THE PIANO | SCOTLAND'S GREATEST ESCAPE | HAPPY VALLEY

This article was originally published in The Courier on 11th August 2023.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

The Piano – Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm

Imagine, if you can, a far more benign version of Britain’s Got Talent. That's basically what we're dealing with here, a series in which Claudia Winkelman travels around Britain to showcase the prowess of those non-professional musicians who gravitate towards free-to-use pianos in public places. 

Her odyssey begins at London’s St Pancras train station. Unbeknownst to the players, they’re being observed by the classical pianist Lang Lang and ‘00s hitmaker Mika. Each week they choose a favourite, who will eventually join them on stage for a very special concert at the Royal Festival Hall. 

The Piano is unabashedly sentimental at times, but its heart is in the right place. No one is belittled, and you may find yourself wowed by some of the talent on display.

The Agency: Unfiltered – Monday, BBC Scotland, 10pm

Amy and Kirsten are the owners of Scotland’s largest influencer agency. They represent over 20 successful clients. In this new series, we take a peek into their social media-savvy world.

Now, you could argue that the entire concept of influencing is utterly cynical, hollow and depressing. You could also argue that these kids are making an honest living in the belly of the capitalist beast. They’ve spied an opportunity and ran with it. Good luck to ‘em. Amy, Kirsten and their clients come across as nice, unpretentious people. 

This show will never be mistaken for a probing critique of the Zeitgeist. It’s rather stilted and contrived, but it means no harm whatsoever in the grand scheme of things.

First Dates Valentine’s – Tuesday, Channel 4, 10pm

Fred Sirieix and his colleagues presumably regard Valentine’s Day as a sacred occasion. Their very own Prosecco-fuelled Rapture. 

In this year’s love-happy special, our affable matchmakers play host to a ‘clubbing queen’ who’s grown tired of over-keen men, a Swedish baker who initially bonds with her date over a shared love of singing and ballet, and a woman who hasn’t dated since her arranged marriage dissolved a decade ago. 

We also meet Erin, a special effects make-up artist with cerebral palsy. Whenever she mentions her condition to potential online daters, they tend to disappear. Erin experiences her first ever blind date tonight.

Untold: Cheat Detectives: The Loyalty Test – Tuesday, Channel 4, 11:05pm

Preview copies weren’t available, but this documentary sounds like the troubling Yin to First Dates’ fluffy Yang. 

It delves into a murky online phenomenon driven by influencers doggedly devoted to exposing infidelity. But are their motives sincere? Do they really care about the relationships they’re investigating, or are they exploiting people for lucrative hits and views? 

Reporter Daisy Maskell questions the ethics of this growing trend. Her interviewees include a popular TikToker who is generating content based on a hashtag that’s been viewed over one billion times. 

Maskell also speaks to one of the TikToker’s clients, as they put their boyfriend through the test.

Scotland’s Greatest Escape – Wednesday, BBC Scotland, 10pm

Scotland is a beautiful, scenic country. You’ve probably noticed. So no wonder BBC Scotland knocks out travelogues at such a rapid rate of knots. It’s all on their doorstep. 

In this good-natured series, hosts JJ Chalmers and Grado spend time with viewers who took part in a poll to find Scotland’s best holiday destinations. A panel of experts take notes from afar. 

This week’s escapers are lifelong pals Karen and Karen, who sample the charms of some luxurious lodges in the Angus countryside. 

They also enjoy a bespoke overnight cruise around the west coast of Scotland, before winding up in an Ayrshire castle. Falconry and archery ensue. Not at the same time, obviously, that would be disastrous.

Prue and Danny’s Death Road Trip – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

The nation’s favourite cake-maker Prue Leith supports assisted dying. Her son, the Conservative MP Danny Kruger, is against it. In this programme, they take a trip around the USA and Canada. As you may be aware, assisted dying is legal in Canada. 

Leith first became aware of this debate when her brother endured a very slow and painful death. She believes that people should be allowed to leave this mortal coil with dignity. Kruger maintains that any potential change to UK legislation could lead to the abuse of vulnerable people. 

They meet a woman whose parents died peacefully together at a time of their choosing, and a doctor who insists that Canadian legislation has gone too far.

