M.B.

Gripping series with some career-defining performances, 7 Sep 2011

I'd never seen "Edward the Seventh" until just now; at this time of writing, it was originally screened more than 36 years ago and while certain elements of the series are understandably dated by today's standards - filming style, shot types - it appears to have lost none of its power to really engage the viewer. It tells the story of Edward the Seventh, or Bertie, from birth to death, through his tricky schooldays to his frustrated philandering as an underused heir apparent, to his eventual role as king. Timothy West is astonishingly good as the adult Bertie, and he is not alone. Alongside the wonderful costumes and plot twists (all based on real history, of course), the main draw of… Read more

A lovely series, 28 Aug 2011

Filmed in 1981 and broadcast early the following year, "We'll Meet Again" follows the lives of the people of Market Wetherby, a (fictional) small town in Suffolk, in 1943 as the war rages and the Americans arrive on British soil. The main driving plot of the series is the love story between the married Dr. Helen Dereham (played superbly by the late Susannah York) and Major Jim Kiley (Michael J. Shannon). It's not your usual "illicit affair" kind of storyline, and there are some surprising twists and turns along the way. Dr. Helen is torn between her love for Jim and her duties as a wife to her injured husband Ronnie, mother to Cambridge University student Pat, and general pillar of the… Read more

Absolutely glorious - the definitive Marple can be enjoyed again and again, 21 Jun 2011

I really cannot recommend this DVD box set enough. It collects all twelve of the BBC's feature-length episodes of "Miss Marple," originally broadcast between 1984 and 1992 and all starring Joan Hickson as the titular sleuth. The box arrives in a hardback-book style with individual placeholders for each of the twelve discs. It's a simple box, without a booklet or additional info, but really you don't need anything else - "Miss Marple" is firmly about the stories, and their gorgeous, sympathetic adaptations.

Hickson is the perfect Marple, bringing the perfect balance of slightly gossipy village lady and sharp mind; the obvious humour of some of the earlier Marples and complete… Read more