New British TV Show
Reviews
March 7, 2013
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Being Eileen (3/13)
This
gentle BBC comedy series by Michael Wynne is a spin-off of Lapland,
centering on newly widowed Eileen (Sue Johnston), her grown children
(Dean Andrews, Elizabeth Berrington), their spouses and the grandkids.
Eileen doesn't really know what do with herself now she is on her own,
but peace and quiet are never close at hand when the family descends on
her, as they do in every episode. It's very sweet, dramatizing how the
people who drive you the most crazy are the ones you love the most.
Blandings (3/13)
Over-the-top
BBC adaptation of P.G. Wodehouse's stories about inbred gentry getting
into scrapes only Wodehouse could imagine. Timothy Spall stars as the
pig-obsesssed patriarch, so dim he gives Berty Wooster a run for this
money. His sister (Jennifer Saunders) is forever on his case, or trying
to prevent his son or a niece from marrying "the wrong sort." Mark
Williams plays the usual unflappable butler to the Blandings. The 30
minute time is the perfect length for these light-weight tales to run
their course without overstaying their welcome.
Bob Servant Independent (3/13)
This
BBC Scottish comedy is about a former food van owner (Brian Cox) who
decides to run for parliament as an independent during a by-election.
Aided only by his best friend as manager, Bob wasn't necessarily
popular with residents before this (his tasteless remodel of his house
being a major sore point) and he manages to put his foot in this mouth
every single time. There is something tragically fascinating about
watching a no-hoper try to achieve his dream, even when he is own worst
enemy, with a stunning lack of self-awareness.
Common Ground (3/13)
A
series of shorts for Sky that are loosely interwoven but essentially
self-contained one-off dramatic comedies. Like Little Crackers, this
is a staging ground for possibly launching new series, but also shows
the economy that one can create an entire world full of characters in
just 10 minutes. My favorites include Charles Dance as an
irresponsible aging roady grandfather, and two friends who are
desperate to create the Next Big Thing. Paul Kaye plays a creepy loan
shark who appears in about half the episodes.
Complicit (3/13)
Channel 4
TV movie about a black MI:6 analyst Edward Ekubo (David Oyelowo) who
has been passed up for promotion but finds a link between a British
Muslim and terrorists in Egypt. Sent there to follow up on the arrest,
he finds the shackles placed on him by government policy and the
cleverness of his subject too much to stand. Violating orders, he has
the Egyptian security services do what he can't: to extract information
using torture, but it ultimately blows up in his face. Clearly the
movie wants to make the point that Jack Bauer-ism,
ends-justifies-the-means torture is not the way to go, but Ekubo is
keen to prove himself, especially when he finds evidence that a sarin
attack is going to happen in Britain but nobody on his side seems
particularly worried or anxious. But short-cuts have consequences, it's
too bad, he probably would have done pretty well in Bush's American
during the last decade.
Dancing On the Edge (3/13)
Stephen
Poliakoff wrote and directed this ambitious BBC mini-series set in
1930s London about the rise and fall of the Louis Lester Band, jazz
musicians who eventually play for the Prince of Wales. Chiwetel Ejiofor
stars as Louis, a British born bandleader who comes to the attention of
music magazine writer Stanley (Matthew Goode) who promotes the band and
eventually gets them an ongoing gig as permanent residents in the posh
Imperial Hotel. At first their jazz music is not well-received by the
establishment, but patrons (including Anthony Head and Jacqueline
Bisset) who are eager to experience the next new thing help them open
the right doors, meet the right people, and eventually even get on the
staid old BBC. But Poliakoff also examines the racism of the era,
though not as bad as America at the time, most of the characters
(admittedly upper class) treat Louis and his band as equals, at least
when everything is going well. But when the lead singer (Angel Coulby)
is discovered dead and Louis suspects the young protege of mysterious
American tycoon Masterson (John Goodman), things turn ugly and Louis
isn't sure who, if anyone, is still his ally. Louis sometimes is a bit
too paranoid for his own good, although based on his experiences, not
entirely unjustified.
Doors Open (3/13)
Stephen
Fry plays an art historian who has curated a vast collection owned by a
bank that needs to liquidate. Horrified, he organizes a gang of
friends to substitute fakes for the originals before the collection is
broken up in this light-hearted ITV TV movie. Many familiar TV faces
fill the cast including Douglas Henshall and Lenora Crichlow as former
lovers.
