THE WALK‐IN | THIS ENGLAND | BLANKETY BLANK

This article was originally published in The Courier on 1st October 2022.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

The Walk‐In ‐ Monday, STV, 9pm

This intensely powerful factual drama confronts the horrifying resurgence of fascism in western society. 

Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered by a racist in 2016. One of the journalists who investigated that appalling tragedy was a former Neo‐Nazi turned anti-fascist campaigner. A brave man, he’s played by the great Stephen Graham. 

The Walk‐In is written by Jeff Pope, a television heavyweight rightly renowned for his outstanding catalogue of assiduously researched dramas steeped in sensitive subject matter. 

This, I assure you, is a searing piece of work. Fuelled by compassion, it seeks to understand the deep‐seated causes of bigotry and radicalisation. TV dramas such as this can make a difference. They matter.

24 Hours in A&E ‐ Monday, Channel 4, 9pm

The 29^th series of this hardy perennial returns to St George’s Hospital in south-west London, which is home to one of Britain’s busiest A&E departments. 

The first patient we encounter is Graham, who’s been involved in a high-speed motorcycle accident. Graham’s doctors fear that he may have suffered significant damage to his back and neck, so he’s sent off for an urgent CT scan. His worried wife, Kate, talks movingly of their relationship and the various unforeseen problems they’ve faced. 

And that’s the very essence of 24 Hours in A&E: unlike so many programme of its ilk, it never fails to remind us that these people are three-dimensional human beings with stories to tell.

Paxman: Putting Up with Parkinson’s ‐ Tuesday, STV, 9pm

Jeremy Paxman is a notoriously short‐tempered man. He doesn’t suffer anything gladly. Eighteen months ago he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. And this is his response. 

He’s on typically frank form during a programme in which he converses with leading neurological researchers and some other people who have Parkinson’s, while challenging myths about his condition. 

He also attends an English National Ballet therapy dance class and learns how to play bowls. 

Paxman often comes across as a rather blunt and dislikeable person, but that’s his act I suppose. It’s all showbiz. In this context, however, speaking honestly as himself, his no-nonsense approach is tempered with some sensitive insight. 

It should, one hopes, provide a bit of comfort. 

This England ‐ Tuesday and Wednesday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm

An excoriating six‐part drama from that estimable writer/director Michael Winterbottom, This England traces the absolute chaos of Boris Johnson’s first year in office as Prime Minister. 

Preoccupied with getting Brexit done, whatever that actually means, Johnson’s government were utterly unprepared for COVID. That’s understandable, but This England gets its point across in no uncertain terms: for all his Churchillian bluster, Johnson was fatally ill‐equipped to take charge of a national crisis. 

Kenneth Branagh as Johnson pulls off a difficult feat: playing a man who deliberately presents himself as a caricature. He comes across as an irresponsible fool floundering with the consequences of a pyrrhic victory, while sinister Dominic Cummings pulls the strings.

Doc Martin ‐ Wednesday, STV, 9pm

As the final series of this comfort blanket continues, Louisa is understandably perturbed when her estranged father (that fine actor Kenneth Cranham) turns up out of the blue. 

Meanwhile, Doc Martin is still struggling with his blood phobia, so he seeks some counsel with Ruth (that other fine actor, Dame Eileen Atkins). 

The third storyline ‐ there are always three, that’s how these shows operate ‐ involves a squatter who refuses to be budged from a vintage caravan. 

I have no truck with kneejerk cynics who sneer at the likes of Doc Martin. There’s nothing wrong with basking in good‐natured entertainment. You mustn’t always avoid the middle of the road, as Bob Dylan probably once sang.

Taskmaster ‐ Thursday, Channel 4, 11:05pm

Self-effacing sidekick ‘Little’ Alex Horne ‐ the brains behind the entire Taskmaster enterprise, but don’t tell faux-domineering host Greg Davies that ‐ is in his element this week. 

He oversees several tasks involving admin, ducks and flour. As always, his pedantic efficiency while dealing with such nonsense provides much of the humour. I appreciate that I’ve just described the appeal of Taskmaster in the driest possible terms, but Horne would presumably see the funny side of that. 

