This Time with Alan Partridge – episode one review.

Posted on March 1, 2019 by SCARFMAN

A lukewarm and semi-triumphant return, this is my verdict of This Time with Alan Partridge.

Before this new comedy show aired, I would have said that the great comedy character of Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan), was a bit of a Marmite figure, i.e. you either loved or hated him.  For years, I had firmly been in the loved him camp.  In fact, his series in the late 90’s entitled I’m Alan Partridge, is one of my favourite comedy shows of all-time.

With all this in mind, I am now going to completely contradict myself here with my view of his new BBC One show.  As the ending credits rolled, I found myself in the rather unaccustomed position of thinking it was just O.K.  I smiled throughout and even chuckled out loud at one point, however at no stage did I get hysterical with laughter.

I liked it without ever loving it.  I guess I am guilty of comparing it to the hilarious I’m Alan Partridge series.  It was noticeable in the credits that the amazing comedy writer Armando Iannucci, did not contribute to this first episode.  He was one of the main writers of this earlier series of Partridge.  Could it well be that without Iannucci, Partridge just is not as funny perhaps?

The premise of this new show took the form as a sort of parody of The One Show.  With the regular male co-host away ill, this was Alan’s chance at the big-time once again by filling in for him.  Alongside him, was the regular female co-host called Jennie Gresham (Susannah Fielding).   Susannah acted her role brilliantly and it was important that her character was amusing in her own right too.  Nevertheless, the key comment here is me saying that she was amusing rather than being hilarious.

Some of the gags were funny it must be acknowledged.  Particularly amusing was when we met Alan’s overly nervous friend Simon Denton (Tim Key).  His own segment of the show being ruined by him not being fully au fait with the technology surrounding the swipeboard and social media.

The segment about hand cleanliness was witty, with the highlight being the classic Partridge handshake at the end.  Lynn (Felicity Montagu), was the star of the show though.  I loved her fierce loyalty towards Alan still.  I am speaking here of when she complained to him that Jennie had nicked two of his jokes.  I also loved her little bitchy tale to Jennie, where she inferred that Jennie looked like a prostitute.  The more we see of Lynn in this series then the better it will be.

Some other bits of the comedy writing did not work as well and bordered on the corny.  I am thinking here of Alan’s demonstration about going to the loo on the train without using your hands.  I did chuckle at the giraffe disguise of the computer hacker, however that was it as far as that segment was concerned.  It was just trying that bit too hard to be funny for me.

Will I watch episode two?  Of course, because it is Alan Partridge after all.  However, this first instalment was not as funny as I thought it was going to be.  I certainly do not concur with the view that is now held out there by some, that this is already one of the greatest TV shows of 2019.

This Partridge was only lukewarm as I said at the top, whereas I always prefer mine steaming hot. 4/5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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BAPTISTE EPISODE ONE REVIEW.

Posted on February 24, 2019 by SCARFMAN

As good old Kylie Minogue sings, ‘I’m spinning around’, this is exactly what popped into my head as the ending credits rolled to the first episode of Baptiste on BBC One.  Nevertheless, it was bamboozlement in the finest sense of the word.

Coming off the back of a brilliant second series of The Missing, the BBC decided to commission a spin-off series about its main character, ex-detective extraordinaire Julien Baptiste (Tcheky Karyo).  He is one of the greatest fictional TV characters to have been created within the last twenty years or so.

It is hard to define exactly what is so likeable about Baptiste, but it all lies in this strong sense of confidence that he exudes as a mature man.  Created and written by brothers Harry and Jack Williams, he is a bit like the John Wayne of the detective world.  It also must be said that he is brilliantly acted throughout by the sublime Tcheky Karyo.

This time around we found Baptiste and his family in Amsterdam, Holland.  His wife Celia (Anastasia Hille) and he, are doting new grandparents to their daughter’s child.  He is also taking it easy somewhat having just recovered from having had a brain tumour.

Soon into the narrative though, Baptiste got the call about his help being required once more to find a missing sex worker called Natalie Rose (Anna Prochniak).  The call coming from Martha (Barbara Sarafian), an old flame of Baptiste’s, who is one of the most senior police officers in Amsterdam.  What with us seeing her drinking whilst on duty, we gather that more will be revealed about Martha as the narrative proceeds in the weeks ahead.