The National Comedy Awards For Stand Up to Cancer 2023 – Friday, Channel 4, 9pm

Your deserving nominations this year include Am I Being Unreasonable?, Derry Girls, Ghosts, Would I Lie to You? and Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. Ricky Gervais’ egregious After Life has presumably been included due to some sort of unfortunate admin error. 

This awards ceremony was a must-see TV event in the ‘90s and early ‘00s, an unpredictable live event featuring famous comedians in various states of inebriation. Julian Clary’s infamous remark about Norman Lamont? Spike Milligan’s impudent message to Prince Charles? It all happened here. 

The Comedy Awards are a slicker affair these days, so don’t expect any wild detours along those lines, but at least it’s all held in aid of a good cause.

LAST WEEK’S TV 

Happy Valley – Sunday 5th February, BBC One

That sound you heard at around 10:50pm last Sunday was approximately eight million people yelping “Don’t go in!” when Catherine discovered the whereabouts of Tommy Lee Royce.

Their mesmerising final confrontation was faultlessly written and performed. Writer Sally Wainwright even managed to include a few notes of dry black comedy amidst the rage and recrimination. 

She also toyed with the ambiguity of whether Royce genuinely cared about his son, Ryan. Were his tears a sign of some genuine emotional attachment, or were they shed in self-pity? Wainwright and actor James Norton always ensured that Royce was never a mere pantomime villain. 

An exceptional drama, Happy Valley has taken its rightful place in TV’s marbled Pantheon.

HAPPY VALLEY | WHEN MOTOWN CAME TO BRITAIN | STONEHOUSE

This article was originally published in The Courier on 31st December 2022.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Happy Valley – New Year’s Day, BBC One, 9pm

Rightly regarded as one of the greatest British TV dramas of the last ten years, Sally Wainwright’s gripping magnum opus returns for its third and final series this week.

When series two concluded in 2016, that appeared to be the end of the line. However, Wainwright always had one more chapter in mind. 

Preview copies weren’t available, but here’s the gist: while investigating a local gangland murder, Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) unravels a chain of events which lead her back to imprisoned murderer Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton). 

Happy Valley is so much more than a mere cop show, it resonates on a deeper level. It’s a major piece of work, a classic for the ages.

Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends – Hogmanay, BBC Two, 5:35pm

Stephen Sondheim, who passed away towards the end of 2021, was one of Broadway theatre’s greatest ever composers and lyricists. His hits include West Side Story, Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods. 

Earlier this year, West End impresario Cameron Mackintosh produced an all-star tribute to the great man, the proceeds of which went to the Stephen Sondheim Foundation, a recently formed initiative for young writers. 

Spectacularly staged by a team of renowned choreographers including Matthew Bourne, the show practically heaves with talent: Michael Ball, Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, Petula Clark, Judi Dench, Damian Lewis and many more all share the spotlight. 

This is fabulous showbiz incarnate, folks, a real end-of-year treat.

Jools’ Annual Hootenanny – Hogmanay, BBC Two, 11:30pm

Jools Holland’s New Year’s Eve bash was, for obvious reasons, a more stripped-down affair in 2020 and 2021, but it’s back in full studio-packed swing this year. 

His guests are Cat Burns, George Ezra, Andy Fairweather Low, Fine Young Cannibals, Gabrielle, Ruby Turner, 1970s British soul group The Real Thing, and Mercury Prize nominee Self Esteem. And at the stroke of midnight, raise a glass in the general direction of the Pipes & Drums of the 1^st Battalion Scot Guards. 

Jools’ Hootenanny is a comforting thing, it exists only to ease us gently into another year, a year in which we’ll hopefully benefit from at least some good fortune. Enjoy yourselves, it’s later than you think.

When Motown Came to Britain – New Year’s Day, BBC Two, 10pm

It’s easy to forget that the first-wave legends of Motown were initially regarded as cult artists in Britain. Sure, they had occasional hits, but the average UK pop fan was generally more familiar with beat group cover versions than the sainted R&B originals. 

This charming documentary digs deep into Motown’s first package tour of Britain in 1965, when a relatively small group of multi-racial soul obsessives preached the gospel on behalf of their heroes. 

Your contributors include Claudette Robinson from The Miracles, Otis Williams from The Temptations and Ready Steady Go! producer Vicki Wickham. It also serves as a tribute to selfless soul proselytiser Dave Godin, an unsung hero in the grand scheme of things.