The whole point of the show is that none of it matters, but it wouldn’t work at all were it not treated with at least some degree of dedicated seriousness. And from thence the comedy arises. You’re welcome.

Jon Richardson: Take My Mother‐in‐Law ‐ Thursday, Channel 4, 12:15am

You’ve got to hand it to the professionally grumpy comedian Jon Richardson, the man has an unerring knack for coming up with vehicles for himself. His pitch meetings presumably involve him reading from a list of things he pretends to find vaguely annoying. 

His latest one, as you’ve presumably surmised, involves his mother‐in‐law. She’s about to retire, so Richardson has to pretend he’s intent on finding her a home in Spain ‐ otherwise she might move in with him and his wife! 

Yes, the premise is knowingly contrived, it’s a post‐modern take on mother‐in‐law gags. But it’s really just an excuse for yet another harmless/pointless TV road trip.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Blankety Blank ‐ Saturday 24th September, BBC One

We all know that Blankety Blank is nothing without Wogan or Dawson, both of whom elevated a daft quiz to knowingly dry‐witted heights, but Bradley Walsh does a decent job of keeping the flame alive. 

He’s an affable character who fundamentally ‘gets it’. A silly format, so let’s poke some fun at it. 

No, he can’t match Wogan’s subtly whimsical approach, nor Dawson’s hilarious decision to treat the whole thing as if it’s something he’s doing under major duress, but Walsh is a likeable pro. He knows how to keep things moving with a quip or two. 

That’s a talent, and I can’t deny the simple pleasures of watching a seasoned comic carrying out their duties proficiently.

Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling ‐ Friday 30th September, BBC Two

The latest leg of Compston’s amiable tour of our great nation took him, and co‐host Phil McHugh, to the Highlands. 

It’s an area of Scotland I have a particular affinity with, as I spent much of my childhood in Invergordon. So it was rather lovely seeing the ‘gordon (as no one calls it) represented on your actual primetime BBC television. 

Last week’s episode involved go‐karting, delectable vegan cuisine and an inspirational strongman story suffused with a positive mental health message. 

If you fancy a bit of respite, something to unwind with, then I thoroughly recommend catching up with this show on iPlayer. It’s a gentle pleasure, a spirit‐lifter.

HELP + ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL + THE NORTH WATER

This article was originally published in The Courier on 11th September 2021. 

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Help – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham star in this devastating drama about a Liverpool care home struggling to cope during the first few months of the pandemic. 

Written by Jack Thorne (This is England; The Virtues) it’s a compassionate paean to the beleaguered fortitude of professional carers and an unflinching indictment of, in Thorne’s choice words, “the indifference and incompetence of our government.” 

It tells the story of a kindly care home nurse (Comer) who befriends a middle-aged man (Graham) with early-onset Alzheimer’s. 

Comer and Graham are both outstanding, while Thorne succeeds in making his vital, angry point: care homes were effectively abandoned during the pandemic, leaving staff to look after their vulnerable residents without adequate funding or resources.

Alma’s Not Normal – Monday, BBC Two, 10pm

A semi-autobiographical sitcom written by and starring comedian Sophie Willan, Alma’s Not Normal is a frank study of mental illness, alienation and addiction. But, you know, with a light-hearted slant. 

Alma is a single, unemployed working-class woman in her thirties who dreams of becoming an actor. So far that prize has eluded her. Alma’s mother (the excellent Siobhan Finneran) is a heroin addict and occasional arsonist; this is not a conventional family, but they get by in their way. 

Alma is a likeable underdog, and Willan deserves plaudits for her willingness to explore difficult issues in a refreshingly matter-of-fact manner. And despite the sombre subject matter, there’s an underlying sweetness to it all.

Spice Girls: How Girl Power Changed Britain – Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm

Ah, the 1990s. What a time to be alive. This new series promises to tell the story of how a manufactured UK girl group became a global phenomenon. Preview copies weren’t available at the time of writing, but I’m recommending it anyway as it could potentially be an interesting piece of social history shot through the prism of popular culture. Apologies if it isn’t. 