The other main character was Edward Stratton (Tom Hollander).  He claimed at the start to be Natalie’s uncle and so he and Baptiste set about trying to find her.  For a time, it was all pretty much formulaic stuff as they had successes and hit dead-ends with their search.  Just as their search had started to get a bit tedious, a major narrative twist took place involving a transsexual character.

It was narrative twists such as this that made for such stimulating viewing.  Just as we had regained our composure then boom, we got another one and a corking of a cliffhanger at the end.  The writing needs to be lauded for keeping us on our toes.  In an age now where we are often spoon-fed boring middle-of-the-road detective dramas, Baptiste like The Missing, stands out positively for at least trying to be original.

Another thing you must bear in mind about the great writing, is that the writers do not want us to understand everything at the beginning of the narrative.  It is a thriller, and so we are meant to find some things confusing at first.  The viewer enjoyment here is all about the thrill of the ride and the second guessing about what is about to happen.  You just need to accept that certain things will not make sense for now, but will do so in time as long as we keep watching.

A final aspect of Baptiste that needs applauding was the European style cinematography that was also present in The Missing.   It added to the haunting quality of the narrative beautifully.

Yes, my mind was ‘spinning around’ by the end of this programme, but it was spinning in a good way.  Intrigued to see how it develops in the coming weeks. 4/5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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FAMOUS AND FIGHTING CRIME- EPISODE ONE REVIEW.

Posted on February 17, 2019 by SCARFMAN

Famous and Fighting Crime, the new reality TV show on Channel 4 that aired this week.  Did we really need another new programme in this much exhausted genre?  Haven’t we seen all there to is to see now with regards to reality television?

Yes and no, are the answers to these questions because this show was a definite triumph.  Based with the Cambridgeshire Constabulary force to help battle crime, we saw five well-known faces become special constables.  The celebrity line-up consisted of Loose Women presenter Penny Lancaster, comedian Marcus Brigstocke, TV presenter Katie Piper, MIC star Jamie Laing and Gogglebox star Sandi Bogle.

As crime figures go up and police budgets go down, this was a topical look at how police forces up and down the country are relying on over 12,000 police volunteers known as special constables.

You might have feared these five famous faces being mollycoddled on camera, but the success of this first episode was based on exactly the opposite taking place.  Soon into the action we saw them go on an intensive training day.  This involved a series of role-plays which Penny and Katie found extremely tough, due to it prompting them to relive traumatic experiences that had taken place in their past.  It all made for fascinating viewing that made us realise just what kind of demanding challenges our celebrities were about to potentially face.

Straight after this we were further dramatically hooked into the action.  A hair-raising moment to watch was when Penny Lancaster gave chase to apprehend a young female shoplifter.  What gave this a heightened sense of drama was that Penny was on her own, having been split up from her more experienced male colleague just moments before this.  Furthermore, the girl was threatening to stab Penny with a dirty needle if she came any closer to her.

It was a bit like watching an episode of The Bill, however you had to remind yourself at times that this was not a work of fiction, it was real life.  Therefore, it was edge-of-your-seat stuff all the way as this one-hour programme played out.

Jamie Laing might have come across as a bit of an overconfident posh twit at times, but there could be no mistaking his earnest approach and his will to do well in his new role.  Every other celeb came across extremely well too.  Katie was constantly fighting her PTSD trauma which came across as exceptionally brave.

It should also be praised that negative perceptions about the police were covered which were aired by Marcus and Sandi. Sandi, being a black woman from Brixton, spoke about how some people in her neighbourhood might now see her as a grass for working for the police.  As a result of these comments being included, the show therefore did not come across like some glorifying public relations exercise for the police.

All-in-all, a great welcome addition to the much heavily criticised reality TV genre.  It ticked every box that you would want from such a show. 5/5.

 

 

 

 

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STEPH & DOM: CAN CANNABIS SAVE OUR SON? A review.