Stonehouse – Monday to Wednesday, STV, 9pm

In November 1974, the prominent Labour MP John Stonehouse attempted to fake his own death. A real life Reginald Perrin, except Reggie was far more sympathetic than this utter clown. 

Stonehouse, which stars that gifted comic actor Matthew Macfadyen, is presented as a sly farce about a pathetic, philandering opportunist and serial liar who grasped at every opportunity to satiate his selfish needs. Remind you of anyone? 

Stonehouse eagerly worked for the Czech secret police, not out of any moral imperative with regards to far-left politics, but because they paid him handsomely (despite being a terrible spy). He ended up mired in debt, hence his desperate hoax. 

This unforgiving and grimly entertaining satire is all the man deserves.

2022: The Year from Space – Tuesday, Channel 4, 7:30pm

The immense tumult of 2022 is surveyed in this ambitious 90-minute documentary, which feeds upon all-seeing satellite footage. It captures numerous stories of joy and terror, life’s rich pageant in all its contrasting shades. 

So, while we’re treated to feel-good images of, for example, hitherto undiscovered penguin colonies, we’re also confronted with terrifying evidence of our climate change catastrophe. The war in Ukraine looms large throughout; there are scenes of terrible destruction. 

I haven’t seen the programme, it didn’t turn up in time for my deadline, but the synopsis I’m working from makes it sound like the sad musings of a remote non-interventionist deity trying to make sense of an experiment gone drastically wrong.

The Light in the Hall – Wednesday and Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

Joanna Scanlan stars in this new six-part drama about the tormented mother of a teenage girl who was murdered 18 years ago. 

One day she receives some news that she’s been dreading: the killer (Iwan Rheon) is being released on parole. He confessed to his crime, but claims – apparently in all sincerity – to have no memory of where he left the victim’s body. She’s never been found. 

Meanwhile, a journalist (Alexandra Roach) and erstwhile family friend mulls over whether she can in all good conscience cover this traumatic story. 

A ruminative study of grief, redemption and journalistic ethics, The Light in the Hall is intriguing. It’s also, by pure coincidence, a tangential thematic companion piece to Happy Valley. 

LAST WEEK’S TV

The Smeds and The Smoos – Christmas Day, BBC One

The latest animated Christmas missive from beloved children’s storytellers Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler was a lovely little rhyming parable about tolerance, kindness and the utter insanity of all forms of prejudice. 

Set on a far-off alien planet awkwardly cohabited by the red Smeds and the blue Smoos, it delivered its humane message in a sweet, funny and gently profound way. 

The Smeds and the Smoos disliked and mistrusted each other, despite not really knowing why. That was just the unquestioned way of their world. Thankfully, a star-crossed Romeo and Juliet-esque entanglement taught them all a valuable lesson, a lesson that children will hopefully absorb and put into practice throughout the rest of their lives.

Dogs in the Wild: Meet the Family – Wednesday December 28, BBC One

This irresistible series narrated by Chris Packham celebrates all 37 species of wild canid. Wolves, foxes, jackals and dogs, they all receive their due. It’s basically three hours of stunningly beautiful creatures going about their daily business. What more could you ask for at this forbidding time of year? 

It began in Tibet, before jetting off to the Sahara and South America. Somewhere, where e’er he may be, David Attenborough nodded approvingly. His legacy is in safe hands. The BBC, for as long as it’s allowed to exist, will continue to make great programmes of this nature. No pun intended. 

Happy New Year, fellow TV enthusiasts. Give your canid a hug from me.

TV Review: McMAFIA + GIRLFRIENDS + DERRY GIRLS

This article was originally published in The Courier on 6th January 2018.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/category/lifestyle/entertainment/tv-film/

McMAFIA: New Year’s Day and Tuesday, BBC One

GIRLFRIENDS: Wednesday, STV

DERRY GIRLS: Thursday, Channel 4

A monumental bore of global proportions, McMAFIA is a turgid crime drama which proves that it’s possible to surf a wave of hype while wearing concrete boots.

Two years ago, the BBC scored a direct hit with the similarly expensive The Night Manager. The only chance McMafia has of emulating that success is if millions of viewers suddenly develop an inexplicable urge to watch one-dimensional gangsters discussing investment funds and business mergers.