We’re promised some rare archive footage and new interviews, presumably with the Spice Girls themselves. Naturally, it begins with their formation in 1994 and goes on to ask whether their ‘girl power’ stance was more than a mere marketing gimmick: did it actually have some lasting influence on contemporary feminism? Hopefully we’ll find out.

Undisputed: The Life and Times of Ken Buchanan – Tuesday, BBC Scotland, 10pm

The former undisputed lightweight world champion Ken Buchanan is widely regarded as one of the greatest British boxers. Feted for his unremitting left-handed jab, the Edinburgh-born pugilist was a single-minded hurricane of energy, skill and willpower. This vivid profile pays tribute to him. 

Now 76, Buchanan recently developed dementia, but he has no trouble remembering the details of his early life and career – an amazing journey that took him to sweltering Puerto Rico, Franco-era Spain, Madison Square Garden and out on the dancefloor with Princess Anne. 

But like so many top athletes, he struggled to cope with life in retirement. Yet despite the problems he’s faced, the champ remains sanguine. His legacy is assured.

The Man Putin Couldn’t Kill – Wednesday, Channel 4, 10pm

In August of last year, Russia’s charismatic opposition leader Alexei Navalny was rushed to hospital after being poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. He survived the attack and continues to campaign against his all-powerful political rival Vladmir Putin. A risky endeavour.

This documentary – which was still being edited at the time of writing – sounds intriguing, as it purports to uncover a particularly murky case of international espionage. Not only that, it apparently features one of Navalny’s would-be assassins confessing to his victim. 

The programme also addresses the issue of why Navalny poses such a threat to Putin. Just what does his ongoing struggle mean for the future of Russia and the world at large?

All Creatures Great and Small – Thursday, Channel 5, 9pm

The TV sleeper hit of 2020, this adaptation of the memoirs of Yorkshire vet James Herriot was a source of comfort during lockdown: unchallenging escapism incarnate. 

Which isn’t a back-handed compliment; just like the much-loved BBC adaptation starring Christopher Timothy, the all-new All Creatures Great and Small is an irresistibly charming confection that fulfils its brief with élan. It’s well-written, adroitly performed and looks lovely. 

Series two begins with James returning to Yorkshire after a brief sojourn back home in Glasgow. Will he be able to rekindle his romance with Helen? Fans of the books and original TV series already know the answer, but that doesn’t impede our enjoyment. Its continuing success is assured.

The Cleaner – Friday, BBC One, 9:30pm

The second episode of this enjoyable sitcom about a hapless crime scene cleaner is effectivly a two-hander between Greg Davies, who writes and stars, and special guest turn David Mitchell. He plays a highly-strung author whose grandmother has died in a bizarre fireside accident. 

And that’s really all there is plot-wise: it’s primarily an excuse for Davies and Mitchell to do their respective things to reliably amusing effect. 

It doesn’t build upon the premise established in last week’s opener, although it would appear that Helena Bonham Carter returns in a later episode. The Cleaner isn’t typical Friday night on BBC One sitcom fare, being spiritually more suited to BBC Two, but that’s part of its mildly subversive appeal.

LAST WEEK’S TV

After 9/11: Scotland’s Story – Tuesday 7th September, BBC Scotland

This commendable documentary examined the long-term repercussions of 9/11 on the people of Scotland. It featured testimonies from members of Scotland’s Muslim community, some of whom were physically attacked in the wake of 9/11: a sharp rise in overt displays of racism and Islamophobia is one of the many heinous consequences of that atrocity. 

Other contributors included the organiser of a vast anti-war demonstration in Glasgow - just one of many such events that were ignored by Tony Blair – and the mother of a Scottish soldier who was killed in Iraq. But the programme ended on a cautiously hopeful note, with the Muslim contributors suggesting that attitudes towards race in Scotland have improved in recent years.

The North Water – Friday September 10, BBC Two

Colin Farrell and Stephen Graham (that man again) star in this promising new drama about a 19^th century whaling expedition to the Arctic. 

Farrell plays a violent alcoholic drifter – an imposing greasy bear of a man – while Graham, looking like a squashed Barry Gibb, is the ship’s furtive captain. Also on board is an ex-army surgeon (Graham's This is England co-star Jack O’Connell) with a shady past. 

