This article was originally published in The Courier on 6th April 2019.
NEXT WEEK’S TV
THE VICTIM
Monday
to Thursday, BBC One, 9pm
Port
Glasgow and Edinburgh are the settings for this engrossing drama about Anna
(Kelly Macdonald), a mother accused of plotting to kill a man by the name of
Craig (James Harkness) who she believes is responsible for the murder of her
son. After serving his time in prison, the young killer was given a new identity,
a ‘luxury’ that Anna insists he doesn’t deserve. As for Craig, he appears to be
an innocent family man. An intelligently written examination of victims’ rights
and the rights of people accused of high-profile crimes, it boasts strong
performances from Macdonald, Harkness and John Hannah as the policeman
investigating Craig’s attack. Key line: “Public opinion doesn’t exist, it was
invented by the media.”
A HOUSE THROUGH TIME
Monday,
BBC Two, 9pm
Historian
David Olusoga returns for another thorough excavation of the secrets buried
within ordinary British houses. The subject in this series is a Georgian
end-of-terrace property in Newcastle upon Tyne. Delving deep into the archives,
our softly-spoken host – who was raised in the area where the house is located
- studies the personal lives of its various residents “to uncover an epic story
spanning 200 years”. What follows is a revealing alternative history of Britain
told from within the same four walls. Its first resident was William Stoker, a
privileged Victorian lawyer who eventually became Newcastle’s town coroner. Olusoga
struggles to sympathise with Stoker as he charts a saga involving poverty,
hypocrisy and appalling rough justice.
DON’T FORGET THE
DRIVER
Tuesday,
BBC Two, 10pm
Despite
being billed as a black comedy, this new series is more of a drama peppered
with mild attempts at downbeat humour. Toby Jones, who co-wrote it with
experimental playwright Tim Crouch, plays a bored, lonely coach driver whose
days consist of ferrying pensioners from the soporific seaside town of Bognor
Regis to various destinations (Dunkirk in episode one). He’s also dealing with
a disaffected teenage daughter, a mother with dementia and a twin brother (also
Jones) living the high life in Australia. Meanwhile, an asylum seeker stows
away on his coach and a body washes up on the beach. It certainly captures the
bleak beauty of Bognor, but it’s neither funny nor dramatic enough to invite
much enthusiasm.
ROCK ISLAND LINE: THE
SONG THAT MADE BRITAIN ROCK
Friday,
BBC Four, 9pm
Billy
Bragg is such a devout socialist, he even looks like Jeremy Corbyn these days.
It’s uncanny. In this sturdy documentary he explains how a 1930s railroad song
originally written in Little Rock, Arkansas eventually became one of the most
important recordings in the history of British pop music. Lonnie Donegan’s hit
version from 1955 inspired a generation of post-war British teenagers. It’s no
exaggeration to state that the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks et al wouldn’t
have picked up their guitars were it not for Rock Island Line and the DIY skiffle craze it ignited. Bragg, a
huge fan of the late skiffle king, traces the song’s fascinating history with
assistance from various music historians and Donegan’s son, Peter.
LAST WEEK’S TV
LINE OF DUTY
Sunday
31st, BBC One
When
hit shows such as Line of Duty become
known for incorporating certain signature elements, they risk a descent into
self-parody. Based on the hard evidence of series five’s first episode, there’s
life in this old feller yet.
While scoring off your Line of Duty bingo card – compromised
officers; initialism-heavy police jargon; itchy interrogation scenes; DCI Ted’s
colourful exclamations; AC-12 gazing meaningfully at persons of interest as they enter or leave their headquarters – you presumably fell prey to a delightful piece of
misdirection.
We were introduced to a deep undercover agent embedded within a crime
gang led by Stephen Graham, an actor known for playing villains. Nervous,
secretive, she fitted the bill. However, it transpired that Graham is the
undercover agent. What’s more, this time they didn’t kill off their famous
guest star at the end of episode one. A wise move, as that once effective gimmick has worn out its welcome.
Even after all these years, this addictively Byzantine and heroically bonkers thriller can still wrong-foot its audience. Here we go again.
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