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.

THREE MINUTES: A LENGTHENING | EVERYONE ELSE BURNS | HAPPY VALLEY

This article was originally published in The Courier on 21st January 2003. 

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Storyville – Three Minutes: A Lengthening – Tuesday, BBC Four, 10pm

On Thursday 4^th August 1938, photographer David Kurtz captured some informal silent film footage of the Jewish community based in the small Polish town of Nasielsk. Those haunting three minutes form the basis of this documentary. 

Nasielsk had 7,000 inhabitants in 1938, 3,000 of whom were Jewish. Fewer than a hundred of them survived the Holocaust. 

The only voices we hear throughout the film belong to narrator Helena Bonham Carter, Kurtz’s eloquent grandson, an actor quoting from contemporary accounts, and, remarkably, a survivor who grew up in Nasielsk before it was invaded by the Nazis. He’s able to put names to faces. 

This fragment of film brings ghosts back to life, it preserves their memories. They existed.

Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes – Monday to Friday, BBC Two, 6:30pm

In this cosy new series, Mr Affability visits various picturesque outdoor spots in the North East of England. He’s not alone, of course, each leg of his rural journey is enjoyed in the company of a celebrity chum. That’s how these shows must always operate. By law.

Guests this week include footballers Les Ferdinand and Jill Scott, actor Mark Benton and comedian Lost Voice Guy. However, in a shocking break from standard TV rules, he’s joined on Friday by members of his actual family. 

Weekend Escapes fulfils its unpretentious M.O. without any fuss. This is comfort viewing incarnate, an animated tapestry of pretty pictures populated by pleasant people indulging in mild banter. 

It’s winter, it’s freezing, it’ll do for now.

Everyone Else Burns – Monday, Channel 4, 10pm

Simon Bird stars in this new sitcom as the uptight patriarch of a puritanically religious family who believe the end times are a‐coming. They’ll be saved by the Rapture. 

I wasn’t impressed by the first two episodes, both of which go out on Monday. It’s fundamentally sympathetic towards the brainwashed followers of futile doomsday cults, that much is clear, but it falls short of its potential as a piece of character‐based social satire. 

The performances are fine, but the script is limp and obvious. Every attempted joke falls flat.

It’s frustrating, and I can’t help thinking how this bleak subject matter would be handled by Chris Morris, who once made a very funny, thoughtful film, Four Lions, about suicide bombers. 

Sort Your Life Out – Wednesday, BBC One, 9pm

The delightful Stacey Solomon has returned for another series of friendly life hacks. In episode one, we meet a family whose home is cluttered with unnecessary detritus. Solomon and co come to the rescue. 

Now, I’m instinctively suspicious of most programmes along these ‘life‐changing’ makeover lines, as they tend to judge people harshly. They sneer, poke, mock and belittle. But that’s not the Solomon way. 

It would appear that she actually gets to know these families, she engages sympathetically with the parents and children, so in the end you get the impression that everyone is genuinely satisfied. You’d hope so anyway. 

Such a misleadingly aggressive title, though. It sounds like something Dirty Den would bark at Angie.

My Kind of Town – Thursday, BBC Scotland, 8pm

I’m fully aware that this week’s column is preoccupied with travelogues, but I hope these outdoorsy recommendations provide you with some vicarious forms of escape from the January blues. 

If you haven’t seen this lovely little show before, it’s worth checking out. The latest episode finds Ian Hamilton and his guide dog Major exploring the Scottish Borders town of Hawick.

Iain Robertson Rambles – Thursday, BBC Scotland, 8:30pm

And the walks just keep on comin’. 

In this episode, the Scottish actor Iain Robertson concludes his epic 200 mile trek along The Hebdridean Way. He’s occasionally accompanied by a film crew, but for the most part it’s all filmed via Robertson’s light self‐affixed camera. We’re in the intimate presence of a ruminative man and his faithful dog friend, Mollie, both of them miles from anywhere while in the centre of something meaningful. 

As Robertson points out, communing with nature can do wonders for one’s mental health. 

Yes, there are some celebrity cameos ‐ actors Kevin McKidd and Alex Norton in this case ‐ but they enhance Robertson’s message: solitude and company exist in therapeutic tandem. 

Travel Man: 48 Hours in Salzburg – Friday, Channel 4, 8:30pm

Joe Lycett’s travelling companion this week is fellow comic Roisin Conaty. They are, as you’ve doubtless already gathered from the title, in the Austrian city of Salzburg. 