A co-production between the BBC and American network AMC (home of Breaking Bad and Mad Men), The North Water so far appears to be a satisfyingly grim journey into Hell. Mired in wretched grime and murk, it’s a laudanum-laced nightmare spiked with piquant dialogue and solid performances. Gruesome fun.

 

HORIZON SPECIAL: THE VACCINE + GREAT BRITISH GARDENS WITH CAROL KLEIN + TIME

A version of this article was originally published in The Courier on 12th June 2021.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Horizon Special: The Vaccine – Wednesday, BBC Two, 9pm

“We knew it was going to happen, it was just a question of when.” 

So says a leading medical expert at the start of this report on the urgent yet painstaking development of the COVID-19 vaccine. Its humble stars are the pioneering scientists from all around the world who toiled incessantly to combat an unprecedented pandemic. 

The last eighteen months have been awful, devastating; hats off to these backroom geniuses for rolling out a vaccine in record time. At the risk of sounding sentimental, we must never take a single thing for granted. Stay safe.

Great British Photography Challenge – Monday, BBC Four, 9pm

If you’ve not been following this series, the set-up is simple: top photographer Rankin mentors six talented snappers as they’re “pushed to their creative limits”. It’s a standard format, terribly straightforward, but anyone with an interest in photography and/or portraiture will probably enjoy it. 

This week we’ve reached the final. Rankin isn’t a natural host, he’s quite timid and awkward; clearly a man who would rather stay behind the camera. Nevertheless, it’s quite refreshing to see a competitive TV talent show entirely lacking in aggression and spite. Give me Rankin’s mildness over Ramsay’s bullying any day. 

Sure, it skirts with hipster pretension – that goes with the territory – but this is basically a sincere celebration of creativity.

Great British Gardens with Carol Klein – Monday, Channel 5, 9pm

Carol Klein, a Gardeners’ World stalwart, has a highly distinctive presentation style.  She always sounds like she’s on the verge of breaking into fits of uncontrollable giggles, as if she can barely contain her utter glee when it comes to topiary and architecture. More power to her elbow, I say, she’s a charming presence. I’d love to be that happy. 

Her latest series kicks off, ever so gently, with a four seasons visits to Arundel Castle in West Sussex. Its spectacular gardens are rather dreamlike and theatrical; an eccentric work of art. 

It’s all very “Sing Hosannah for this green and pleasant land!”, but not in an egregious way. This is a verdant tuft of comfort viewing.

Between the Covers – Tuesday, BBC Two, 7:30pm

In the final episode – for now – of this cosily quarantined series, host Sara Cox asks another panel of celebrity guests to opine about some books. 

Her prose-guzzlers this week are Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh, comedians Sophie Willan and Reginald D. Hunter, plus Micky Flanagan, a sweaty man who just says things into a microphone for coins (in all seriousness, I hope he’s okay; during this episode he looks like a haggard and bewildered Donovan after three days trapped in a shipping container). 

Anyway. They review a small heap of tomes as usual. It’s all quite pleasant. I’ll get back to previewing more substantial television once the usual summer drought is over. Thumbs up emoji!

The Hotel Inspector – Thursday, Channel 5, 9pm

Alex Polizzi has been hosting this series for thirteen years. You can tell. Her whole shtick – a ‘cruel to be kind’ expert who revives the fortunes of struggling hoteliers – was always dubious, but it’s even worse now that she’s clearly bored with it all. 

The latest series begins in a traditional Dorset pub owned by Yvonne and James. They come across as nice people, but Polizzi takes issue with their appearance. Yvonne and James are overweight, and apparently that just won’t do. 

I don’t think Polizzi genuinely intends to come across as rude, she’s clearly playing a role, but I’m not a big fan of vulnerable people being belittled by solvent television personalities. Perhaps I’m just old-fashioned that way.

Great Paintings of the World with Andrew Marr – Friday, Channel 5, 9pm

“Art, not politics, is the greatest passion of my life.” Which is fair enough, Andrew Marr, but maybe you should’ve been making programmes like this all along instead of failing to properly challenge Michael Gove (I am aware that Andrew Marr isn’t actually reading this). 