Posted on February 1, 2019 by SCARFMAN

Now and again a programme comes on the telly that you feel glad to have watched.  This certainly was the case with the recent Channel 4 documentary, Steph & Dom: Can Cannabis Save Our Son?

Gogglebox stars Steph and Dom Parker, invited us further into their world as we learnt about their eighteen-year-old son Max.  Max has severe epilepsy which entails him having over one hundred epileptic seizures a day.  As a result, brain damage has occurred which means Max has the mental age of a five or six-year-old.

The purpose of this documentary was to explore the ongoing debate around cannabis oil being used to treat severe epilepsy.  This debate being particularly significant in the UK right now, due to it still being unavailable.

What we got was a superb personalised view of this heart-wrenching condition.  Regarding this and the debate about the medicinal uses of cannabis oil, we got a documentary that was informative, educational and profoundly moving.  Dom spoke of his hope one day of being able to hold a conversation with Max.

Hope is the one thing that kept Steph and Dom going.  It was this that saw them travel to America to visit a boy called Sam and his family.  We heard how medicinal CBD cannabis oil had led to a vast reduction in the number of daily epileptic seizures that Sam now had.  As Steph pointed out to us, anecdotal evidence is so crucial to hear given the lack of scientific evidence that there is out there.

In terms of balance, we could have heard more views that were very opposed to the medicinal use of cannabis oil.  For instance, why are some UK medical professionals against its usage?

The juxtaposition of them feeling hopeful about soon being able to try Max on CBD cannabis oil, compared then to their downright despair months later with it still being unavailable in the UK, was striking and powerful stuff to watch.

We never got told specifically though what was holding the whole process up?  It would have been insightful to have had somebody from the government recorded on camera, explaining to them and to us as to why it is still unavailable?

Nevertheless, a brilliantly put together documentary that was emotive throughout.  It was well produced which further echoed the emotional quality of the content.  The tone of it was pitched exactly right, meaning that it never went over-the-top when it so easily could have done.

An enlightening documentary that will hopefully lead to greater awareness. 4/5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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DANNY DYER’S RIGHT ROYAL FAMILY – Episode one review.

Posted on January 27, 2019 by SCARFMAN

Before it aired there was aright load of cultural snobbery towards Danny Dyer and his new historical documentary, Danny Dyer’s Right Royal Family.  Ignore all of this negativity because you will be missing out if you do not.

It was with all this cultural snobbery in mind, that nearly made me give this programme a miss.  I had predicted that lots of cringe TV would be on show.  Instead, what we actually got was a complete gem of a show.  Unexpectedly, it was interesting, educational and extremely funny.  This was not evidence of the BBC ”dumbing-down” for crying out loud.  Rather, it was great new way of presenting history to us.

As this documentary proceeded it became abundantly clear to me who Danny Dyer reminded me of.  He was like a London version of the great Karl Pilkington(The Moaning of Life, An Idiot Abroad), but with more southern swagger.  Like Karl, Danny came across as very likeable and as a man-of-the-people.  Like Karl, Danny sent himself up greatly via a series of role-plays, and it was this that was key to the humour generated.  Danny doing his cockney hard man impression whilst jousting a watermelon, being one comedy highlight to note amongst many.

The basis of this documentary was it being a sort of follow-up to Danny’s appearance on Who Do You Think You Are?  On that occasion, it was surprisingly discovered that Danny was a descendant of King Edward III.  Consequently, Danny’s family tree was now going to be examined more closely we were told.

This documentary became so engaging because although there were many laughs aplenty, Danny cared deeply about the subject matter at hand.  As a result, we therefore cared about what we were watching.  If Danny had been flippant with the expert historians or say not been bothered about what they were telling him, then it would have felt like a pointless exercise all-round.

As stated, Danny threw himself completely into the action very early on.  Upon investigating his Viking 35-times-great-grandfather Rollo, he stated, ”you know, I do feel I need to get VIKINGED-up out of my brain.”  Such a line just made me really laugh.  Can ”VIKINGED-up out of my brain”, become part of common parlance from now on please?

Other comedy highlights included Danny giving it the big bravado on camera about eating like the Vikings did, only then to have to run off camera whilst he spewed his guts up at what he’d just eaten.  Another one was him being given a swear box near the end(he’s famous for swearing a lot), given that his descendant French King Louis IX, would have strongly disapproved of such a thing.