The non-fiction book it’s based on claims that organised crime accounts for roughly 15% of the world’s GDP. A potentially ripe source of drama, but McMafia fails to deliver on its promise. There are no characters to care about. It’s utterly soulless, a slowly meandering iceberg.

James Norton, an otherwise versatile actor, looks hopelessly lost in the underwritten central role of a successful British-born investment banker who can’t escape from his Russian family’s mafia connections. Like young Michael Corleone from The Godfather, he wants to stay legit, but they keep pulling him back in. That’s where comparisons with The Godfather end.

Norton wanders through an interminable procession of ham-fisted scenes stolen from countless other gangster dramas. The uninvolving narrative flits between Mumbai, London, Tel Aviv, Moscow - everyone’s talking ‘bout Pop Muzik! – in a doomed attempt to conjure a sense of epic scale. It makes most of Daniel Craig’s Bond films look exciting by comparison.

Slow-burning dramas only work when they’re fuelled by atmosphere, intrigue, tension and emotion, all of which are conspicuously absent from this frozen turkey.

Occasionally, a jolt of violent action will occur. These moments don’t succeed as shocking flashpoints breaking a spell of finely-tuned suspense, they’re just a cattle-prod used to keep us awake. McMafia is an empty bottle of expensive vodka. What a way to bring in the New Year.

Does Kay Mellor ever sleep? She seems to average at least two hit dramas per year. Her most recent series, Love, Lies and Records, ended just before Christmas. Now she’s back with GIRLFRIENDS, in which Phyllis Logan, Miranda Richardson and Zoe Wanamaker star as three life-long pals in their late fifties.

Mellor tackles her driving theme of age discrimination with typical compassion and humour. When Linda (Logan) loses her beloved husband in mysterious circumstances, she finds herself alone for the first time in 30 years. Gail (Wanamaker) is recently divorced, and no longer feels desirable. Sue (Richardson) is the glamorous features editor of a bridal magazine – she’s never been married – who fears growing old and dying alone.

They’ve been forced to feel irrelevant by a society that discards women when they reach a certain age. Older men are allowed the luxury of becoming distinguished. Older women become invisible. Girlfriends is a cry of anger and frustration in the covert guise of a populist drama. It’s far more important than McMafia.

So is DERRY GIRLS, a very funny, smart and charming new sitcom about a misfit gang of Catholic teenagers in the Troubles-torn Northern Ireland of the mid-1990s.

These kids aren’t defined by their bleak backdrop and religious upbringing, it’s just part of their everyday lives. They struggle with the same growing pains as everyone else. Adolescence is universal, regardless of theological or political context.

Written by Lisa McGee, this semi-autobiographical farce fizzes with cheerful profanities and affectionate observations. Her engaging characters are vividly performed by an excellent cast. The unforced period detail is commendably accurate. The tone – darkness swaddled in warmth - is perfectly pitched. Derry Girls is a delight.

TV Review: HAPPY VALLEY + ANNABEL'S NIGHTCLUB: A STRING OF NAKED LIGHTBULBS

A version of this article was originally published in The Dundee Courier on 13th February 2016.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle

Happy Valley: Tuesday, BBC One

Annabel's Nightclub: A String of Naked Light Bulbs: Saturday, BBC Four

If it's not too late, can we install Sally Wainwright as the new Doctor Who show-runner?

One of TV's finest dramatists, the writer/director behind multi-award-winning crime drama Happy Valley would be a better replacement for Steven Moffat than new boss Chris Chibnall, the journeyman writer who scored a fluke hit with series one of Broadchurch, before destroying that good will with its dreadful, superfluous sequel.

It's an apt comparison. After all, Broadchurch and Happy Valley both gripped the nation a few years ago. They each felt like self-contained pieces in no need of a sequel. In the case of Broadchurch, that was agonisingly true. But when Happy Valley returned last week, it was immediately clear that Wainwright wasn't treading water.

The grimly compelling saga of tough, compassionate police sergeant Catherine Cawood and her murderous nemesis, Tommy Lee Royce, is far from over. Unlike Chibnall's mess, this follow-up feels necessary.

The opening episode was a master-class in assured plotting and smooth exposition as Wainwright reintroduced Catherine and co, plus some promising new characters.

