Archive for the ‘ British TV ’ Category

The Politician’s Husband: Episode 1

I love David Tennant. I love love love him as Dr Who and I loved him just earlier this week in Broadchurch. My friend Sarah possibly loves him even more and even does cultured things like seeing him in the theatre. So we both eagerly tuned in to watch The Politician’s Husband. Unfortunately being located in different cities we were unable to watch together in person, so instead co-ordinated our viewing and spent the hour text messaging (god bless unlimited text plans). At the end of the hour I concluded that our conversation would probably be as good a review as I could possible manage. How much sense it makes without watching along, but given that I’ve edited out several “lols” at things that were meant to be serious, and cut down the number of “oh ffs”, you can draw your own conclusions. In the immortal words of Sarah – “utter codswallop”. And she watched the whole series of The Paradise.

Here are some edited highlights:

S: There may be a metaphorical sex scene. I mean it’s Tennant so I didn’t look away, but still.

L: I’m really struggling to get past his accent. And hair colour.
S: It’s weird actual rp. Makes me wonder if a plot point will be that it’s not his actual accent. He doesn’t do it in the home so much.

L: Hang on! There’s Peter Manyon from The Thick of It! I love Roger Allam as much as any sane person, but seems an odd casting choice

S: I could do without damp patch in ceiling allusions too.
L: I could do without having written the rest of the series after just 5 minutes.
S: So she’s leader by end of episode?
L: I’m guessing Deputy to the slime bag ex-best friend. Taken over his [husband's] cabinet seat by end of episode.
S: Oh and sex with betrayer dude and her asap
L: Oooo. I was close, she just got offered DWP. I’m laughing very hard at her expression.

S: Oh good grief this is terrible!

S: Ffs the shoe thing.
L: “A bit Theresa May” made me laugh though.

L: Also on a technicality – no minister caught dead in anything other than a Prius these days surely? Oh and I don’t think the other guy moving DWP to BIS is a promotion.
S: Tories now, they could have orphans pull them on sleds.

L: Even the geese are fleeing the scene!
S: We will not get repeat fees from this they say.

S: Show don’t tell not mean much to these guys.

L: Questionable blouse choice…
S: They couldn’t commit to that blouse being in 2 scenes. It changed colour.
L: What are they doing to her [Emily Watson]? Shapeless blouses, stretched buttons, too much lipstick
S: Think she’s meant to look like Yvette Cooper.

L: This would have been a lot better if he resigned at the end of the first episode and established the characters first. Now Tennant just looks weak and stupid.
S: Also boring

L: Wow Kirsty Wark is annoying even when scripted.

L: Do you think the ministerial drivers wait for you to get in and close the door behind you like parents do?
S: The light to go on inside no doubt.

S: Oh god this is shit. We don’t have to watch next one.
L: Deleting the series link…
S: That’s an hour I could have spent re-watching Castle.

The Politician’s Husband is on Thursdays on BBC and available on iPlayer

The Guardian – The Politician’s Husband isn’t subtle, sometimes to the point of crudeness… Oh, what the hell. It’s melodrama, and a lot of fun, a big boiling pot of hot, lusty power soup, with crunchy croutons of deceit and a generous sprinkling of revenge.
The Metro – The Politician’s Husband gave us an accurate portrayal of contemporary politics, where nobody believes in anything other than their own self-interest but it felt grubby, with all the emotional appeal of a spoiled ballot paper.

2013
04/26
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Drama
Pilot Reviews
Leave a comment

Broadchurch: Season 1

bBroadchurchAll over the place people have jumped upon the fact that Broadchuch owes a debt to Scandinavian dramas like The Killing and The Bridge because it comprises just one case which is gradually developed over the space of several hours. But the similarity which really jumped out to me was not the structure, but the fact that like those shows it relied very heavily on red herrings, stupid characters, sudden turnarounds and unlikely coincidences.

I don’t know what a real police investigation would be like, but in order to control the pace of the show this one clearly relied on police asking not quite the right questions and witnesses/suspects wanting to keep secrets rather than truly help with the investigation. For the most part it comes across as characters being dim, rather than writers being stuck for ideas, but it is a very fine line sometimes. As it turned out the journey was also far better than the destination, while I guessed the who (partially), the motive came out of absolute nowhere and felt very weakly explained.