There was a brilliant emotional climax at the end of this documentary upon Danny discovering that he was related to a Saint.  Again, because he was so gobsmacked and moved by this news, it thus in turn made it moving and heartwarming for us to witness.

I laughed lots and I was fascinated by lots.  Great all-round telly for me in what turned out to be an unexpected delight. 4/5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pothole Wars- A review.

Posted on January 20, 2019 by SCARFMAN

What better way to help banish away those January winter blues than to air a documentary about …potholes???

It has to be said that BBC1 do the first bit of this rather well, what with their picturesque detective drama Death in Paradise.  However, on Tuesday night with a documentary called Pothole Wars, ITV1 went for the more Ken Loach approach shall we say, i.e. working class realism.

In fairness to Pothole Wars, it was part serious and part funny.  There were definite traces of a few David Brent’s in there.  There were also traces of You’ve Been Framed.  I can’t have been the only one can I, who found it amusing every time we saw a cyclist go careering through the air after going over a pothole?

In a night where my head was nearly exploding with a Brexit headache, Pothole Wars in some respects was just what the doctor had ordered.  It was easy viewing stuff that did not require much concentration.

Serious points were rightfully made though about the dismal state of our roads in the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, it was the humour in the show that made it more of a vehicle for some light relief.

Throughout this one hour long documentary, we got introduced to a whole series of pothole obsessed type people.  The star of the show was ‘Mr Pothole’ himself, a mild-mannered gentleman and current mayor of Brackley, Mark Morrell.

The programme described Mark as a ‘pothole vigilante’.  Due to his campaigns and use of social media Mark boasted, ”I’ve had thousands of potholes repaired.  The furthest away was in Tennessee.  I’ve got a complete village resurfaced.”

Another interesting character (that’s one way of putting it), that we met was seventy-seven year old, local Tory councillor Reg Winsor.  In Reg’s spare time he actually went around filling up potholes.  Devon County Council did not approve but as Reg told us, ”all I’m actually doing is a favour to the state free of charge.”

Other highlights included the dramatic build-up of tension as to whether or not Steadline would fill up all of their holes in time, to win another contract.

The best anecdote though came from a likeable council pothole filler called Chutney, nicknamed so because he’s always getting himself in a right pickle.  Away from the potholing repairs, he described how he loved growing award winning vegetables.  Remarking upon a tattoo of his on his forearm he said, ”that is a tattoo of a gurt onion…..it’s a memory of my onions and that.”

All jokes aside, I loved the caring altruistic nature of this documentary, what with the likes of Mark, Reg, and others doing their bit to help reduce road traffic accidents.  I also liked how both roads in the north and the south of England were featured.  It was narrated really well throughout by Sue Devaney.

It was not groundbreaking television and admittedly we have seen documentaries like this a zillion times before (namely because they’re cheap to make), however it was not too bad an effort overall as discussed.  It was humorous, but with a serious point at its core.

By the end of the programme my Brexit headache had unbelievably gone can you believe? This is the power ladies and gentlemen of the British pothole, a dangerous but delightful distraction! 3/5.

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CLEANING UP : Episode one review.

Posted on January 12, 2019 by SCARFMAN

Bearing in mind just how much ITV1 had trailed the new Sheridan Smith drama Cleaning Up, over the festive period, expectations were therefore pretty high as episode one aired.

A bit like my attitude towards the much over hyped Christmas pudding sauce, this first instalment was just alright.  To carry on with the sauce analogy, Cleaning Up was not as glorious as say custard is, but it was better than having no sauce at all.

It was just OK, and to be just OK in TV land means something isn’t a million miles away from being a flop.  It was easy watching stuff without ever being very gripping.  I found myself though bored with it on occasions.  Towards the end, the plot was a tad on the corny side too.  This meant that I struggled to maintain my suspension-of-disbelief throughout the whole episode.