Set eighteen months after the traumatic events of series one, it found Catherine (the magnificently deadpan Sarah Lancashire) trying to get back to normal while Royce languished for life in prison. Inevitably, her peace didn't last longer than a blackly comic prologue involving acid-addled sheep rustlers, which climaxed with her discovering a decomposing human corpse in a garage.

This, it transpired, was what remained of Royce's alcoholic mother. There was no love lost between Catherine and the deceased, hence why she's now a suspect. That family haunts her, even in death.

Meanwhile, Wainwright skilfully established a new sub-plot involving a married senior police officer (Kevin Doyle, alias Molesley from Downton) trying to extricate himself from an affair with a woman (the always impressive Amelia Bullmore) who refuses to go quietly. Prediction: this mire of blackmail won't end well.

We also met the unsettling, birdlike presence of Shirley Henderson as a woman seemingly infatuated with Royce, who in the versatile hands of War & Peace heartthrob™ James Norton continues his reign as TV's most convincing psychopath. A shaven-headed knot of pent-up fury, his simmering intensity is far more frightening than the kind of swivel-eyed scenery-chewing one normally associates with characters of this type.

Wainwright's sensitive underlying themes of grief, trauma, family dysfunction and women being abused in an aggressively male-dominated world continue to elevate Happy Valley far beyond its cop show peers.

Why does it reside in the upper echelons? Because of its dry wit, sharp dialogue, strong performances from a host of interesting actors and the way it fuses understated, character-driven realism with taut thriller conventions. Any budding screenwriter would benefit from studying Wainwright's impeccable work here.

Apparently the only nightclub the Queen has ever visited, the forbiddingly sophisticated Annabel's in London has been a discreet haven for the filthy rich and famous for over 50 years.

Its utter fabulousness was celebrated in Annabel's Nightclub: A String of Naked Light Bulbs, an unquestioningly affectionate documentary seemingly aimed at the kind of cosseted toffs who'd consider it a badge of honour to frequent such a rankly elitist dungeon.

Still, I did chuckle at some of the colourful anecdotes peppered throughout this glistening tribute. The one about a roaringly drunk John Wayne causing borderline actionable mayhem was topped only by the one about Shirley Bassey being banned for life after kicking the maître d' up the backside.

As a forelock-tugging outsider, I found it impossible to feel the same warmth towards Annabel's as its staff and regulars – far easier to summon rancorous disdain – but despite my better judgement I can't deny that there's something vaguely charming about a ridiculous fantasy world where the five-star bathrooms once contained ticker tape machines spewing stock market info.

That's despite the fact that Annabel's 53-year-old guest list must surely include some of the worst human beings to ever draw breath. Viva le revolution. 

TV Review: WAR AND PEACE + DEUTSCHLAND '83

This article was originally published in The Dundee Courier on 9th January 2016.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle

War and Peace: Sunday, BBC One

Deutschland '83: Sunday, Channel 4

Paul Whitelaw

The prospect of reading War and Peace is so notoriously daunting, its mythical reputation as an insurmountable literary Everest is probably more well-known than the contents of the book itself.

Most of us know the gist of Tolstoy's epic tome, thanks to endless references in popular culture. But have you actually read this gargantuan Napoleonic saga? I haven't. However, I've seen Woody Allen's hilarious parody, Love and Death, more often than I've seen my own reflection. Isn't that enough?

Even Andrew Davies, who adapts classic novels for breakfast, hadn't read it until the BBC asked him to write a six episode adaptation. Despite his trepidation, he eventually discovered that it wasn't an impenetrable chore after all, but a page-turner packed with romance, drama, action and satire. 

Of course, this will come as no surprise to anyone who's read it, but as we've established, no one ever has.

Davies is the ideal man for this ambitious task. He has a gift for condensing classic texts without sacrificing the essentials. His adaptations are accessible, but hardly dumbed down. The opening scene of this impressive production was a deft case in point. Set during a lavish drawing room ball, it introduced a banquet of characters without any fuss or confusion - unless you were playing familiar TV actor Bingo, in which case you probably missed most of the dialogue.

If a visiting alien were to switch on a TV at random, he'd be forgiven for thinking that the only working actors in Britain are Stephen Rea, Jim Broadbent, Tuppence Middleton, James Norton and Rebecca Front. They're all great, but must they appear in everything?