But for all my that, I thoroughly enjoyed Broadchurch, and that’s down to three factors. The first is that it was proper ‘water cooler television’. I could sit and chat about the show with friends over a cup of tea, not just to chuckle over the dialogue or tut over the problems, but to discuss the plot twists and turns and make predictions. The frustration that many of the answers were completely unguessable never overwhelmed the shared experience of making them.

The other two elements that made the show a joy were David Tennant and Olivia Colman who lit up the screen and brought spark to even the flattest of dialogue. Their relationship didn’t fall into any of the usual clichés and they genuinely just felt like a normal couple of people thrown together. The acting through the rest of the cast was a bit more hit and miss, the lovely Arthur Darvill can do no wrong in my book, but Pauline Quirk was laying it on with a shovel.

I’m a bit uncertain as to whether I’d describe Broadchurch as ‘good’, but I have no hesitation in recommending it as enjoyable. There are lines of dialogue that absolutely cracked me up, and moments of silence that had me welling up. But alongside those were moments that had me cringing and an eventual reveal that just left me flat. I’m not sure how a second season will work, but if it allows me to spend more time with Olivia Coleman and David Tennant, than I’ll be there.

The last few episodes are slowly disappearing from ITV Player, but it will be available dvd from May 20th

2013
04/23
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Crime Procedural
1 comment

In the Flesh

In the FleshExpectations for things about zombies are a bit higher these days. It’s no longer enough to just be “grr… brains”, screaming, shotguns and bloody messes, now to sustain a show you need to investigate bigger questions like what it means to be human and what it’s worth giving up to survive.

The concept behind In the Flesh is a fascinating one, clearly building on those questions. It is set after the apocalypse, the ‘risen’ have been defeated and once properly medicated they are being reintegrated into a society that up until recently was liberally applying shotgun pellets. Families are equal parts thrilled and hesitant about getting their previously buried loved ones back. The ‘partially dead syndrome’ sufferers meanwhile are equally conflicted with horror at what they did in their zombie states and joy at the chance of a second life.

So far, so good. Unfortunately though, that’s as good as it gets. There are two massive problems with the show. Well, really it’s only one problem, which is the writer, but his ineptitude manifests in two distinct and unforgiveable ways.

First off the tone is all over the place. Half of the series is played almost as a spoof. The government handling is laughably awful, with hideously cheesy propaganda and bumbling officials and completely unable to stand up against the local militia. The fact that I have no interest in watching a show with that kind of humour is bad enough, but it completely undermines the other half of the show which is trying to talk about exceptionally dark and complicated issues.

The second, and bigger problem though is that this show isn’t about zombies. Oh no, you see it’s about outsiders, a community who can’t understand or even conceive of the fact that some people are different, but they’re still people. But the audience might not have spotted that by themselves, so instead you must be bludgeoned over the head with it through having a separate ‘PDS sufferers’ section of the bar, a hookup between a sufferer and a ‘normal’ person which ends in self hatred and violence. Oh, and as if that weren’t clear enough, two of the characters actually ARE gay and completely avoid talking about it even between the two of them, let alone alluding to it with their families.

In the Flesh is Dominic Mitchell’s first writing credit and it really, really shows, beyond the one paragraph concept I’m not sure there’s a single thing that he managed to get right. The terrible dialogue, inconsistent characters, a too weak lead and gaping plotholes just compound the problems with tone and story. It feels like the kind of thing a student would turn in to illustrate that they’d grasped the key concepts of a lecture on symbolism without having to worry about applying any lessons on subtlety, elegance and actual competent writing. It is so incredibly unsubtle that it is actually offensive. I honestly feel bad because I didn’t switch it off and BBC Three should be ashamed for commissioning it.

In the Flesh is available on iPlayer until 7th April. Please don’t watch it!

2013
04/06
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Drama
Science Fiction
2 comments

Broadchurch and Mayday

The BBC and ITV both launched major new dramas that no one can argue are both heavily influenced by various European dramas. There’s just less Danish knitwear and more morris dancing and 99p flakes. Something is topsy-turvy in TV land though, because ITV’s offering of Broadchurch stars BBC stalwarts David Tennant and Olivia Colman and is a great piece of television while the Mayday stars… well not much of anyone really and is utterly rubbish.