Food‐wise, they devour some schnitzel, strudel and Salzburg’s signature dark chocolate, marzipan and nougat sweet: Mozartkulgen, which translates into English as Mozart’s Balls. Salzburg’s most famous son would presumably see the funny side of that irreverent tribute. 

The Mozart theme continues during a visit to an imaginative art installation. Lycett and Conaty also check in to a luxury art‐filled hotel, visit a forest‐bathing workshop, and have the all‐singing time of their lives on Fraulein Maria’s Bicycle Tour, which takes in various locations from The Sound of Music.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Happy Valley – Sunday 15th January, BBC One

We’ve reached the halfway point of the final series of Sally Wainwright’s modern classic. I usually shy away from praise of that nature, as it tends to sound glib and excessive, but Happy Valley is a special case. 

The opening scene, in which Catherine and Clare confronted each other, was an acting and writing masterclass. No histrionics, just two people quietly dealing with a gamut of conflicted emotions. Wainwright understands how people actually communicate with each other.

As well as being a gripping thriller, Happy Valley is an empathetic meditation on physical and psychological abuse. Gas‐lighting narcissists cannot be reasoned with. We’re instinctively inclined to give people the benefit of the doubt, but those humane impulses are wasted on abusers. 

This Cultural Life: Ken Loach – Wednesday 18th January, BBC Four

For over fifty years, Ken Loach has been Britain’s foremost politically‐engaged left‐wing filmmaker. In the latest episode of this televised podcast, the great man sat down with journalist John Wilson to discuss some of his cultural touchstones. 

Formative memories included family visits to Blackpool where he enjoyed some of the great British comedians of the day, and the influence of 1960s Czech cinema on his exceptional body of work. Those films inspired him to capture “a life happening” on screen. 

Now aged 86, Loach remains a modest man driven by anger and compassion. With regards to his attitudes toward social injustice, this quote was key: “You can’t see it happen and be indifferent.”

THE FAMILY PILE | MATERNAL | THE U.S AND THE HOLOCAUST

This article was originally published in The Courier on 14th January 2023.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

The Family Pile – Tuesday, STV, 9:30pm

The first episode of every sitcom has three imperatives: establish the premise; introduce the characters and their various dynamics; be funny. The Family Pile succeeds on every count. 

It pivots around four Liverpool sisters who are struggling to sell said family pile following the recent loss of their parents. The excellent cast share a natural rapport, they convince as siblings. 

Writer Brian Dooley, who created cult early ‘00s sitcom The Smoking Room, delivers a script packed with actual gags and acerbic warmth.

A likeable confection, The Family Pile is pleasingly traditional in that it unfolds in the manner of a televised stage play. There’s no studio audience, but it could easily thrive in that environment.

Maternal – Monday, STV, 9pm

This promising new medical drama follows three women on the post-pandemic NHS frontline. It begins with them returning to work after maternity leave. 

Maryam is a Paediatric Registrar, Catherine is a General and Trauma Surgeon, and Helen is a Registrar in Acute Medicine. 

As in all dramas of this nature, they’re struggling with the pressures of their job alongside various complicated personal issues. But what elevates Maternal above the norm is its sharp, witty script and sympathetic female-led focus.  

Much like This is Going to Hurt, it’s an unsentimental celebration of NHS workers. 

My only complaint is that it’s populated by unrealistically handsome male doctors, which rather undermines the fundamental integrity of the piece. Otherwise, yes: would recommend.

The U.S. and the Holocaust – Monday, BBC Four, 10pm

Chapter two of this remarkable six-hour essay from that peerless documentarian Ken Burns continues its rigorous examination of how the American people and their leaders responded to one of the most heinous humanitarian atrocities of the twentieth century. 

As World War Two begins, America is united in its opposition to Nazi brutality, but remains divided on whether to intervene. 

National hero Charles Lindbergh takes a controversial non-interventionist stance, while President Franklin D. Roosevelt lends a sympathetic ear to the plight of European democracies. Following Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, the Holocaust begins in secret. 

This, in typical Burns style, is a mammoth historical undertaking rich in granular, human detail. Its impact is profound.

Know Your S**t: Inside Our Guts – Tuesday, Channel 4, 8pm

What a charmingly titled series. Stay classy, Channel 4. If, however, you can ignore its tiresomely twee ‘tee-hee!’ trappings – it centres around a pop-up clinic called Poo HQ – then this is a fairly worthwhile advert for the importance of checking up on our intestinal health. 

The dieticians and medics we encounter are certainly more convincing and authoritative than, well, I won’t invoke her shamed name. You all know the Scottish ‘doctor’ I’m alluding to. 