A refreshing presence among this plethora of ubiquitous faces was American actor Paul Dano as nebbishy hero Pierre. The illegitimate son of a wealthy nobleman, his liberal idealism is tested when he suddenly inherits a vast fortune. 

Played by Dano as a fretting, fumbling, bespectacled mouse caught in the sights of an oncoming lawnmower, Pierre contends with a scheming uncle – Rea, looking as always like a camel sucking a lozenge wryly – and an arranged bride (Middleton) who'd rather have his money than his milksop body. 

She's also having an incestuous relationship with her brother, a bizarre sub-plot which, according to Davies, is subtly implied in Tolstoy's novel. I'll take his word for that.

Despite his respect for his source materials, Davies is a mischievous adaptor. I can't be alone in detecting the ribald double-meaning of lines such as: “You need to let the old Count see you before he dies.” That's no accident, it's a cheeky Max Miller gag.

Director Tom Harper (This Is England '86; Peaky Blinders) also deserves credit for creating such a visually sumptuous, pacey treat. It doesn't drag in the slightest. A co-production with the Weinstein Group, no expense has been spared on striking costumes and palatial European locations. The grimly insane battle scenes, though presumably populated by just a few dozen extras, are a bold lesson in creative editing. Yes, the cast is over-familiar, but they fill their roles with aplomb. It's a stunning production oozing with charm, wit and class.

Old Tolstoy will be delighted by the boost in book sales.

Showing as part of Channel 4's admirable new commitment to foreign drama, Deutschland '83 is a Cold War thriller steeped in suitably pallid period detail. Unfortunately, it squanders an intriguing premise – a young East German solider is press-ganged into working undercover in the West – with a curiously superficial tone. It's so light and predictable, all potential tension is lost.

I'm usually a sucker for any '80s-based political drama stacked against the backdrop of nuclear annihilation, but even I must concede that Deutschland '83 is, at best, only mildly diverting.

A disappointment, but looking on the bright side there should hopefully be some gems in the rest of Channel 4's new overseas consignment. Onwards and upwards, as Brezhnev used to say.

TV Review: AGATHA CHRISTIE'S PARTNERS IN CRIME and LIFE IN SQUARES

This article was originally published in The Courier on Saturday 1st August 2015.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle

Agatha Christie's Partners In Crime: Sunday, BBC One

Life In Squares: Monday, BBC Two

Paul Whitelaw

Though never as popular as Poirot and Marple, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford were fond favourites of their creator Agatha Christie. She first introduced these happily married sleuths in 1922 and returned to them sporadically throughout her career. Their final appearance was in the last novel published before her death in 1973.

The Tommy and Tuppence canon is slim, however, hence why it's rarely been adapted for television. So, seeing as Poirot and Marple have been milked dry, no wonder the BBC have turned to the Beresfords for one more squeeze of the udder.

The first thing you notice about Agatha Christie's Partners In Crime is how expensive it looks. That £6m budget is visible in every vintage car, costume and immaculately dressed location. But these glossy trimmings can't compensate for the second thing you notice: there is zero chemistry between David Walliams and Jessica Raine as Tommy and Tuppence.

Walliams has shown in the past that he's a decent dramatic actor, but he looks painfully ill at ease here. Then again, even the world's greatest Thesp might struggle with such a poorly written role.

By rights, we should regard Tommy as a charming idler who gradually overcomes his natural cowardice by plunging into danger alongside his intrepid wife. But he comes across in this adaptation as such a soggy bore, it's no wonder Tuppence looks so exasperated with him. Their adventures are supposed to be a thrilling escape from their aimless existence, not from their marriage. A few flashes of warmth aside, they don't even seem to like each other very much.

Raine fares better as Tuppence, whose thirst for adventure drives the plot. Ably assisted by a bevy of attractive hats, she plays her with a kind of prim seriousness that occasionally bubbles over into breathless enthusiasm. It's telling that the best scenes involve her investigating the case alone. But she's got no chance of injecting any spark into her scenes with Walliams.

Even moments which should play to his comic strengths – e.g. Tommy being propositioned by prostitutes – are played monotonously straight. It's as if he's deliberately acting against his natural instincts, to prove there's more to him than camp tomfoolery. All he's proved is there's less.