Mayday started on Sunday night and playing out over the next four evenings, which means that by the time I get this review up the series is actually almost over. I probably wouldn’t have bothered reviewing it at all if not for the fact that it contrasts so nicely with Broadchurch, which I really wanted to draw peoples’ attention to.

Both series are about a crime against a child, Broadchurch starts immediately with the body of a ten year old boy, while Mayday has a missing 14 year old girl. Both are set in small towns where everyone knows each other, Mayday in an idyllic village (complete with Mayday celebrations and Morris Dancers), Broadchurch a Dorset seaside town (with ice creams and seasonal traffic jams). The biggest point of contrast is that while both series suggest that not everyone is what they seem, Broadchurch gradually works up to that with subtlety, while Mayday practically screams “this person has a secret” with every line of dialogue, close up moody look and musical cue.

That is the very reason why I loved Broadchurch and loathed Mayday, and is also the reason that I wondered if the two had somehow got channel swapped by accident. Mayday is a pantomime that sits more naturally alongside ITV’s Downton Abbey and Mr Selfridge. Characters are one sentence parodies with hammy actors combining with cheesy direction to make a horrific ploughman’s of a show. My response to it all was eye rolling and laughter at the obviousness of it all, hardly edge of the seat stuff.

Broadchurch however induced not only curiosity and genuine tension, but also full on tearing up and heart in mouth moments. The focus on the family as they went through the worst day of their lives was just devastating, and the view of the emotional impact on the team investigating the crime was equally heartbreaking. The director and writers have enough faith in their actors and audience to leave much unsaid, the subtext is clear for everyone to read and doesn’t need to be bludgeoned home.

I guess there’s a chance that Mayday settled down, and that some of you stuck with it while I deleted the series link as soon as I’d finished the first episode. It’s strange that the BBC chose to run it Sunday to Thursday evenings, it really didn’t seem anywhere near the type of event television that would make that work. The ratings don’t look to be its favour, it dropped nearly 2 million viewers (6.2 to 4.3) for its Monday showing, which went up directly against Broadchurch which mustered 6.8million. I guess the real test for Broadchurch is how many tune in next week, but I for one can’t recommend it highly enough.

Mayday finishes tonight and is available on iPlayer until and Broadchurch airs on Monday nights and is available on itvplayer.

2013
03/06
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Drama
Leave a comment

Dancing on the Edge

I must confess that part of my motivator in publishing this review is just to make public the fact that I dutifully sat through all six parts of Stephen Poliakoff’s drama and want some sort of credit for that. After all, as it turned out I could have watched the first episode, the last episode and just been filled in on a couple of facts from the middle and I would have got just as much out of it.

The first episode showed off the beautiful locations and detailed period design. It introduces us to the charismatic and smart band leader Louis Lester, the mercurial and ambitious music journalist Stanley Mitchell (both expertly played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Matthew Goode respectively) and the group of socialites and influencers they become surrounded by. It gives an interesting insight into the world in the 1930s where things like race and class are far more important to some people than others. It’s not a civil rights piece per-se, it just sets everything within that context. Those involved seemingly more interested in taunting and poking fun at the other side than bludgeoning points home with tedious speeches.

Jumping forward a few hours, the final episode augments that design and those issues by putting an actual plot in. A murder mystery and a daring escape give the characters something to do, and keep the audience (or me at least) paying attention and trying to work out the zigs and zags. Somewhere between the first and final episodes the supporting characters develop from being indistinguishable witterers into outlandish stereotypes, overplaying every emotion and telegraphing their thoughts. After so many hours of painstaking lack of action, this sudden extremeness was actually something of a relief.

All that plot and character development could have been condensed into just a couple of episodes, but instead we got a few hours of meandering plot cul-de-sacs. The band’s manager is dispatched of so quickly that I presumed he was going to be brought back as a twist later on, as it turned out he was just utterly irrelevant. Likewise the lingering shots of creepy looking people in crowds and mystery around Jessie’s family turned out to be nothing at all either. Red herrings are one thing, but these just felt as if they’d been abandoned.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of all however was the way that the music and band weren’t a major part of the story at all. I was actually rather surprised when the murder mystery was introduced, as I’d thought the show was going to be entirely about the music and how it fitted in (or didn’t) with everything around it – the venues, the patrons, even the early days of music journalism and fans. But that got swept away, I’m not sure the final episode even had a performance in it. Beyond Louis himself and the two singers I don’t think anyone else in the band even got a name or a line of dialogue, leaving them as glorified extras awkwardly following the leads around and randomly playing in corridors.