The main character is Sam(Sheridan Smith), a working class mother of two girls.  Sam is an office cleaner in the financial district of Canary Wharf.  Pretty soon it became very apparent that she had a severe gambling addiction.   Debts had arisen as a result and alarmingly for her, a loan shark now wanted his money back.  On top of this, Sam’s estranged husband Dave(Matthew McNulty), is threatening to take their kids from her.  As desperate goes, Sam is very desperate for a way out of her troubles.

Sam’s good friend and fellow office cleaner is Jess(Jade Anouka).  Jess does not gamble but is struggling for money for other reasons.  For instance, she revealed to Sam how the rent at her mum’s shop had been put up by the landlord.  Therefore, Jess also needs a drastic way out of her bleak financial situation.

The most implausible bit of the narrative came then when Sam suddenly turned herself into the new James Bond. She just happened to overhear one of the stockbrokers called Blake(Ben Bailey Smith), doing some insider trading and so quickly twigged that Jess and her could make some quick money out of this.  Before we knew it, Sam was planting a listening device in the ceiling of his office.

This sudden turnaround in Sam, from poverty stricken victim to being an expert about insider trading, was one creative leap too far for me.  It was watchable without being terrible, but this aspect was corny and unbelievable.

Acting wise, all the cast did a really good job with the material that they were given.  Sheridan Smith, remains one of the brightest female acting talents in this country.  Given her recent break from acting, it was good to see her back in a prime time drama once again.  Matthew McNulty, as Sam’s estranged husband Dave, deserves a special mention too. He delivered the most believable performance here.

Even though this first episode ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, it is questionable whether it deserves a second chance next week.  Nothing about it really hooked me in.  It did not end with me really wanting to see anymore.  A bit of January escapism it may well be, however I want more from ITV1’s prime time dramas than just simply being OK! 3/5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WHAT A DIFFERENCE A …YEAR MAKES! Me and my OCD.

Posted on December 14, 2018 by SCARFMAN

This is going to be a blog where I discuss the progress I have made in the past year with my severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  This is going to be a blog where I express right now how happy I am to be alive!

This time last year my severe OCD had started improving a bit, but nothing amazing.  I was still frightened of a lot things if I am honest.  I had started taking my new mental health meds(fluoxetine and aripiprazole). This meant much less arguments at home with the family, but I was still living on the edges of a proper existence.  Home still felt like a prison and going outside anywhere still felt like torture.

I had started seeing a lovely new psychiatrist and a lovely new psychologist.  Therefore, with 2018 starting, if I wanted to get myself better then I knew the onus was on me and ONLY ME to do something about it.  The time had come to start doing CBT(Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), and I was both scared and excited at the prospect.

I guess I better state here what my OCD is about so you realise just how far I’ve come this year.  Roughly about eight years ago at my local GP’s surgery, I unknowingly sat on a seat with sick on it.  I contaminated all my house, all my clothes and was scared stiff of this incident ever happening again to me.  I was literally scared of going anywhere and seeing or smelling sick again.

I thought about suicide and my anxiety got that bad that I self harmed.  It felt like I had experienced a breakdown. It felt like life was no longer worth living because I just could not envisage me ever getting better.

Back to the start of this year and the prospect of me starting CBT again.  Up to this point I’d always felt too scared really to do it.  The meds though no longer made me feel this way.  Do not get me wrong here, I was scared and at times felt petrified before doing an exposure, but I never felt that scared that it stopped me from doing them.

This time it felt different doing CBT.  I was motivated to the extreme because I wanted my life back.  I’d had enough of living an existence rather than an active life.

The first big thing I did was SITTING DOWN on a bus(on my way to therapy).  I can still remember punching the air in delight in my therapy room, with my bemused looking psychologist wondering what had just happened.  I guess that was the real start of me embracing my fears and no longer just being the victim.

The big breakthrough was when I somehow agreed to meet up with one of my dearest friends called Ruth, she’s a teacher and it would be half term.  During that day in Manchester(Feb 2018), for the FIRST TIME IN EIGHT YEARS I SAT DOWN ON A TRAM. I SAT DOWN IN A UNFAMILIAR RESTAURANT TOO.  Throughout I was bricking it, but I had to stood up to my OCD demons and afterwards it felt amazing.