Politics aside, I do quite like Marr. He’s an amusingly emphatic presenter who is clearly in his element when hosting television he actually cares about. The Hay Wain by John Constable is his latest fave-rave subject, and he manages to convey his enthusiasm for that rural masterpiece in a quite contagious way.  It’s a decent little arts programme.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Tina Turner at the BBC – Saturday 5th June, BBC Two

Ideal Saturday night viewing, this tribute to Turner delved into the BBC archives. A blatant piece of cheap filler, but sometimes that’s all you need. 

It cleaved to the standard TOTP2 format: a panoply of clips accompanied by fact-packed streams of scrolling text. Turner, who is now in her eighties, retired from the spotlight over ten years ago, but this compilation served as a valuable reminder of her natural-born charisma: she clearly taught Mick Jagger everything he knows. 

The undoubted highlight was her supremely camp performance of Goldeneye on TOTP, during which she was flanked by a bunch of ridiculous male models in full Bond regalia. Turner was a true star. A fun and funky iconoclast.

Time – Sunday 6th June, BBC One

Jimmy McGovern’s prison drama isn’t an easy watch. It’s not supposed to be. I haven’t been so unnerved and engrossed by a piece of television in quite some time. In typical McGovern style, it’s relentlessly bleak and brutal while being deeply etched in compassionate shades of grey. 

Sean Bean plays Mark, a timid schoolteacher serving his first prison sentence. Mark has committed a terrible crime, but he’s sympathetic - a haunted man trapped in a terrifying environment. Stephen Graham plays a seemingly respectable prison officer struggling with his own personal dilemma. 

The entire cast is faultless, and McGovern has found the perfect setting in which to explore his recurring themes of guilt and forgiveness. Time is wounding. It lingers.

 

 

TV Column: DRACULA + DOCTOR WHO

This article was originally published in The Courier on 28th December 2019.

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

NEXT WEEK’S TV

DRACULA

New Year’s Day to Friday, BBC One, 9pm

If, like me, you eventually grew tired of Steven Moffat and Mark Gattis’ unbearably self-indulgent Sherlock, you might be pleasantly surprised by their muscular take on Dracula. A 19^th century period piece, it borrows heavily from Bram Stoker’s novel while going its own freewheeling way (e.g. traumatised solicitor Jonathan Harker recounts his terrible tale to a drolly straight-talking, Godless nun). Despite containing flashes of slyly affectionate meta-commentary on established vampire lore, this Dracula isn’t a send-up. It’s witty, yes, but it’s also grimly atmospheric and unabashedly horrific. It may be one of the goriest dramas ever made by the BBC. Main selling point: a commanding performance from saturnine Danish actor Claes Bang as an utterly ruthless, cocksure Count.

DAME EDNA RULES THE WAVES

Hogmanay, BBC One, 9:05pm

The great Dame emerges from semi-retirement to host this one-off special from her enormous luxury yacht (it’s three times the size of Wales). Her celebrity shipmates include Sharon Osbourne, Judge Rinder, Emily Atack and Anita Rani, all of them eager to be insulted in inimitable passive-aggressive Edna fashion. Now aged 85, Edna’s material isn’t quite what it was. Her opening monologue falls flat, sadly, although it does contain this touching tribute to her late sidekick Madge Allsop: “She went peacefully… she died in my sleep.” All is not lost, however: once the guests come out, traces of her sharp improvisatory wit can still be detected. She can’t help being naturally funny, that gift never disappears completely.

DOCTOR WHO

New Year’s Day, BBC One, 6:55pm

The Doctor returns with a skittish two-part Bond pastiche called Spyfall (like Skyfall; such wit), featuring guest-stars Stephen Fry as a Q-style MI6 official and Lenny Henry (more of whom below) as a villainous billionaire businessman. I’m no fan of tin-eared showrunner Chris Chibnall; he is, at best, a competent hack. Spyfall is Chibnall at his best. It’s a fairly enjoyable run-around in which a mysterious race of aliens launch an attack on international intelligence agents. Chibnall pulls off a couple of decent set-pieces, Ryan and Yaz actually get to do something for once, and Jodie Whittaker makes her mark whenever the script allows her to. Things can only get better?