In episode one, various people with gut issues seek some advice. It’s basically a more palatable and well-meaning version of Embarrassing Bodies. 

As twin hosts Alana and Lisa announce in their intro, it won’t put you off your dinner. 

India: The Modi Question – Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in power since 2014, during which time his premiership has come under attack for its attitudes towards India’s Muslim population. This probing two-part series investigates those allegations. 

Episode one traces Modi’s rise to power and the controversy surrounding his response to the Gujurat riots of 2002. Those events were instigated by the burning of a train carrying a large number of Hindu pilgrims. 59 people lost their lives. Three days of rioting ensued, during which more than a thousand people, mostly Muslims, were killed. 

Modi was accused of failing to take sufficient action to protect the Muslim community. He has continually denied any direct responsibility for that tragic death toll.

Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad – Tuesday, STV, 9pm

An affable tuft of fluff, this father/son travelogue is a welcome diversion at this forbidding time of year. 

The key to its appeal is the palpably affectionate relationship between our genial guides; they enjoy each other’s company, and the effect is rather contagious. Also, Walsh Sr. is nothing if not dedicated to his endearing comic role as a middle-aged man who appears to be terrified by the various stunts he’s asked to perform. It’s a winning piece of shtick. 

This week, the duo arrive in Guatemala. They have an ever so lovely time as usual, until dad is ‘surprised’ to learn that a scheduled bike ride will take place on a tightrope suspended 25 metres above ground level.

Travel Man: 48 Hours in Dublin – Friday, Channel 4, 8:30pm

Joe Lycett’s latest minibreak buddy is comedian Mawaan Rizwan. The centrepiece of their whirlwind trip to Dublin is a statue odyssey involving QR codes. Whenever they scan a code, a significant statue beckons. So that’s why, for instance, they end up in the company of rigid monuments to Oscar Wilde and Molly Malone. 

They also visit Dublin’s smallest restaurant and Ireland’s answer to Abbey Road studios. Pints of Guinness are enjoyed along the way. 

Travel Man, whether fronted by Lycett or original host Richard Ayoade, doesn’t really give you a rich flavour of its various destinations, but it’s always a breezy surface guide.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Happy Valley – Sunday 8th January, BBC One

Catherine’s greatest fear was confirmed last week: her grandson Ryan has been secretly visiting his father, the psychotic Tommy Lee Royce, in prison. Those visits have been facilitated by Catherine’s sister Clare. An unforgivable betrayal of trust? We’ll see. 

The final scene, in which Catherine caught Clare in her lie, was unbearably tense. 

You already know this, but it bears repeating: Sally Wainwright is a phenomenal writer. She’s created a hugely successful drama that confronts the brutal everyday reality of crime, corruption, poverty, addiction, toxic masculinity and domestic violence with the utmost authenticity. 

Catherine, one of TV’s greatest ever cops, is Wainwright’s compassionately caustic mouthpiece. It’s a hideous world, but we need to take care of each other somehow. 

Meet the Khans – Monday 9th January, BBC Three

Series three of this unabashedly structured reality series began with heavyweight boxing champ Amir Khan, wife Faryal and their children moving into a massive house in Cheshire. Nothing of any consequence occurred after that. 

I don’t mind this sort of show in theory, just as long as the protagonists are interesting and funny. Amir and Faryal are neither. 

Retired athletes have to make a living, we all need to get by. Good luck to ‘em. But who is watching this? And why? There’s no drama, no comedy, it’s pointless. You may as well watch a documentary about the boring housebound lives of myself and my cat, and God knows I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

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: DOCTOR WHO + THE WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION + TO WALK INVISIBLE

This article was originally published in The Dundee Courier on 31 December 2016.

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

DOCTOR WHO: Christmas Day, BBC One

THE WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION: Boxing Day/Tuesday, BBC One

TO WALK INVISIBLE: Thursday, BBC One

Superheroes are such a ubiquitous cultural fixture these days, I wouldn’t have blamed you for slumping face down in your leftovers when another one turned up in the DOCTOR WHO Christmas special.

Is nothing safe from their super-strength stranglehold?

Apparently not, and for once I’m glad. The Doctor’s encounter with a New York caped crusader was actually rather charming.

An affectionate tribute to Christopher Reeve’s Superman films, it swapped the tiresomely dark seriousness of so many modern superhero sagas for a nostalgic dip into a more innocent, optimistic age of comic book action and romance.   

Steven Moffat is known - some would say notorious - for his intricate storytelling puzzles, but this was a refreshingly straightforward tale, told with a lightness of touch, in which a geeky young man eventually got his dream girl by abandoning his masked alter ego to reveal – oh yes -  the human hero within.

