http://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle
Jekyll
and Hyde: Sunday, STV
Detectorists:
Thursday, BBC Four
Paul
Whitelaw
Ever
since Doctor Who reasserted its position as the reigning champ
of weekend family viewing, ITV has made a few, almost grudging,
attempts at establishing a suitable rival.
Time-hopping
dinosaur romp Primeval was their most successful effort, but
even its biggest fans would concede that it never troubled Doctor
Who in terms of capturing the wider imagination. And the less
said about Demons – which only shell-shocked TV critics and
around 50% of those who made it choose to remember anyway – the
better.
So
it's perhaps surprising that it's taken them this long to enlist the
talents of Fast Show alumnus Charlie Higson, a critically
acclaimed, best-selling author whose success with the Young James
Bond novels has secured his reputation as a gifted purveyor of
intelligent children's fiction. On the basis of episode one, Jekyll
and Hyde already feels like ITV's first serious challenger to
Doctor Who's crown.
However,
it's not without its flaws. An unofficial sequel to Robert Louis
Stevenson's classic exploration of a vexing split personality
disorder, it follows Jekyll's grandson, Robert, as he gradually
unearths his poisoned family lineage.
Raised
by a family in Ceylon – hence his impeccable upper-class English
accent – he's introduced as a kindly colonial physician capable of
superhuman feats of strength when emotionally piqued. He's basically
a 1930s Hulk, and Higson doesn't stint on the comparisons. With its
canted angles, stylised action sequences and somewhat campy feel, the
show is framed as a live-action comic book.
That
heightened-reality approach ensures that its flashes of violence and
horror don't feel inappropriate for a family audience. Children can
differentiate between this world and ours. Granted, the sight of a
dog-hybrid 'Harbinger' – Higson's Jekyll universe if full of
bizarre creatures - was unsettling for even a man as robust and
fearless as myself, but God forbid I should represent the psyche of
the average child.
More
troubling, perhaps, was the fiery death of Robert's adoptive Indian
family, murdered at the hands of an intriguingly sadistic villain in
British military uniform. Then again, I doubt many children were
conscious of its significance as an historical metaphor. They were
probably just perturbed by the spectacle of some kindly people being
incinerated by a greasy Englishman with an evil moustache. So that's
okay.
Though
peppered with clunky exposition – hopefully that will subside after
this attention-grabbing scene-setter – this was a decent
introduction.
The
charismatic Tom Bateman handles his twin roles impressively: a Colin
Firth-esque bumbler in Jekyll repose, a lascivious demon in
two-fisted Hyde mode. From Frederic March to Jerry Lewis, Jekyll/Hyde
tales rely upon acting versatility. Higson's reinvention shows
promise, but Bateman is selling it so far.
There's
something deeply heartening about the deserved success of
writer/director/actor Mackenzie Crook's award-winning sleeper hit
Detectorists. Maybe it's because no one ever expected Gareth
from The Office to come up with a sitcom of such depth, wit
and sensitivity.
It
makes Derek, the saccharine dogs dinner served up by his
former employer, Ricky Gervais, look even worse by comparison.
A
low-key sitcom about two charmingly co-dependent metal detectorists - the other played by the great Toby Jones - when it
returned last week I instantly eased back into its rural rhythms.
Space precludes me from writing more, but I urge you to befriend this
wonderful show. It's one of the best British comedies of the last ten
years.
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