IMAGINE… LENNY HENRY: YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK

Thursday, BBC One, 12am

This thoughtful profile of Sir Lenworth has, for some mystifying reason, been buried at midnight. So what if you can watch it whenever on iPlayer? He deserves better. It’s a poignant companion piece to his recently published autobiography, in which he focuses, not on his years of fame and fortune, but on his early struggle to make a name for himself on the ‘70s working men’s club and television circuit: a seemingly insurmountable task for a black teenager in a predominantly white - and covertly racist - environment. He reflects upon the importance of delivering race-based jokes before the audience got there first. It was a defence mechanism, he had no choice. Today he’s a figurehead for the diversity movement.

LAST WEEK’S TV

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

22^nd December to Christmas Eve, BBC One

The zillionth adaptation of Dickens’ festive classic starred Guy Pearce as Scrooge and Stephen Graham as Marley. It was written by Steven ‘Peaky Blinders’ Knight, hence the knowingly mannered, sooty charcoal aesthetic and salty language. Knight was obviously more interested in exploring Scrooge’s eloquent nihilism than his eventual redemption, but it was the resolutely dark Christmas Carol we deserved this year. An enjoyably nasty addition to the canon.

MARTIN’S CLOSE

Christmas Eve, BBC Four

Mark Gatiss – that man again – wrote and directed this boring adaptation of an M.R. James ghost story about a 17^th century nobleman accused of murdering a young woman with learning difficulties. I admire Gatiss’ commitment to reviving the BBC’s Christmas tradition of supernatural yarns, but his efforts tend to be little more than fanboy homages. They lack the haunting impact of the adaptations he adores. RIP Jonathan Miller.

GAVIN & STACEY CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Christmas Day, BBC One

There are few things worse than a reunion with people you didn’t much care for in the first place. This unnecessary comeback confirmed the wisdom of that stone-clad sitcom edict: don’t bother. Have Corden and Jones learned nothing from Only Fools and Horses and David Brent: Life On The Road? It’s a nice enough show, fairly well-observed, but leave it where it belongs: somewhat fondly remembered in the third tier.

TV Review: LITTLE BOY BLUE + THE BOSS

This article was originally published in The Dundee Courier on 29 April 2017.

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

LITTLE BOY BLUE: Monday, STV

THE BOSS: Monday to Friday, BBC One

On 22 August 2007, 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot dead in Liverpool while walking home from football practice. A motive for his murder has never been fully established, but it’s thought he was caught in the crossfire between rival teenage gangs. Another senseless victim of gun crime. Another tragic headline.

While the rest of us shake our heads in sympathy and get on with our lives, the families of victims such as Rhys are given no such luxury. Their unimaginable grief and anger can never truly dissipate.

Enter acclaimed writer/producer Jeff Pope, whose four-part drama LITTLE BOY BLUE offers an unflinching glimpse into the living hell of a devastated family.

Made with the full co-operation of Rhys’ parents, Melanie and Steve, it follows them through the aftermath of their son’s murder. It also sheds light on the police investigation led by a sympathetic DS, and the actions of those responsible for Rhys’ death (including a teenager bullied into hiding the gun).

Though necessarily harrowing, Little Boy Blue isn’t overcooked or manipulative. That’s not Pope’s style. His factual dramas are renowned for their sensitivity and basis in extensive research.

Even when dealing with characters as notorious as Ronnie Biggs, Karen Matthews, Peter Sutcliffe, Myra Hindley, Fred West and Cilla Black, Pope always manages to tackle potentially offensive subject matter in a responsible way.

True to form, Little Boy Blue is refracted through an understated prism of journalistic rigour and compassion. Its power emerges from the realistic detail of such heart-wrenching scenes as Melanie and Steve visiting Rhys’ dead body in hospital, where Melanie was gently yet firmly threatened with arrest if she touched her son. He was still regarded as evidence of an unsolved crime.

Explicit mention is made of the police’s tarnished reputation, hence why the innate decency and determination of DS Dave Kelly is quietly heartening. He’s not an idealised hero, just a good man doing his best to ensure that an ordinary family finds justice. He’s just about enough to restore your faith in the police and human nature.