However, despite his flat performance, the show does work in places. It wisely obeys one of the cardinal comic-thriller rules, namely that the villains must be genuinely threatening. Indeed, Partners In Crime is surprisingly violent at times, but that just adds to the zippy sense of peril. If the villains weren't authentically nasty, then we wouldn't buy into the central conceit of two ordinary people being dangerously out of their depth.

It also clatters along in a busy riot of twists and clues, so much so that the plot almost doesn't matter. While that may irk Christie purists, it does at least result in a fairly enjoyable piece of Sunday night escapism. You'll barely remember a thing about it afterwards – Walliams looks lost during it – but it passes time agreeably enough. So that's £6m well spent, then.

A more modest affair, Life In Squares is an intriguing period drama about the Bloomsbury Set, that radical group of intellectuals who cocked a snook – and more besides – at the strictures of Victorian England.

It's an elegantly claustrophobic meditation on sex and art as intensely entwined bedfellows, as Virginia Woolf and her artist sister Vanessa fight to establish independence years ahead of their time. An intelligently written, subtly performed and beautifully photographed slow-burner with occasional flashes of fire. 

TV Review: GRANTCHESTER

This article was originally published in The Dundee Courier on Saturday 11th October 2014.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle

Grantchester: Monday, STV

Paul Whitelaw

If I may make so bold a generalisation, then for anyone starved of thrills since the demise of Tom Bosley's ecclesiastical crime thriller Father Dowling Investigates – Murder She Wrote in a dog collar, no less – the arrival of Grantchester must've felt like manna from murder mystery Heaven.

Set in 1953 in the titular Cambridgeshire village, and written by James 'Son of Archbishop' Runcie, it follows a frustrated young vicar who gains a new lease of life when he becomes an amateur sleuth.

Operating a million country miles from his disturbing performance as Happy Valley's chief psychopath, the versatile James Norton plays Sidney Chambers as a handsome and progressive clergyman who, lest anyone doubt his modern credentials, enjoys whisky, jazz, cigarettes – note that all-important comma - and frolicking in lakes with frightfully nice young ladies.

This workaday existence is changed forever when the grieving mistress of a suicide case approaches him to cry murder. A depressed alcoholic lawyer, he'd told this poor woman that, once he'd left his wife, they would “live as we have never lived!” I mean, I ask you, are those the words of a suicidal man?

Gripped by this compelling evidence, Chambers' eyes widened. As the mistress explained, helpfully setting up the premise, who better to investigate a mystery than a pillar of the community who can go anywhere and ask any question? A romantic dreamer desperate for excitement, Chambers plunged into the case with schoolboy-ish enthusiasm, much to the short-tempered chagrin of lovable Police Inspector Geordie Keating.

Yes, it's come to this for the personable Robson Green, he's finally playing a character called Geordie. Has the man no self-respect? Would Ray Winstone accept the role of a character called Cockney Ardman in a six-part ITV crime drama? Yes, he almost definitely would if the money was right, but you take my point.

Anyway. Gimmick-led detective dramas are as old as Marconi's folly itself. There's nothing wrong with the concept, just how it's delivered. Grantchester is delivered professionally, smoothly, like a tray of Baileys to an elderly group of lunching ladies. It also provides dialogue, plotting and exposition as subtly as an anvil through a vestry window.

The shadow of the war hangs over this sleepy little village like a vast, heavy-handed subtext. The dead man's wife was a sad-eyed German given to quasi-poetic soliloquies. Chambers is a veteran himself, as was every other whisky-driven male character. That makes sense dramatically, historically, humanely. There's something to be explored there. More concerned with scenery and mood, Grantchester reduces it to a man staring solemnly over a cornfield.

Oh, I dare say we'll soon be treated to a scene in which someone challenges Chambers on why God allows such suffering. That'll pass for depth before the case at hand is solved.

This tolerable slice of sub-Agatha Christie is a pot-boiler, a page-turner, just another blood-stained slice of genteel comfort viewing, forever destined to gather dust on ITV3 in the afternoons and maybe, if it's lucky, be given away free with The Daily Mail. It's polished in the sense that dutifully tended silverware is polished, as robustly inoffensive as oatcakes, bell ringers and the face of Martin Jarvis. It's a big old tassled pouffe of nothing, but at least it rests your heels for an hour of a dark Monday evening.

I can't praise fainter than that.