No14 - 20th April 2009

Welcome to another edition of my telly blog! Let’s begin with a look at Red Riding (Channel 4), a series of three feature-length dramas based on the novels by David Peace, who also wrote The Damned United (at cinemas now). Set in West Yorkshire its a sprawling tale of police corruption across the years, each interlinking story titled by the year that it’s set, starting with 1974, then moving to 1980, and finally concluding with 1983. It all begins with rookie reporter Edward Dunford (Andrew Garfield) investigating the disappearance of a 10 year old girl, the latest in a string of school girls who've gone missing in the area. He believes the cases are linked and that property developer John Dawson (Sean Bean) is involved, but the local police seem to have their own agenda and instead arrest a simple lad by the name of John Mishkin.

The second episode is set around the time of the Yorkshire Ripper, with squeaky clean Chief Constable Pete Hunter (Paddy Considine) heading a covert operation into the Ripper investigation on behalf of the Home Office. Hunter believes the recent killings are the work of two separate individuals and uncovers a web of corruption which dates back to 1974, implicating Maurice Johnson (David Morrissey), the man in charge of the operation. Fast forward to 1983 and another girl has disappeared which leads to solicitor John Riggott (Mark Addy) representing Mishkin, accusing the police of wrongly incarcerating him 8 years ago. As events come to a head between Riggott and Malloy (Warren Clarke), the ringleader of the corrupt coppers, we finally find out exactly what happened back in 1974 and who was ultimately responsible for the missing girls.

Red Riding is a classic piece of contemporary television drama with a cast to die for - in addition to those mentioned you can add Rachel Hall, Sean Harris and Daniel Mays, all excellent up-and-coming actors. The first two episodes can be watched as stand alone dramas, but really it's only when you've watched the final episode that you get a complete picture of what's gone on before. It's certainly an ambitious project, using three different directors each with their own style, but the faded washed-out palette remains throughout and obviously certain characters pop up in more than one episode. If there's a criticism to be levelled then it's the use of flashbacks willy-nilly in 1983 which gets really confusing if you're not paying careful attention, so at times you're not sure whether you're watching events being played out in the current time, or something that happened a few years back. Overall though this is exactly the kind of television that we produce best in the UK - uncompromising, gritty drama populated by the cream of British acting talent. It's grim up North!

Another new drama to debut this Spring has been Law & Order: UK (ITV1), a British adaptation of the hugely successful US franchise that tells the stories of two different facets of law and order; the police who investigate the crimes and the attorneys who prosecute the offenders. In the police corner of our version we have DS Ronnie Brooks (Bradley Walsh) and DS Matt Devlin (Jamie Bamber) whilst in the attorney corner we have James Steel (Ben Daniels) and Alesha Phillips (Freema Agyeman). It's a simple set up with each episode (thus far at least) being self-contained, concentrating on one particular case.

I was a little unsure about Law & Order: UK having never seen its American counterpart before but I've been impressed with the half dozen episodes to date. The stories are varied and interesting, providing an insightful glimpse into the judicial system. What's particularly good about the show though is its pace and presentation. Each episode is punchy and lean and there's no padding whatsoever; every scene is vital to the plot saying as much as it needs to before cutting to the next. The actors work well together too, a mark of some expert casting. Who would have thought Bradley Walsh would make such a convincing copper? It's great to hear Jamie Bamber voicing his native London accent after five years on Battlestar Galactica, and Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who) is also proving herself to be an actor of some class. A quality drama from ITV then, more of this please!

It's been ten years since Red Dwarf (Dave) was last on our TV screens and in the intervening time there's been countless speculation over a mooted film version. However this Easter the show instead returned to the small screen with three brand new episodes for the channel that frequently reruns the original series. All of the main characters are present and correct, although it’s a little disappointing that there’s no room in the script for Holly, the ship's computer. The setup quickly introduces a new hologram, Katerina (Sophie Winkleman - Peep Show) who uses a squid's tentacle (that was hiding in the water tank) to facilitate dimensional travel. Taking its cue from The League Of Gentlemen movie, the four crew members end up back in modern day England where they quickly realise that they're characters in a popular TV show - and they must track down their creator to beg for more time before the show is cancelled.