I was like an injured horse who had just learnt how to gallop once again, because from then on I kept doing more and more exposure exercises.  I knew I had to keep pushing myself forwards if I wanted to get better.

I began regularly shopping at my local supermarket(up to that point the idea of this had seemed too scary).  I started going on trains, meeting up with more friends, and then I considered maybe even joining a gym!

Before my OCD had got so terrible, I used to love going to the gym and doing exercise.  I have always been a massive sports fan.  The way I looked(a bit overweight) was getting me down, so I wondered if I could cope OCD wise going to the gym.

I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT I WENT TO THE GYM AND I CONQUERED.  Not only is the gym a great OCD exposure for me, but I also feel amazing afterwards with the rush of endorphins that it gives you.  There, I have coped with a sick looking stain outside the building, coped with getting a brown dodgy stain on my fingers once, and coped with a whole host of other unpleasant smells.

I coped because I was so motivated to do so.  If you had told me this time last year that I would be a regular gym goer in 2018, then I would have laughed in your face due to it feeling so unlikely.

Without doubt though, the best day of 2018 was when I got the train to Liverpool in August, to meet my best friend Ruth.  I went to university in Liverpool with Ruth, and so because of my OCD, I had not been there for round about eight years.  This was because I was too scared of sitting down on a train.

I CONFRONTED MY FEARS AND SAT DOWN ON A TRAIN ALL THE WAY FROM MANCHESTER TO LIVERPOOL(and back).  The weather was great, the company was amazing and I was well and truly sticking two fingers up at my OCD.  I sat down in a cafe, I sat down in a restaurant, and I walked through dodgy looking stains on the pavement that could have been anything.

My Liverpool trip was made even better a few days later when I got approached on Twitter by a journalist, who wanted to do a story about my amazing OCD achievements that day.  It was a great way to celebrate my ongoing OCD fight.

The reaction to the online article was really heartwarming because the amount of goodwill I received off the back of it was truly incredible.  Numerous people said I was ‘an inspiration’, they’ll never truly know just how much their kind words meant to me.

Whereas last Christmas day I refused to go to a restaurant with my immediate family because of my OCD, this year I’m pleased to say that I am going to my sister’s with my mum.  It is going to be tough because my sister has a dog, BUT I know I can do this and cope going there.  I refuse to let my OCD stop me from going.

My dreams and goals for 2019 are quite simple really.  Firstly, I want to finally get a career going, preferably something in writing, e.g. TV critic.  I want the feeling of self-worth and self-respect that being in employment can provide for you.

Secondly, I would absolutely love a girlfriend once again.  I miss the sharing of life and I miss the intimacy that being in relationship gives you.  If I carry on fighting my OCD like I am doing, then I truly believe these two targets of mine are really realistic.

I end this year feeling a lot more positive about life than how I felt when it started.  I enjoy waking up in the mornings now.  I enjoy being alive and am no longer scared to breathe in(that is how bad it once got).

I have to keep fighting the OCD because it is so easy to slip backwards without realising you are regressing.  2019 will be tough at times with the exposures that I know are coming, but the more I do them then the less scared I will feel.  I refuse to let my OCD beat me……..I LONG FOR 2019 TO BE MY BEST YEAR YET!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Posted in ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, EMOTION, HEALTH, mens health, MENTAL HEALTH, OCD, TRUE STORIES, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

DEATH AND NIGHTINGALES- Episode one review.

Posted on December 5, 2018 by SCARFMAN

You didn’t have to be Einstein to work out that the new period drama on BBC TWO entitled Death and Nightingales, was not going to be a right bundle of laughs.

Set in Fermanagh in the north of Ireland in 1885, this is a story by Allan Cubitt, adapted from Eugene McCabe’s 1992 novel.  It is told over the course of twenty-four hours and has a stellar lead cast that includes Jamie Dornan, Anne Skelly and Matthew Rhys.

Expectations were therefore pretty high as it started.  Overall, it wasn’t perfect but it was definitely a great piece of work.  This is coming from a reviewer who is not a massive fan of period dramas either.

The pace of the narrative was a touch on the slow side at times.  Furthermore, I also personally found some of the dialogue hard to understand on occasions.

