Tag Archive: BBC


BBC’S THE HOLLOW CROWN – PART FOUR

Filed under: Television, Theatre — 1 Comment
July 23, 2012

HENRY V by William Shakespeare directed by Thea Sharrock (BBC Two)

So there we have it. Shakespeare’s TV tetralogy (a word I have never knowingly used before) is complete.

This quartet of the bard’s history plays have triumphantly brought the very best of the British theatrical tradition to the small screen and for this we should be truly thankful.Any accusations of the BBC dumbing down its drama will have to put on hold for a few years at least.

The Henrys (IV + V) were directed in a more traditional manner but , aside from the flop of Falstaff, they have provided a master class in acting. Richard II was the boldest and most cinematic of the four which is why it remains the highlight of the series for me.

In Henry V, Tom Hiddleston cuts a dash in a leather bomber jacket. Not for him the burden of regal regalia as he defies the “confident and lusty French” and leads his not particularly merry “band of brothers” to win the Battle of Agincourt against all the odds. Continue reading →

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BBC’S THE HOLLOW CROWN – PART THREE

Filed under: Poetry, Television, Theatre — Leave a comment
July 20, 2012

Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 2 is the tale of two kings and one fat bloke.

The outsize guy is Sir John Falstaff. It’s not clear how he got that knighthood as he looks like a man more devoted to big meals than good works. He is also given to bawdy deeds and to being what Prince Hal poetically refers to as “the feeder of my riots”.

Falstaff’s anarchic, irreverent wit is remarked upon by many but is never made manifest in this TV production directed by Richard Eyre. Simon Russell Beale is hopelessly miscast in this role as he is not the jolly jester he surely should be.

Fortunately the kings provide more than adequate compensation. Continue reading →

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BLACKOUT HITS BBC

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July 19, 2012

BLACKOUT – BBC One 

Booze is god but takes Daniel Demoys (Christopher Eccleston) on a one way ticket to hell (and back again).

If you want gritty Northern drama,Christopher Eccleston is a go to actor. In Blackout he convincingly plays alcoholic Daniel Demoys embroiled in a web of violence and deception largely of his own making.

He’s a corrupt local councillor who is supplementing his income by selling information about tenders for  lucrative service contracts.  This extra cash funds his heavy drinking and occasional whoring. When he’s not on the dark side he is a loving father and devoted husband. Redemption is on hand but comes at a cost.

This is an entertaining three parter directed by Tom Green and written by Bill Gallagher who clearly fancied working on something meatier after his adaption of Lark Rise To Candleford.

The brooding ambient soundtrack, constant rain, noirish photography and stylised aerial shots all conspire to give a Bladerunner quality to the unnamed metropolis. The actual location is referred to only as ‘the city’ but ,as it’s somewhere ‘up North’  with awful weather,  the smart money is on Manchester. Continue reading →

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BBC’S THE HOLLOW CROWN – PART ONE

Filed under: Television, Theatre — 2 Comments
July 13, 2012

RICHARD II by William Shakespeare – directed by Rupert Goold  (BBC Two)

Richard loses his crown.

This is why you pay out for a TV license. Well, as I live in Italy, I don’t actually have one but if I was still in the UK I’d happily cough up the fee to fund quality productions like this.

Okay, a play written in 1595 is not exactly contemporary drama yet when Patrick Stewart as the aptly named Gaunt pronounces on England’s fading glory, he could easily be making a speech about the state of the nation today:  “this dear dear land is now leased out….. that England, that was wont to conquer others, hath made a shameful conquest of itself.”  Continue reading →

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DELVING INTO DESERT ISLAND DISCS

Filed under: Books, Music — Leave a comment
May 23, 2012

Roy Plomley

The BBC are not renowned for their generosity with regard to their broadcasts. They are ever protective of their global markets so, for example, You Tube is subject to rigorous patrols to ensure TV shows are not posted without their permission.

Even when it comes to their radio shows, the listening rights for which are not subject to the television license fee, you can usually only listen again to a programme for a week after the transmission date.

One of the longest running shows is Desert Island Discs which began on 29th January 1942 and is as much of an institution as The Archers. It was devised by Roy Plomley and he presented it  until his death in 1985, after which, presenters have been Michael Parkinson, Sue Lawley and, the current host, Kirsty Young. Continue reading →

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