So how does it compare to the earlier series? Well, like the latter couple of seasons, the writing duties are the sole responsibility of Doug Naylor after Rob Grant left the show which doesn’t bode well. Sadly it's nowhere near as funny as the old stuff, the first episode in particular relying on a long drawn out gag in which Lister (Craig Charles) is ironing his sneezes, but it does have its moments - a later scene in which Kryten (Robert Llewellyn) mistakes a post box for a fellow droid is one highlight. The plot has some neat ideas - driving along Coronation Street in a Starbug car, in search of the real Craig Charles is undoubtedly fun - but at times it just comes across as a feature-length advertisement for the Red Dwarf DVD and merchandise. The actors clearly get along and work well as a team, even if they're all looking a bit older now, so who knows whether more new episodes will now follow?

If it's comedy you're looking for then look no further than Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle (BBC 2). Lee of course first caught our attention in the 90s along with his comedy partner Richard Herring in Fist Of Fun and This Morning With Richard Not Judy and later went on to co-write the infamous Jerry Springer: The Opera. He's now regarded as one of the UK's top stand up comedians and his new series plays to this strength - it's 30 mins of stand up material peppered with the occasional sketch to illustrate the points that he makes. Intelligent, crafted material, it's like a breath of fresh air across the channel. Elsewhere Charlie Brooker turns his biting brand of satire to news programmes with News Wipe (BBC Three) whilst juvenile sixth formers The Inbetweeners (E4) are back for a second series of vulgar schoolboy humour.

There's so many shows and channels fighting for attention these days that something has to give. To be honest, I wish more programme makers would follow the examples of Battlestar Galactica and Lost and fix a finite ending before the rot sets in. Too many shows blow their initial promise by not having enough ideas to keep things interesting and sustain the drama. For shows with self-contained episodes it's not so much of an issue, but for series with huge story arcs (yes, I'm talking about you, Heroes) it just becomes frustrating for the viewer. I've already ditched Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dirty Sexy Money in recent weeks, and I see no reason to watch a new series of Ashes To Ashes (BBC One). The aforementioned Heroes has afforded itself a stay of execution purely because there's only a couple of episodes remaining until the end of this series.

One show I am sticking with - for now at least - is Primeval (ITV1), now into its third series. The channel's answer to Doctor Who, this prime time Saturday teatime show remains bright and breezy fun as Professor Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall) and his team of scientists track down 'anomalies' that allow prehistoric creatures to come through into our world. This season has so far featured an episode written by FrightFest regular James Moran, and looks set to welcome Jason Flemying as a regular cast member as the series continues. I have to admit, to my shame it took me three episodes to realise that Claudia Brown (Lucy Brown) was still in the show as her complete makeover totally threw me, but on a more positive note I have to applaud a family show that is not afraid to kill off one of its main characters on screen.

Finally from the vaults, I've at last tracked down a copy of Snuff Box, the ill-fated 2006 comedy series from Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher. Afforded the same treatment as the criminally neglected 15 Storeys High, Snuff Box was buried on late night BBC Three and shown only once. Now available on DVD it comes recommended if you're a fan of The Mighty Boosh! or Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. The other series that I've revisited this month is State Of Play, Paul Abbot's six-part political thriller which was broadcast by the Beeb back in 2003 and which has just been adapted for the big screen. The series - following a journalist who investigates a cabinet minister friend whose infidelity is exposed after the death of his researcher - is edge of the seat stuff and features a top notch ensemble cast including David Morrissey, John Simm, Kelly MacDonald, Bill Nighy, James McEvoy, Philip Glenister and Marc Warren. The film version, directed by Kevin Macdonald and starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck, opens in the UK on 17th April.

Until next time,

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