Wednesday 22 November 2017

Victoria (2016 -7 Created and written by Daisy Goodwin)

Well, Daisy sometimes delegates to other writers in epic eight-hour series (1 & 2 at time of writing) for ITV, in which it's fun to see Buckingham palace reimagined in its contemporary settings (it doesn't even have railings, to begin with). It's her debut as a screenwriter, though not as a novelist. She had to read the Queen's diaries as part of her degree course and found her surprisingly interesting. Thus much of what we see is directly connected to (her) history, with such hindsight-as-humour discussing of computers, industrial innovation and the latest Dickens.

Though we no doubt have invention also, in the below-the-stairs stories involving the Queen's dresser Nell Hudson, chef Ferdinand Kingsley et al.

We are absolutely loving the performances of Jenna Coleman, Tom Hughes and especially Rufus Sewell.


Also what we love about it is that it portrays a happy married couple in love, and who like each other (past examples: The Thin Man films, TV's The Good Life and The Beiderbecke Affair) - any conflicts arise from others and outside events (the Irish potato famine is a history lesson that needs retelling, with its million dead). Most fun is the episode in which the couple get lost on the Scottish moors and spend the night with an unsuspecting couple.

Pleased to say that series two does end with a proper season finale - none of your stupid unresolved endings, series that suddenly becomes Broadchurch etc...

Music by Martin Phipps.

No comments:

Post a Comment