While this could have been a really nice three part series, it was instead a shabby six part one which completely wasted some interesting ideas, beautiful designs and talented actors.

The series is available on iplayer catchup until March 11th and on dvd after that.

2013
02/28
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Drama
6 comments

Utopia: Season 1

utopiaThe tone and style of this series is unlike pretty much anything else on television. It takes a gritty and intense storyline that in less imaginative hands would usually be paired with severe characters and dark direction. Instead the characters are just normal people who get snippy with each other and have a complete disbelief at the incredible situation they find themselves in. But it’s the style of the cinematography that really makes this series remarkable.

Every single location is full of colour, space and character. Walls are all either primary colours, wood panels, modern glass or beautifully decrepit; I doubt there’s a plain magnolia wall in the whole series. Secret meetings aren’t held in dreary alleyways, they’re in wide open fields full of colour and light. Everything is framed to show off the locations and draw the viewer’s attention into the screen. There’s a richness to the design that bursts every scene from the screen. This is a series made for HD and it’s gorgeous.

The plot manages to walk the delicate line between complex and confusing. Despite occasionally getting distracted looking at the scenery, I never struggled to follow the storyline. Even better was the fact that the conspirators turned out to actually have some very interesting motivations, giving a depth that is often lacking in this kind of thing when the bad guys are just chasing after power, revenge or cash. It’s possible to empathise with all the characters, even the most psychotic; good guys and bad guys start dancing around and who’s right and wrong is entirely debatable.

It all feels very much like a graphic novel on the screen. The details of the plot and the endless over designed locations may not entirely realistic, but it’s all got a sort of hyper-realism to it that feels like a lovingly crafted comic series. The quirkiness of the characters reminded me of Kick-Ass or something like that, both fun and creepy, extreme and understandable all at once.

I remain unsure as to whether this is a review of the whole series or just of “season 1″, the final episode certainly leaves things open enough to move the story to a new level in another season, but it could also serve as a bold piece of writing that shows that no story is ever complete. I think either way, it’s definitely a stunning six hours of television.

Utopia is available on 4OD until 21st March, on on dvd from the 11th..

2013
02/21
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Drama
Leave a comment

Merlin: Season 5

merlinThe final season of Merlin is a bit of a mixed bag. The majority of the season was a bit of a slog and despite it having been a staple for dinner time entertainment over the last five years in our household, we all got sufficiently bored and frustrated with it that the delay before watching each episode got longer and longer until I eventually just sat and marathoned my way through the last four episodes over a month after they aired. (This review is a little bit spoilery in places)

The problem stemmed almost exclusively from poor writing. Plots became increasingly contrived and full of holes, anachronisms and mcguffins which meant that episodes gradually became completely overwhelmed by the sounds of sighing, grumbling and sarcastic commentary from my housemates and I.

The only saving grace of the season, was ironically the fact that it was the final one. I have a great deal of respect for the producers of Merlin and the BBC for calling time on the series before it slumped too far. Too many series drag on and on, getting less creative and more repetitive until they fade out in a damp squib, leaving any number of dangling plots and characters. For a show that endlessly waffles on about destiny, it was really important for the audience to be given a satisfying ending, to show how everything really played out.

The final few episodes of the series stopped pussy footing around and finally gave some solid content. Over 5 seasons of Merlin there are maybe a dozen episodes with real plot and character developments, as opposed to just little diversions and meanderings that didn’t go anywhere and were almost instantly forgotten by characters and audience alike. But those few episodes really were very good and made up for the diversions along the way. With the last three episodes, finally secrets are revealed, confrontations are had and destinies are achieved. Each of the characters got a satisfying and suitable resolution to their stories.

