now on DVD. > Order the DVD on Amazon. To celebrate the release, we’ve got DVDs to give away … >
In this final episode of The Great Fire we have potentially the show’s finest hour, with strong performances from all the main cast that help to provide a sense of closure both to the historical events and to the characters, with a focus on emotion rather than action and a sharp script that reaches out … >
The Great Fire experiences a major shift in focus this week as we enter the third episode of ITV’s mini-series. The fire element is all but forgotten, yet what it is replaced by is a greater emphasis on character development and the advance of their individual stories. Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie continues to … >
After a slightly lacklustre opener last week that promised more than it delivered, things are escalated on all levels as we see the consequences of the spreading fire. Having established all the necessary elements that the show will explore in the remaining episodes, we see more of what could make the show a stand out … >
ITV have always done well when it comes to original period drama, but there’s no denying that it’s a genre that the BBC tends to have more success with. It’s a fact that is all too obvious as ITV tackles a tale of London’s most historical fire in The Great Fire, but falls short on … >
After last week’s instalment, in which Hugo Blick ramped up the sex and death to Doorsian levels, one might be forgiven for thinking the final episode was more a coda than anything else: when the music’s over, turn out the lights. Yet while ‘The Paring Knife’ is less incendiary than its predecessor, it matches – … >
Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight) and Andrew Buchan (Broadchurch) star in BBC Two’s new political thriller, The Honourable Woman. Written, directed and produced by Hugo Blick (The Shadow Line), the eight-part series is set against the present day backdrop of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and explores “a range of complex and provocative themes of conflict, deception … >
‘Have you been watching the TV?’ Sir Hugh Hayden-Hoyle (Stephen Rea) asks with mock good cheer as the penultimate part of The Honourable Woman builds to a crescendo. ‘It’s really very exciting.’ Not half. The last six weeks have been enthralling, plotted tighter than an Edwardian corset and as tense as a gazelle at a … >
The Honourable Woman is hardly a light-hearted comedy romp at the best of times, but the sixth episode – which opens with a rape and ends with a young boy shooting himself – is bleaker than a Dartmoor funeral. Like a spindle of black cotton unravelling, ‘The Mother Line’ is dark from the first and … >
‘Secrets are weird,’ Ephra Stein (Andrew Buchan) tells sister Nessa (Maggie Gyllenhaal). ‘People think you share them – but you don’t.’ Not if you’re a selfish, narcissistic, emotionally-stunted handpump hopelessly in thrall to the Israeli government, MI5 and your own penis, perhaps. But if you’re the best British drama series of 2014 (note to Hugo … >