Nevertheless, the fantastic mesmerising performances from Anne Skelly and the exceptional Matthew Rhys, are what drove this drama forwards and made it so compelling and watchable.

Hands up time, I initially only watched this drama because I am such a massive fan of Welsh actor Matthew Rhys.  He is that good of an actor that even if I saw him do a double-glazing advert then I would probably think him worthy of an Oscar for it.  He was absolutely incredible as Philip Jennings, in the much critically acclaimed US Russian spy drama The Americans.

In Death and Nightingales, he plays a baddie in the form of a wicked strict step-father character called Billy Winters.  This description does not do the writer or Matthew any real justice though.  Billy is a much more rounded character than just your archetypal baddie.  There was something decent and likeable about him, even though we soon became aware of his forced affections upon his step-daughter Beth(Anne Skelly).

In contrast to this love hate relationship between Billy and Beth, we saw Beth soon become besotted with Jamie Dornan’s character, Liam Ward.  Liam we think likes Beth, or does he have ulterior motives for wanting to run away with Beth?  Beth told him that Billy had this huge stash of gold in his safe.  The plan is to rob Billy and then run off into the sunset together.

Therefore, you could argue this is a love story, a story about revenge and also a story about deception.  For me, there was this great underlying narrative tension throughout which made for pulsating viewing.  Will Billy’s bad temper erupt at any given moment? Will Beth get away with her plan to escape the clutches of her suffocating step-father?

As the ending credits rolled it felt like not that much had happened, but what had happened had been extremely gripping.  The direction of Beth staring directly into the camera lens at us at the start and the ending was a really powerful acting tool to use.

All-in-all, a gripping first episode of a drama that is definitely worth sticking with! 4/5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in BBC, BBC DRAMA, DRAMA, ENTERTAINMENT, POPULAR CULTURE, screenplay, TELEVISION, THE ARTS, TV, TV REVIEW, UK TV, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BRITAIN BY BOAT : Series 1, Episode 1. A review.

Posted on November 30, 2018 by SCARFMAN

If you are a fan of watching paint dry then you will have loved the first episode of the new Channel 5 travelogue series, Britain by Boat. It has to be said that both of these things are not necessarily that unpleasant, they are just tediously dull and boring.

This new travel show reunited together old BBC News pals Michael Buerk and John Sergeant.  Both are amateur sailors we were told and so over the next month they would be attempting to explore Britain’s coastline by yacht.  The key thing here though being that they would have two expert sailors with them making sure they came back in one piece.

I longed for a triumph in this genre like the utterly brilliant recently aired series Mortimer and Whitehouse : Gone Fishing.  Make me laugh boys, show me great scenery and most of all be interesting.  None of these things were present in Britain by Boat though.  It was bland, bland and bland again.

There are only so many shots of John Sergeant steering a yacht that one person can take before it starts to numb the senses somewhat.  Looking at the clock only twenty-two minutes had past, this meant having to endure another half of the programme yet.  Half an hour in total would have been so much better.  Instead, the action sort of just drifted and limped along.  Even the fish in the sea were bored by the two of them because they refused to be caught!

This first episode in their breakable boat(they had engine problems within the first five minutes) the Bonaventure, featured them attempting to sail from Lowestoft to Ramsgate.  The overhyped drama bit being the section where they tried to cross the Thames estuary.

There were just too many boring shots of them sailing.  Not being comedians, neither of them therefore had any amusing anecdotes to share with us to help lighten the mood.  John Sergeant tried to be witty but failed massively.  This might be an unfair comparison but he came across like a rather unfunny Mrs Doubtfire type figure.  For supposed longtime friends, Michael and John lacked any real on-screen chemistry together.

As well as the sailing there was lots of drinking and eating.  We saw them stop off at a local oyster cafe where they proceeded to show us how to slurp whilst eating oysters.  Again, it was just rank bad telly that had an element of cringe about it all.

The only part of the whole programme that was slightly engaging was when they bumped into two fellow sailors, who were driving a genuine Dunkirk rescue boat.

If boats tickle your fancy then you might like this show but in all probability you won’t. It was just too boring and aimless to be given a second chance. 2/5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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