The frustration however is that as satisfying as those moments were, many of them didn’t really feel as if they were given enough time. I’ve spent five seasons waiting for Arthur to find out about Merlin’s magic and while the quality of the writing and acting for the revelation was very nicely done, I would have like a bit more quantity to it. I had also been hoping for some kind of showdown between Morgana and Arthur; her vendetta against him always felt rather too churlish and I wanted them both to have the opportunity to actually talk to each other. But Morgana was dispatched with relative ease after yet another dastardly plot stuttered to an ignoble end.

Overall I’d give Merlin a tentative thumbs up, I enjoyed the character growth and I was satisfied with the ending, but it is the very definition of “uneven”. It tried to be too many things, and while it did each with relative competence it always felt too much like the parts were fighting each other instead of complementing each other (as they do in Doctor Who for example). Much of the credit for the fact the show was watchable at all goes to its extremely charismatic and versatile young cast, ably supported by the veteran talents of Anthony Stewart Head (much missed this season) and Richard Wilson. It made for pretty entertaining Saturday evening entertainment, but while Doctor Who raises that to an art form, Merlin merely just got the job done.

Merlin is currently being repeated from the start on BBC 3 (iPlayer), or is available on dvd and bluray

2013
01/21
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Fantasy
1 comment

Utopia: Pilot Review

Every year I try to watch more British TV, but recent offerings of anything other than light comedy/drama for a Sunday evening have been extremely disappointing. Last year’s BBC spy drama Hunted failed to really catch the imagination and I’ve not even bothered writing reviews for some of the other offerings such as the borderline ridiculous Ripper Street. Finally however, Channel 4 have brought something interesting to the table.

Utopia is about a small group of ‘normal’ people who find themselves thrown together and deeply embroiled in what’s looking to be a giant international conspiracy of some sort. So far, so standard, but the hook here is that there’s a graphic novel called Utopia which may hold the clue to the whole thing, there’s a pair of very bad guys who certainly seem to think it does. The gradual revealing of the storyline is well paced through the first episode, which at an hour and a half (including adverts) is just long enough to get you completely engrossed, but not so long as to overload you with information that you get lost in.

The show is incredibly well shot. The colours and lighting are vibrant and there’s some beautiful use of slow motion and creative framing that makes the whole thing just fascinating to watch. Balancing that thoughtful direction though is some brutal violence, made all the more effective by the extraordinary casualness of it. The quirkiness of the bad guys contrasts very well against the normalness of everyone else.

By making the show about regular people, it’s instantly more approachable than Hunted, and by only giving us the briefest of introductions to them before chaos unravels it gives us a chance to get to know them organically. I didn’t recognise a single cast member, which mean there’s no inherited expectations which is very refreshing. They all do an excellent job reflecting the disbelief at the circumstances they find themselves in, but also finding moments of humour and lightness.

It’s a six episode series, and I’m not sure whether the intention is for it to be a one off or an ongoing programme, and I love not knowing that! The pilot episode kept me completely riveted throughout, it’s fresh and original and felt like exactly what I’d been waiting for from British TV. It’s not trying to emulate successful series from America or trying to piggy back on successful shows from other channels, it’s just doing its own thing and it’s absolutely fascinating. I would warn that there are scenes that are very violent and not for the squeamish, but even if you have to close your eyes and hide behind a cushion for those bits (they’re well telegraphed) you can still enjoy and appreciate the rest of the show

Utopia is on Channel 4 on Tuesdays and is available on 4OD

The Guardian has an episode by episode analysis and review (mild spoilers): Utopia, written by Dennis Kelly, is a work of brilliant imagination, a murky labyrinth of a conspiracy thriller that traps you from the opening scene

Den of Geek (spoiler free): Kelly’s agile script steers between moments of thriller-style tension, knockabout sex comedy and, towards the end, a violent scene so brutal I felt (rightly, I should say) nauseated watching it.

Telegraph (spoilers): Still, if this first episode was allusive to a fault, and rather self-consciously provocative, it was also gripping stuff.

2013
01/16
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Drama
Pilot Reviews
Leave a comment

Mr Selfridge: Pilot Review

In the wonderful world of media, sometimes two groups hit upon the same idea at the same time – it’s how you end up with Studio 60 and 30 Rock premiering the same year, or films about asteroids, Truman Capote or volcanoes coming along in pairs. This season it would seem the fates aligned to give British TV two shows about the early days of department stores. BBC got there first with The Paradise, which was so ridiculously awful that the bar seemed low enough for Mr Selfridge to just step over it. Instead it flubbed the whole thing, shambled straight into the bar and went ass over teakettle right over it.

