The 39 Steps
Rupert 'Handsome Male Lead' Penry-Jones, splendid Scottish scenery, 'fiesty' female, money evidently thrown at it - this had all the key ingredients likely to make me run to the hills, never mind Richard Hannay.
This was actually really rather good. As ever, no dramatisation ever sticks with Buchan's book - see feisty female love interest for example - and this one took, er, paid homage to all sorts of things. Not least the crop duster scene in North By Northwest and the frankly creepy ventriloquist's dummy from Dead of Night, but these are Good Things to rip off, er, pay homage to, so I have no complaints.
Was Mr Penry-Jones being hopelessly watchable posh totty? Yes, I fear so, but not to too great an extent as to make it entirely gratuitous that he should be sans shirt at some point. The truly brilliant thing was the character of Victoria Sinclair, played by Lydia Leonard; a strong female character you didn't actually feel the urge to give a good slap to! Fantastic; it can be done! My only real gripe was Patrick Malahide was, as so often, criminally underused. Yeah, there were niggles and the ending was a tad corny, but good new year telly fair. 8/10
For the Ashes fan in me, I could also connection spot - Ms Leonard was Sara 'RWF' Templeton and Roger DeCourcey, minus Nookie the bear, was the ventriloquist.
This was actually really rather good. As ever, no dramatisation ever sticks with Buchan's book - see feisty female love interest for example - and this one took, er, paid homage to all sorts of things. Not least the crop duster scene in North By Northwest and the frankly creepy ventriloquist's dummy from Dead of Night, but these are Good Things to rip off, er, pay homage to, so I have no complaints.
Was Mr Penry-Jones being hopelessly watchable posh totty? Yes, I fear so, but not to too great an extent as to make it entirely gratuitous that he should be sans shirt at some point. The truly brilliant thing was the character of Victoria Sinclair, played by Lydia Leonard; a strong female character you didn't actually feel the urge to give a good slap to! Fantastic; it can be done! My only real gripe was Patrick Malahide was, as so often, criminally underused. Yeah, there were niggles and the ending was a tad corny, but good new year telly fair. 8/10
For the Ashes fan in me, I could also connection spot - Ms Leonard was Sara 'RWF' Templeton and Roger DeCourcey, minus Nookie the bear, was the ventriloquist.