The Fear (3/13)
Channel 4 mini-series about a Brighton-based businessman (Peter Mullen)
who begins to suffer dementia just as he's trying to expand, as well as
dealing with ruthless Eastern European gangsters. His explosive temper
often picks the worst times to come to the surface, and it's not helped
by the fact he often can't remember the episodes afterwards. As his
haunted past begins to blend with his grim present, it becomes a battle
of survival not helped by the activities of his two sons.
Jonathan Meades: The Joy of Essex (3/13)
Essex,
a county just east of London is to Britain what the Jersey Shore is to
the United States. At least that's its reputation, which commentator
Jonathan Meades is happy to dispel, at least when not knocking somewhat
questionable architectural decisions which are his bread and butter.
Like all of Meades' films for the BBC, impeccably shot, narrated and
informative.
Loving Miss Hatto (3/13)
Alfred
Molina stars as William Barrington-Coupe, a somewhat dodgy entrepreneur
who stumbles upon shy piano prodigy Joyce Hatto in the 1950s, and
becomes her promoter and husband in this BBC TV movie based on a true
story. Joyce peaks early in her career and only makes a few
recordings.
Years later, now retired, William discovers that Joyce's music has been
rediscovered and there is a huge demand for new recordings. Alas, her
talent has passed, but he (as alleged in this movie) uses digital
technology to pass off other performances as those of his wife's.
Sales are great until a snoopy reporter from "The New Yorker" uncovers
the deception, which Barrington-Coupe denies to this day (Hatto died in
2006).
The Making of a Lady (3/13)
ITV
TV movie about a middle class working girl in the 19th Century who gets
a chance to join the gentry when she marries an older military officer
despite the objections of his aunt (Joanna Lumley). Taken to his
country manor, he is then posted abroad, leaving her to deal with the
family servants as well as a some friends of her husband's with
sinister intentions towards her. Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson
Burnett.
Mr Selfridge (3/13)
Jeremy
Piven co-produced this lavish ITV/Masterpiece series that he also stars
in as American department store entrepreneur Harry Selfridge in London
of the 1920s. Andrew Davies developed the series, which follows the
exploits of Harry, his family, and the staff at the store on Oxford
Street (it's still there), through various familiar soap tropes. Piven
plays Selfridge, like many of his other characters, as driven to
succeed, even as he indulges in mistresses, gambling, and trying to
make the British upper class comfortable with his style of
accomplishing things. ITV was hoping for another Downton Abbey-like
success, and although the ratings were respectable, it was handily
beaten by the BBC's Call The Midwife.
Old Jack's Boat (3/13)
This
children's TV series is similar to the long-running Jackanory, with
someone basically telling a story. Here, modern digital effects are
combined with "old salt" Bernard Cribbins as the titular character, who
lives in a small fishing village, and hangs out on his boat telling his
dog children's stories. It's a charming conceit, and it looks like the
BBC spent some money on it.
Panto! (3/13)
Comic John
Bishop gets to star in this Christmas-themed ITV TV movie about a
regional DJ who gets the lead in a local panto with a collection of
characters including a diva-ish soap star (Sheridan Smith). It's
opening night and as you might imagine, it's a familiar comedy of
errors, but all's well that ends well.
Privates (3/13)
The BBC
regularly schedules original dramas set in the mid-Century in a
Monday-to-Friday afternoon slot, even though they are perfectly
appropriate for prime time. I guess nobody cares about the 1950s any
more. In this five-episode series set in November 1960 conscription is
coming to an end in the British Army and the last class of involuntary
recruits are forced together in a familiar basic training setting. One
way posh boys could get out of service was by running for parliament,
which one attempts to do, only to see a middle class rival try the same
trick. We also see the drama between a sergeant major having an affair
with his commanding officer's wife.
Restless (3/13)
BBC two-part
WWII espionage thriller about a Russian woman (Hayley Atwell) recruited
by English spy Lucas Romer (Rufus Sewell) in pre-war France, which is
crosscut with her in 1970 telling her story to her daughter (Michelle
Dockery) in order to find out what happened to Romer and if he's still
a threat to her. A great, tense drama which spans two eras and two
generations.