I’m afraid the blame for this fairly solidly with Mr Selfridge himself, as played by Jeremy Piven. He delivers a sequence of preposterous speeches with over-the-top gestures and endless dramatic sweeping exits. I think there’s fairly equal blame here for both the writers and Piven himself, the dialogue is terrible, but the performance raises it to new levels of suckiness. On a second viewing I saw a bit more of what the aim was – to show Mr Selfridge as a ringmaster, putting on a show for everyone that’s watching, even his wife. There’s the briefest flash of the real man when he talks to his mother, but even that is played very heavy handed. Piven fails to really develop any depth to the character, it’s a performance completely without subtlety and moved rapidly from curious, to irritating, landing on downright annoying before the first ad break.

The other big problem with Mr Selfridge is just how similar it is to The Paradise, and it’s not as if those plots were particularly original the first time round. I sighed out loud at the introduction of yet another lowly shop girl who instinctively ‘gets’ what the entrepreneur is doing, flouting all that’s established and ‘correct’ about the way things should be done. There’s also an abundance of tedious batting of eyelids from some manipulative females, tutting “it will never do” outrage by the bucket load and the usual scallywag of a waiter flirting with everyone in sight. Their acting is right up there with Piven’s, actors can’t really be held responsible for terrible dialogue I guess, but the overacted mannerisms, terrible accents and rigid body language are entirely theirs. I didn’t find any of the main characters particularly interesting, the only people that actually interested me were a couple that were barely on screen for a minute – a very nervous head of women’s fashion, and a perky wannabe actress working as a lift girl.

The nuts and bolts of the production are solid enough. The period setting is beautiful, the shop floor an impressive set and every costume and hair style carefully crafted. The music is also fun, and although the directing tricks of using fast and slow motion and composite montages didn’t necessarily work for me, I was at least grateful for the creativity. If only the writers and casting agents had done a better job.

I don’t know whether I’d be more forgiving if I hadn’t seen a couple of episodes of The Paradise, or Downton Abbey for that matter. The Guardian ran a piece comparing the two that makes me wonder if the author actually watched either. While Downton has its flaws they are mostly around plot and occasionally ridiculous dialogue, they are forgivable because the show is entertaining and the cast absolutely superb. Mr Selfridge lacks the self-awareness and any real humour (except for a notable high point with a French man and a sprinkler system). Maybe the series will lighten up as it goes on and maybe the actors will settle into their roles, but it’s off to a pretty poor start.

Mr Selfridge is on ITV on Sunday nights, and you can catch up via the itvPlayer

2013
01/09
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Drama
Pilot Reviews
Leave a comment

Christmas Specials

I don’t know about you, but Christmas in the Robinson household is mostly about eating and watching television, often at the same time. Fortunately no one suffers unfortunate addictions to any soap operas, so don’t have to suffer through those tumultuous offerings and can focus more on the lighter and heart warming side of the spectrum. Here’s just some of the stuff we’ve watched over the last couple of days. You’ll note the Queen’s Speech isn’t mentioned, as we were watching The Muppets instead.

Outnumbered ChristmasOutnumbered is a show with a natural life-span, and I’m not sure that it’s not a couple of years past the point where it should have retired gracefully. In the early days its use of real child actors and allowing them to use their own dialogue was something really very special, but as the children aged, the whole thing became considerably more scripted and, frankly, unoriginal. The fact that the kids are growing up was brought home dramatically in the Christmas special when Karen was completely unrecognisable and Ben was suddenly 2 foot taller and his voice was two octaves lower. However despite all that, I did find the episode very funny and well pitched for Christmas with the family. So, even though it’s no longer particularly innovative, maybe it is still funny enough to stick around.

lovingmisshattoLoving Miss Hatto was one of those TV movies that I only ever watch at Christmas, inspired by the true story of Joyce Hatto, a concert pianist in the 50s whose career was stalled due to her nerves. Decades later, she and her husband stumble into conning the music industry by faking recordings and relaunching her career. It was nice enough, with a solid story and charming performances from the four actors playing the young and old versions of the couple. Victoria Wood’s writing shone through with some beautiful little moments of observational comedy and it was another family friendly distraction for the evening.