Stephen Graham and Sinead Keenan deliver note-perfect, realistic performances as DS Kelly and Melanie Jones, neither straining for emotional fireworks in their respective roles. They’re entirely convincing.

So what do we learn from dramas such as Little Boy Blue? Why do they exist? More than mere voyeurism, they dig beneath the headlines and force us to put ourselves in the shoes of everyday victims of violent crime. The Jones family could be any of us.

Without resorting to mawkish sentiment, Little Boy Blue reminds us that humanity endures in a world awash with horror.

But hey, at least we’ll always have the meaningless respite of generic daytime quiz shows.

Hosted by the affable Susan Calman, THE BOSS won’t cause sleepless nights for the makers of afternoon trivia behemoths Pointless and The Chase. It’s too blandly derivative to threaten their unassailable cults.

I won’t bore you with explaining the rules, as I’d quite like you to read the rest of this review. Suffice to say, it’s a tension-free compendium of standard quiz rounds – number games, word puzzles, quick-fire trivia etc. – fatally undone by the easiness of the questions. Pointless and The Chase succeed because the questions are well-chosen and occasionally quite esoteric, especially when it comes to popular culture.

There’s just no fun in watching a quiz boasting brain-teasers which wouldn’t challenge even the most bog-standard, pie-eyed pub team.  

TV Review: THE SECRET AGENT + ONE NIGHT IN 2012: AN IMAGINE SPECIAL

This article was originally published in The Dundee Courier on 23rd July 2016.

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

The Secret Agent: Sunday, BBC One

One Night in 2012: An Imagine Special: Sunday, BBC One

Terrorist cells. Suicide bombers. Russia flexing its muscles. Late 19^th century Britain was a dangerous place. Thank God we’ve come so far since then.

Adapted from the novel by Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent is an alarmingly prophetic period thriller starring Toby Jones as Verloc, a Soho sex shop owner who moonlights as an informer for the Russian embassy.

Driven by profit rather than any great ideological impulse, he earns an extra crust by sharing fairly banal information about the anarchist gang whose trust he’s earned. But his life becomes a waking nightmare when the embassy orders him to commit an act of terrorism on the gang’s behalf, thus provoking the British government into hard-line action.

As explained by the Russian secretary, played with reptilian zeal by David Dawson, “England is in need of a jolly good scare, an outrage that will summon this country from its slumber. Then we unleash a law that will clamp down on the anarchist threat.”

This compelling three-part drama is full of such moments, when the prescience of its storyline and themes smacks us full in the face. Granted, there are times when writer Tony Marchant gets slightly carried away with this aspect, and practically turns to the audience to scream, “Do you see?! Do you see what I’m getting at?!” But given the overall strength of the piece, that’s forgivable.

The bold antithesis of most Sunday night period dramas, The Secret Agent is mired in a clammy fog of impending catastrophe. Jones is typically arresting as an essentially amoral, cowardly man who nevertheless invites a kernel of sympathy. After all, he’s in the grip of an appalling moral dilemma. If Verloc refuses his orders, the Russians will sign his death warrant by exposing his true colours to every terrorist group in Europe.

Ian Hart also shines as a truly unsettling nihilist with a home-made bomb strapped under his coat at all times. The crazed embodiment of a terror which can’t be reasoned with, he’s driven solely by a desire to cause pain and chaos for its own sake.

Given the relentlessly horrendous state of the world, this impressive adaptation of Conrad’s prophecy couldn’t be more relevant. Everything changes, everything stays the same.

Still, it was nice of One Night in 2012: An Imagine Special to remind us of that fleeting moment of national pride and optimism engendered by Danny Boyle’s justly lauded Olympics opening ceremony.

An in-depth documentary about the making of this triumphant event, it reinforced the fact that no one expected it to succeed. We expected the worst, because we always do in this country. It’s part of our national character. Disaster beckoned. The knives were out. Britain was about to humiliate itself in the eyes of the world.

Of course, what actually transpired was a heartening, powerful and subversive celebration of immigration, industrialisation, free healthcare and Britain’s vast contribution to world-changing innovations and popular culture. But it was ultimately a tribute to the everyday folk who shape British life.