Corny stuff, but winningly delivered by Moffat with his customary wit and skill. Post-modern yet sincere.

It sagged whenever the perfunctory alien invasion plot took over from the more engaging central storyline, but on the whole it achieved its primary goal – to provide 60 minutes of smart, satisfying, handsome entertainment for Doctor Who apostles and floating viewers alike.

Oh, and Matt Lucas, in the space of just two episodes, has proven himself a more likeable foil for Capaldi than Clara ever was.

Whereas many Agatha Christie adaptations are produced in quaintly ornamental style, the team behind Christmas 2015’s justly-acclaimed And Then There Were None and this year’s THE WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION revel in the depths of her darkest yarns.

These beautifully crafted productions treat Christie seriously, yet never feel strictly deferential. Like all good adaptations, they honour the source material while exploring the subtext (in this case: homosexuality, post-war grief, xenophobia and the abandonment of our brave boys, although not necessarily in that order).

Set in early-1920s London, this particular mystery is forbiddingly urban. Mired in seediness, violence and a grimy nicotine fug – it’s a real pea souper, even indoors – it boast a visual ambition and thematic richness beyond most of its rivals.

Little man du jour Toby Jones starred as a threadbare solicitor who believed, largely for sentimental personal reasons, in the innocence of his client, a young man accused of murdering his wealthy lover.

All the principal characters, including Andrea Riseborough’s Austrian showgirl and Monica Dolan’s vindictively jealous housekeeper, were lost in a cloud of lonely ambiguity.

Despite these solemn trappings, it zipped along in suitably compelling murder mystery style. Exemplary stuff.

Alas, the same can’t be said for TO WALK INVISIBLE, a curiously sluggish drama about the struggles and tragedy of the Bronte sisters from the otherwise brilliant Sally Wainwright of Happy Valley renown.

So what went wrong? A writer/director of Wainwright’s calibre combined with such potentially fascinating material should’ve sparked one of the festive season’s TV highlights, but she somehow failed to get under the skin of this remarkable family.

For 120 interminable minutes, she never made me care about these people, whereas I was utterly invested in her Happy Valley characters. Like the Brontes, her talent lies in examining reality through fiction.

Wainwright knows there’s a timeless story to be told here, about sexism, addiction, sibling loyalty, the pressures of familial expectations and the catharsis of creative expression, but for once her usually reliable instincts were thwarted by dawdling over-indulgence and a lack of focus.

Even the wuthering Yorkshire scenery looked disappointed.

TV Review: SCOTT & BAILEY + BBC: THE SECRET FILES

This article was originally published in The Dundee Courier on 16th April 2016.

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

Scott & Bailey: Wednesday, STV

BBC: The Secret Files: Thursday, BBC Four

  

Thanks to the magnificent Happy Valley, writer/director Sally Wainwright is now rightfully recognised as one of Britain’s finest TV dramatists. As if to emphasise that point – and she’s earned the right – she returned last week with another series of her previous creation, Scott & Bailey, starring Lesley Sharp and Suranne as a pair of humane coppers.

Granted, she didn’t actually write this new mini-series – that honour went to Lee Warburton – but Scott & Bailey is distinctively hers; a female-fronted, northern cop show mired in plausible reality and unforced character detail.

From a distance it resembles a bog-standard police procedural – plods investigating nasty cases in dour weather – but on closer inspection it reveals itself as one of the genre’s leading lights.

Unlike most TV cops, the protagonists aren’t dysfunctional or quirky. They’re likeable, compassionate professionals with a dry sense of humour (some of Scott’s quips draw scripted attention to themselves, but I’ll magnanimously let that pass) and a warm, understated chemistry.

It also focuses on the interesting nuts and bolts of dogged police work, an aspect informed by the advisory involvement of former Detective Inspector Diane Taylor.

Bubbling under the surface of this latest case, in which they struggled to apprehend a serial killer who posts footage of his crimes on the darkest corners of the internet, was the story of two close friends who haven’t seen each other for a year. As always, the everyday trials of their private lives were as important as the case itself. This time we discovered that Bailey is pregnant. Meanwhile, Scott’s teenage daughter became embroiled in an underage sex investigation because of illicit selfies sent by her boyfriend.

It managed to explore these real-life issues without feeling too contrived or overcooked, so it’s a shame that the otherwise semi-naturalistic tone is completely at odds with an overbearing, needlessly dramatic incidental score. It’s not a documentary, it needs to meet the demands of an episodic hour of dynamic crime drama, but there’s no need to slather it in the soundtrack from a Yakuza-based B-movie.

