No12 - 3rd February 2009

Welcome back, Happy New Year and here we are again for another twelve months of exciting televisual treats. I'm all rested after my Far East sojourn, so without further ado let's get down to business and see what's been on the box in the last month or so.

For a genre buff like myself, Christmas Day means only one thing television-wise - a brand new Doctor Who episode! The intriguingly titled The Next Doctor (BBC One) arrived with much speculation surrounding the presence of David Morrissey who it appeared would be playing a future incarnation of our favourite Timelord. Not quite, as it transpired. Morrissey was in fact a character called Jackson Lake whose memory was replaced after a deadly encounter with the Cybermen, a malfunctioning info stamp streaming information about The Doctor into Lake's subconscious. Unable to remember his past, Lake tackled his new persona with aplomb, companion Rosita (Velile Tshabalala) in tow, even going so far as to build his own TARDIS - Tethered Aerial Release Developed In Style – a hot air balloon!

With its Victorian London setting this was a fairly traditional episode of the long running sci-fi series. The Doctor (David Tennant) - on his own after the departure of his entourage at the end of the last series - teamed up with Lake and Rosita to tackle the Cybermen and their new leader, Miss Hartigan played with menace by Dervla Kirwan. Sadly the story was somewhat below average with the silver men doing little to threaten other than marching a lot, aided by their laughable new creations, ghastly beasts which looked like shaggy dogs with a Cyber mask attached to their faces. Bring back the TVCybermats I say! Culminating in a silly face off between The Doctor and the Cyber King, a kind of giant Iron Man, Hartigan got her mind back, realised the error of her ways and everything inexplicably blew up. Let's hope the Easter special with mooted appearances from Michelle Ryan and Lee Evans delivers a little more oomph.

Of course the big news over New Year was the announcement of the 11th Doctor. Like many, I'd been predicting either Paterson Joseph or Russell Tovey for the coveted role, but in the end it was relative newcomer Matt Smith who got the nod. Smith - best known for his role in Party Animals, BBC's superior political drama - will be the youngest actor to tackle the part, a bold call on Steven Moffat's part but one that I think could work. I've certainly liked Smith in the few things that I've seen him in and I'm optimistic that he can bring his own spin to the character. We'll get our first taster when he takes over from David Tennant next Christmas.

Another seasonal treat this year came from Mark Gatiss (The League Of Gentlemen) in the shape of Crooked House (BBC Four), broadcast over three consecutive nights just before Christmas, and then again in a feature-length omnibus the weekend after. Taking its influences from tales of M.R. James and the anthology films of Amicus (you might remember Gatiss personally selected and introduced From Beyond The Grave at Frightfest's Hostel one-dayer), Crooked House is a portmanteau story based around the sinister Geap Manor and the misfortune that befalls its various owners.

When history teacher Ben Morris (Lee Ingleby) finds an old door knocker he consults the local museum curator (Gatiss) to learn more about its origin. A couple of creepy tales ensue, the first set in 1786 centred around Joseph Bloxham, a rogue trader whose dodgy dealings have irked the local townsfolk and lost them a lot of money. In this rather tame opening Bloxham falls foul of the wainscoting in Geap Manor after his builder uses some old wood from a renowned gibbet. The second tale set in 1927 is much stronger, focusing on an engagement party for a young couple, Felix and Ruthie. However Felix's Grandmother, Lady Constance, holds a dark secret which threatens their impending nuptials, and they must first battle the ghost of the bride with no eyes!

The final tale picks up the story of Morris as he fixes the haunted door knocker to his own property. Morris is facing commitment issues and has just split up with his pregnant girlfriend Hannah (Daniela Denby-Ashe). We've already learnt that Geap Manor's original owner Sir Roger Widdowsen (Derren Brown) was unable to bear children, and with the help of a necromancer, a rather familiar looking Dr Unthank, we discover that he's reaching through time in order to find an heir to his estate - in the shape of Hannah's baby! It's an effective conclusion to a story which just about delivers the necessary chills after its shaky start. Whilst each individual episode is self contained and can be watched as such, it's worth metnioning that Crooked House works much better as a 90 minute drama when you can see the story coming full circle. With more than a few spine-tingling scenes and a decent cast (Dead Set's Andy Nyman pops up in the first episode), Gatiss's programme was a welcome addition to the Christmas schedule and one that I hope will be repeated again this year.

Next up we have Demons (ITV1), a new Saturday night drama series aiming to fill the post-tea time Doctor Who slot. Opening with the murder of a high school secretary by a monkey-like creature with metal paws, the pet of a shady vampire, we’re soon treading familiar ground. Yes, there are supernatural beings (“freaks”) living amongst us and it’s up to a rag-tag bunch of demon hunters to vanquish (“smite”) them. Leading the charge is Rupert Galvin (Life On Mars’ Philip Glenister, complete with dodgy American accent), Godfather to Luke (Christian Cooke) who it soon transpires is the last descendant of a certain Van Helsing. Completing the team are Mina Harker (Zoe Tapper – Survivors), blind but blessed with the ability of second sight, and Luke’s rather reluctant girlfriend Ruby.

Pecking at ideas from Buffy to Supernatural like a hungry magpie, Demons is much less than the sum of its parts and makes ITV’s other genre offering Primeval look like the work of Shakespeare by comparison. Its tired formula is compounded by some of the worst exchanges of dialogue I’ve heard on prime-time television, and don’t even get me started on Glenister’s accent! Then there are the “freaks” themselves, an assortment of dogs-in-hoodies, cast offs from The Mighty Boosh!, and a bounty hunter called Gladiolus Thrip (Mackenzie Crook) looking like a seventies Bowie clone. The soundtrack is also worth singling out, misguided in every way from its horribly upbeat theme to the scene in which Ruby is attacked in a lift, to the tune of – wait for it – Ruby by Kaiser Chiefs. It really is that bad. I couldn’t stomach a second episode but I’m reliably informed it didn’t get any better.

Following on from last month’s positive critique of Wallander, January heralded the arrival of another new quality crime show to our screens. Hunter (BBC One) was a one-off drama shown over consecutive nights focusing on the abduction of two seven year old boys. Leading the investigation is DSI Barclay (Hugh Bonneville – Bonekickers) who recalls DI Foster (Janet McTeer) from extended leave to help manage the operation. As the police pick up the case they discover that the victims are targets of some radical anti-abortionists who will seemingly stop at nothing to publicise their cause, even if that means sacrificing the children.

Whilst Wallander succeeded in revitalizing the crime genre by a combination of its Scandinavian location, crisp cinematography and a gripping central performance from Kenneth Branagh, Hunter takes a more traditional approach yet somehow still manages to make it feel fresh and contemporary. Its success is in no small part due to the excellent writing of Mick Ford whose script is uncompromising and not afraid to portray some examples of real life horror. The characters too feel like real people, fully rounded with their own individual strengths and flaws which makes them engaging to watch – especially with such a talented ensemble cast behind them. A superior example of the genre, I’m confident that the Beeb will be commissioning further episodes of Hunter in the near future.

Until next time,

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