Alongside revealing contributions from Boyle and his team, the programme devoted just as much time to the dedicated volunteers. They were the real stars of the ceremony.

It also revealed – quelle surprise – that Cameron’s coalition government were opposed to the glorious NHS sequence. To his eternal credit, Boyle threatened to walk if this tribute to one of our greatest institutions was cut. Thankfully, he won. We all did.

TV Review: THIS IS ENGLAND '90

A version of this article was originally published in The Dundee Courier on 19 September 2015.

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

This Is England '90: Sunday, Channel 4

Paul Whitelaw

The biggest shock of the TV week? An archive cameo from Scottish soap Take The High Road. Its cardboard charms cropped up briefly in This Is England '90, the third and presumably final TV sequel to Shane Meadows' BAFTA-winning 2006 coming-of-age classic.

The background presence of STV's stinging riposte to Dallas was sweetly indicative of Meadows' offbeat attention to period detail. As everyone surely knows by now, this is the continuing saga of a group of working-class Midlands pals growing up in 1980s Britain. The latest chapter catches up with Beaky, Choo-Choo, Fliegel and the gang as they stumble into adulthood in the Madchester era.

True to form, it began with a craftily assembled, scene-setting montage of period news footage. The music used on the soundtrack this time was There She Goes by The Las. Why, I ask you, what could possibly be the connection between that song title, the poll tax riots, escalating unemployment, homelessness, drug abuse, mad cow disease and Thatcher's ignominious exit after eleven years in power? As an amusing piece of blunt satire, it worked a treat.

We then lurched into a charmingly lackadaisical episode that touched upon the growing sense of nostalgia one feels in your early twenties – sweetly symbolised here by the Proustian tang of school dinner chips – and the awkward transition into 'settling down' when you've barely grown up yourself.

Lol and Woody (Vicky McClure and Joe Gilgun, whose droll comic timing is second to none) are now living together and raising Lol's daughter. Woody's bizarrely boring yet well-meaning parents are, without being broad caricatures, beamed in from a universe far less grounded than the one inhabited by their son.

Meadows' ability to shift seamlessly from low-key character comedy to drama and pathos in the space of a single scene was encapsulated by these stand-out moments of domestic absurdity. While This Is England '86 was rightly criticised for its jarring leaps from knockabout farce to harrowing scenes of sexual violence, thankfully he hasn't repeated that clumsy error since.

Despite being the original film's protagonist, young Shaun's role in the overarching Woody/Lol narrative remains fairly inessential. Nevertheless, as played by Thomas Turgoose, who these days resembles a forlorn potato, Shaun is TV's most convincing teenager by far: the hurt and confusion on his face speak volumes about the anxieties of wading through that awkward age.

Rarely do you come across such unaffected performances and authentic-sounding, semi-improvised dialogue in British TV drama. Meadows' work harks back to the days when the likes of Alan Clarke and Ken Loach cropped up in the schedules to present powerful slices of social-realism hewn from genuine warmth and compassion. He actually makes us care about these characters as if they were – gosh! - real human beings.

Granted, as enjoyable though it was the episode did contain a few self-conscious “Hey everyone! It's 1990!” howlers. And I wish Meadows' would ditch his unnecessary penchant for slow-motion, sad piano montages. He doesn't need to labour the point, we know how we're supposed to feel in those moments.

Still, at least the inevitable scene of the gang taking drugs and grooving to The Stone Roses was dispensed with early. In any case, the Madchester disco sub-plot was worth it for Woody's throwaway reference to indie dance-floor classic “Idiot's Gold”.

Anyone familiar with Meadows' work knows that it won't be long before these light-hearted japes give way to tragedy. The monstrous ghost of Lol's abusive father, Mick, still haunts this world; it's only a matter of time before his pervasive evil causes another explosion. And what of Combo (Stephen Graham), who's still in prison for making it look as though he, not Lol, murdered Mick? His redemption isn't yet complete.

However it unfolds, I'm cautiously confident that we're in for a satisfying conclusion to one of the best British dramas of recent years. We'll miss it when it's gone.