BBC recent festive drama offerings...

[thefirstcaro]

This Christmas, the BBC gave us two new dramas The Ruby in the Smoke with Billie Piper and Julie Walters, and Dracula, with Marc Warren, David 'Poirot' Suchet, and Sophia 'David Tennant's Girlfriend' Myles. 

I was really looking forward to them because it's so nice to get something on TV that isn't a reality show and doesn't have bloody celebs getting pots of money to get off with one another on a tropical island.  (Seriously, how did Celebrity Love Island get two series? The mind, she boggles at the reasoning behind that one.) Now, I haven't read the Philip Pullman book The Ruby in the Smoke is based on and I did get the impression that the plot was a bit condensed because you had a voice over explaining things and then characters would willingly give up information or have a revelation or returning memory that caused them to tell all to someone else.  Maybe that's how it goes in the book, I don't know.  I did enjoy it though.  Billie Piper was very good.  She was very low-key but she made me believe in Sally.  Julie Walters was fantastic.  I'd heard her described as being the best Victorian villain since Bleak House's Tulkinghorn and they weren't far wrong.  She was chilling and never over the top either.   It was only an hour and a half long too, hence the condensing no doubt.  The next two books in the series have been filmed as well apparently and they'll be showing them next year. 

The other one, Dracula with Marc Warren from Hustle and the Love & Monsters episode from series two  Doctor Who (which I didn't think was all that bad compared to some other viewers) as the title character, was an odd fish.  They didn't completely bastardise the book (I love that expression after I saw it on the imdb boards, I think, when Jane Eyre 2006 aired; now I use it for everything - "This dinner is completely bastardised, I'm not eating that!") though they did make some changes.  Like Jonathan Harker got the bums rush and as it was only an hour and a half long, they seemed to dispatch Dracula very easily and quickly.  It does have one of those endings however, with the whole 'He's dead...or is he...' thing going on.  Which is a bit annoying because I don't think they're going to do a sequel and that kind of ending's day has been and gone, says I.

The next thing I'm looking forward to now is The Sarah Jane Adventures on New Years Day. I think she even has her own sonic screwdriver! It certainly looks like it from the previews.  And the This LIfe +10 reunion is on in a few days.  I was never a huge fan of the show back in the day but I saw enough of it to make me interested in what happened to the characters.  Besides, Jack Davenport.  'Nuff said really.

Comments

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

I quite liked the Ruby in the Smoke (I got the impression that Billie Piper was keeping it low-key so no one would think of Rose, who is rather bouncy). But I liked the sets and Julie Walter was amazing - I never doubted that she would kill that child, and all of her treats had real menace.

I haven't watched the Dracula mainly because I haven't forgiven Sophia Myles for the horror that was Tristan and Isolde and thus am trying to avoid her in anything. Well, I haven't forgiven most of the rest of the cast either, but they're not on my telly currently which makes them easier to avoid.

[queenthesixth.livejournal.com]

Tristan & Isolde is one of my guilty pleasures. Plus Sophia Myles didn't entirely butcher the Irish accent so I can watch it without wondering why she hates my country so much. Though I have to say James Franco doesn't do it for me. I watch that movie more for Rufus Sewell and Henry Cavill. So you see, I do have some standards. (kinda).