roomonthebroomRoom on the Broom was a charming little cartoon that I almost didn’t bother with, but would highly recommend seeking out on iPlayer. Based on a children’s book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (The Grufallo) it’s a beautifully animated story about a witch and her cat, and the increasing number of animals that want to share they’re broom. It has a lovely rhyming narration and recurring phrases that lull you into the story with some nicely understated voice work from people like Simon Pegg and Gillian Anderson. The animation is simple, but done with a lot of humour and character for all the animals, although I am a bit hazy on why birds, dogs and frogs talk, but cats don’t; although they do laugh.

mr stinkMr Stink was also surprisingly lovely and another one that I didn’t actually intend to watch. It’s another adaption of a children’s book (written by David Walliams), but with enough humour and charm to appeal to adults. Hugh Bonneville plays the homeless Mr Stink like he’s Downton Abbey’s Lord Grantham fallen on harder times. Most of the characters and situations are played large and ridiculous, but are perfectly balanced by just a couple of realistic elements and characters who make the whole thing relatable. It’s an impressive achievement for actors, writers and directors that Pudsey the adorable dog didn’t actually completely steal the show.

doctorwhoDoctor Who is becoming almost as synonymous with Christmas as turkey, too much chocolate and falling asleep in front of a children’s film you’ve seen seventeen times before. Unfortunately while there was plenty that I liked, overall I thought the episode was actually a bit rubbish. Tucked into the episode were some clever, funny and occasionally quite beautiful character moments for the Doctor and his future-companion Clara. The relationship between the Doctor and his companion have always been the most important thing about the series, and this is a very interesting set-up for next season. Clara is suitably ‘spunky’, with an interesting intelligence to her which draws the Doctor’s and audiences’ attention alike and I’m intrigued as to how her story will play out.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the actual story of the Christmas episode. It felt like a show written to tick boxes and then the storyline was added in like polyfilla to pad the gaps. The horrific grinning snowmen made for a great Christmas poster, but the explanation for where they came from, what they wanted or how they were defeated was thrown together in a couple of chunks of exposition. It felt like they couldn’t decide whether the villain would be the snowmen or the frozen governess (with a Punch and Judy obsession) and so decided to put both in. There was way too much stuffed into the episode, and it was the plot that was sacrificed. I don’t know why the episode can’t be longer, or even made into a two parter across to boxing day or New Year’s Day. Or just have a one-off episode and companion for this and introduce Clara in another episode. This episode was just messy and self-indulgent, leaving me feeling frustrated and slightly sad. Not really what I was after for Christmas day.

Downton AbbeyDownton Abbey however made up for it! I described season 3 as a “pantomime soap opera”, which may not have been meant as a compliment at the time, but was exactly what I was looking for on Christmas evening. I thoroughly enjoyed all two hours of it (well, 92 minutes of it, I didn’t really enjoy the 30 minutes of sofa sale adverts). All the favourites were there – Lord Grantham mourning the changing times, Carson harrumphing, Lady Mary being a cow, the Dowager Duchess sniping from the side lines, simpering Anna, Owen conniving and Thomas being slimy. It felt just like a family Christmas.

Unlike the latest season, the plot wasn’t crammed in too much, in fact nothing really happened for most of the episode, and it was stronger because of it. All of the stories were much lighter and it was just fun to watch all of these characters, allowing the dialogue and humour to really shine through.

thegirlThe Girl was another one-off drama, about the relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedron during the filming of The Birds and Marnie. Despite excellent performances (impersonations?) from Toby Jones and Sienna Miller in the lead roles and an interesting and chilling story, the whole thing bored me to tears. Maybe it was the timing of it at 9pm on Boxing Day, the good will of Christmas had evaporated and I’m settling back in to my usual negative outlook.

Downton Abbey is available on itv player for a month, Loving Miss Hatto, Outnumbered, The Girl, Room on the Broom, Mr Stink and Doctor Who are all on iPlayer for a week or so.

2012
12/27
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
1 comment
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.