That frustrating misgiving aside, this was a solid return from one of TV’s very best cop shows. Also, hats off to Warbuton for including jokey allusions to the original Pink Panther films and Hanna-Barbera’s animated Godzilla series from the 1970s. Yes, really.

Seeing as it must cost peanuts to produce, it’s hardly surprising that BBC Four opted to roll out a sequel to last year’s eye-opening traipse through the BBC’s vast archive of internal letters and memos between agents, executives and artists.

Once again presented by Penelope Keith, who I like to imagine living down there surrounded by cabinets and memorabilia, BBC: The Secret Files included some fascinating correspondence between the BBC’s notoriously dour founding father, Lord Reith, and his rival, Winston Churchill, plus an amused look at how the fusty old BBC dealt with the rise of rock and roll. This segment was worth it for the unique pleasure of hearing Keith say “1960s counterculture” in her cut-glass tones.

It also revealed that Morecambe & Wise’s producer initially felt that Eric would be better off without Ern, and that the redoubtable Barbara Wodehouse basically talked her way into a BBC contract following years of no-nonsense correspondence.

But my favourite moment was the revelation that a jazz song titled Where Is My Sunday Potato was once deemed “politically unsuitable” and banned. One can only wonder about its incendiary contents. 

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: HAPPY VALLEY and AMBER

This article was originally published in The Courier on 7th June 2014.

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

Happy Valley: Tuesday, BBC One

Amber: Tuesday, BBC Four

Paul Whitelaw

The time: May 2015. The place: London’s Royal Festival Hall. A noted luminary of stage and screen takes to the podium to make an announcement: “And the BAFTA for Best Drama Series goes to… Happy Valley!” Let’s face it, the bets are off. It’s a foregone conclusion.

This exceptional series, which ended last week, felt like a much-needed assault on the complacency of most mainstream TV drama. Relentlessly dark and unflinching, it’s hardly the sort of thing one normally associates with BBC One at 9pm. That’s why it was so refreshing. An intelligent adult drama, it combined social realist grit with the propulsive drive of a fine-tuned thriller. Hyperbole be damned: it was British TV at its best.

Writer Sally Wainwright has a proven track record with the likes of Last Tango in Halifax and Scott & Bailey, but here she surpassed herself with a tense, gripping triumph of impressive depth and assurance. Compassionate yet unsentimental, her scripts for Happy Valley were a master-class in story-telling and character development.

Despite a dramatic storyline involving kidnap and murder, it felt grounded in the real world. Its scenes of trauma and violence would’ve been stripped of their impact if Wainwright had treated Happy Valley as just another cop show full of gratuitous thrills. Instead she delivered an entirely believable, thoughtful treatise on nature vs nurture and the complex ties between parents and their children. That she did so while keeping viewers on the edge of their seats is testament to her prowess.    

She was aided considerably by faultless performances from all concerned. Sarah Lancashire is rightly considered one of our finest actresses, but her powerful performance as Sergeant Catherine Cawood was her strongest work to date. Despite her tough, sardonic exterior, Catherine was no idealised hero. She was a flawed, convincing, three-dimensional character: a sympathetic woman trapped in a world of conniving, violent men.

Here was a matriarch trying to do the best for her family under inordinately trying circumstances. Consumed with grief and anguish, her gradual descent into depression felt unbearably real in Lancashire’s sensitive hands. Nuanced female protagonists are still a relative rarity on TV, so Wainwright and Lancashire should be applauded for bringing Catherine so vividly to life. 

But it wasn’t simply Lancashire’s show. Steve Pemberton, who’s normally associated with darkly comic roles, was perfect as the pathetic worm whose desperate, selfish actions set the whole terrible ordeal in motion. And James Norton proved genuinely unsettling as a dangerous psychopath who was so much more than a one-note villain. Even the little lad who played Catherine’s troubled grandson held his own: he delivered one of the most affecting child performances I’ve seen in some time.

What a pleasure it is to heap such praise on a classy home-grown jewel.

Sadly, Amber couldn’t compete. Covering broadly similar territory to Happy Valley, it’s a four-part Irish drama about a missing teenage girl. Yet despite the emotive subject matter, it suffered from thin characterisation and rather stiff, quotidian execution.

With its muted tone, steely greys and overcast skies, it’s obviously indebted to Scandinavian dramas such as The Killing. Much like series one of that modern classic, it focused on the post-traumatic fall-out of the family concerned. But it's a curiously flat and empty experience.