I begin with Episode 1, Season 2 of Downton Abbey which I have been streaming onto my computer (I presume this is legal?). It's as enjoyable as ever but, as I wrote so presciently before, it's best to consider it as soap opera and, as my brother says, it's pretty easy to guess what's going to happen next. For example, Mary has given Matthew a good luck charm to keep him safe in the trenches. I'm afraid he's going to forget it on one occasion, with disastrous results. What saves Downton Abbey is the superb acting of the entire cast.
Waterloo Rd (BBC1) is good fun and would be even more enjoyable if only I could make out what everyone was saying. (The latest example of the Manchester United School of English is provided by Paul Scholes springing to the defence of Carlos Tevez on the BBC WORLD Service for goodness sake. It was impossible to understand a single word of what he was saying.)
Finally, a catch-up session of Spooks (BBC1) on my iPad. Tom, Zoë and Danny are no longer with us. They will be sorely missed. My fellow Beaumont stalwart Maytrees tells me that John le Carré is not best pleased with Spooks, and one can well understand why. Apart from anything else, the UK depicted in the series hardly seems worth saving! Le Carré's main point, I think, is that real-life spying has nothing to do with the high-tech wizardry and manipulation employed by the boys and girls at Thames House. I'm sure he's right but that doesn't detract from the entertainment value of Spooks. John le Carré is IMHO our greatest living author but, purely in terms of entertainment, he is describing an analog world whereas with Spooks we are well and truly into the digital age. I owe this brilliant aperçu to Gary Oldman, who plays George Smiley in the new film version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Waterloo Rd (BBC1) is good fun and would be even more enjoyable if only I could make out what everyone was saying. (The latest example of the Manchester United School of English is provided by Paul Scholes springing to the defence of Carlos Tevez on the BBC WORLD Service for goodness sake. It was impossible to understand a single word of what he was saying.)
Finally, a catch-up session of Spooks (BBC1) on my iPad. Tom, Zoë and Danny are no longer with us. They will be sorely missed. My fellow Beaumont stalwart Maytrees tells me that John le Carré is not best pleased with Spooks, and one can well understand why. Apart from anything else, the UK depicted in the series hardly seems worth saving! Le Carré's main point, I think, is that real-life spying has nothing to do with the high-tech wizardry and manipulation employed by the boys and girls at Thames House. I'm sure he's right but that doesn't detract from the entertainment value of Spooks. John le Carré is IMHO our greatest living author but, purely in terms of entertainment, he is describing an analog world whereas with Spooks we are well and truly into the digital age. I owe this brilliant aperçu to Gary Oldman, who plays George Smiley in the new film version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Greetings Barnaby
ReplyDeleteOne scene in the old film of Le Carre's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, is set in Mount Street Gardens right next to SJ HQ, where the spooks meet to exchange secrets on those strangely placed benches in the grounds.
BTW either your blog tinkering or mine has at last resulted in the post feed for your blog being properly updated automatically - one of the wonders of modern science.