Ripper Street (3/13)
This
expensive BBC co-production is somewhat similar to "Copper," another
19th Century police procedural that ran on BBC America last year. This
time, Matthew Macfadyen plays the lead, Edmund Reid, a tortured
detective inspector who recently lost his daughter, abetted by a loyal
(if somewhat thuggish) sergeant (Jerome Flynn) as well as an American
"crime surgeon" (Adam Rothenberg) with a shady past. It's a bit "CSI:
Victoria," with much of the detective work being done in the lab, with
brilliant leaps of logic by Reid that would be worthy of Sherlock
Holmes at times. Alas, Jack the Ripper is a no-show in the series (his
six murders have already occurred by the beginning of the show), but
nevertheless his shadow looms over the proceedings.
The Spa (3/13)
Sky 1 comedy
starring Rebecca Front as the terrible manager of a posh spa and her
somewhat dodgy staff. Written by Derren Litten (Benidorm), The Spa
doesn't really provide any new insights into the workplace drama, or
having to deal with an utterly incompetent and self-centered boss.
Spies of Warsaw (3/13)
David
Tennant stars as a French spy in this BBC drama set in Poland just
before WWII. Despite the title maybe leading you to think there is a
whole team of spies, Tennant is very much the leading man here, in
nearly every scene, and getting to do plenty of running around, saving
pretty French girls, and killing the occasional Nazi. He even pulls
off wearing his rather boxy 1930 French officer's uniform without
looking completely ridiculous, though most of the time he's dressed
like a typical Pole, the better for snooping around.
Stephen Fry: Gadget Man (3/13)
In
this fluffy Channel 4 series, Fry shows off his joy at gadgets old and
new, and how they might revolutionize daily life. Many are of the "Gee,
I'd love to own that variety," while others aren't quite ready for our
modern world.
The Town (3/13)
ITV mini-series ostensibly about the tired mayor of a city (Martin
Clunes) but also a multi-arced story featuring many characters who all
interact. It beings with a double suicide of a couple which leaves
their two children, one a teenager, and her older brother (Andrew
Scott) who moved to London years ago and is forced to return home, to
take care of each other and their gran. But was it suicide? And how is
it connected to the mayor?
Utopia (3/13)
This violent but thought-provoking Channel 4 mini-series has a number
of odd characters chasing after the missing manuscript to a graphic
novel that could cause the end of the world. On one side you have a
group of fans who just want to see what happens in the sequel, but
stumble upon a conspiracy involving vaccines, mad scientists,
assassins, and a mysterious woman who stays off the grid. On the
other, is a civil servant who is blackmailed by forces unknown to
approve a cure for a fake Russian flu virus, a corporation that seems
part of the government, and a plot that could alter the future of
humanity. Stylishly shot (by two directors), Utopia gives new meaning to "paranoia."
Way To Go (3/13)
I love telling people this is BBC sitcom about three idiots who start a
euthanasia business. Scott (Blake Harrison) works at a vet hospital and
is hired by an elderly neighbor to assist him in a suicide. Using
stolen drugs and a machine whipped up by his buddy Cozzo (Marc
Wootton), Scott performs the deed in order to pay some bills and help
his deadbeat gambler half-brother Joey (Ben Heathcote). Yes, this
could seem tasteless, but running on BBC-3, their client base is
unlikely to have ever even seen the channel. Scott's love life is
a mess, and it's made more complicated when he begins seeing the
daughter of his first client (the deaths appear like natural causes so
nobody knows about the assisted suicides). Cozzo's ditzy pregnant
police officer wife also remains blissfully unaware of her husband's
sudden source of income, although she has her suspicions.
Yes, Prime Minister (3/13)
The
classic 1970s BBC comedy is updated for the 21st Century with a new
cast (David Haig, Henry Goodman, Chris Larkin) playing the familiar
characters in a plot devised by the original writers for the stage,
with 2013 issues woven in. Running on cable channel Gold, clearly this
was aimed at nostalgia buffs.
A Young Doctor's Notebook (3/13)
Daniel Radcliffe took this on as a personal dream project, adapting his
favorite book for three episodes on Sky 1. He stars as the title
character, a Russian doctor whose first posting is in the middle of the
Siberian winter in a tiny hospital. Meanwhile, we see an older version
of himself (Jon Hamm) in 1930s Moscow, looking back (and actually
interacting) with his younger self as we see what caused him to lose
his way. Radcliffe's doctor is extremely terrible and inexperienced,
nearly every case causes him to flee to his office to consult medical
books he obviously never studied that well in school. Seeing him abuse
patients is almost painful, but also hilarious.
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Written and maintained by Ryan K. Johnson (rkj@eskimo.com).
March 7, 2013