Tag Archives: Television review

Inspector George Gently. Television Review. B.B.C. Television.

Picture from B.B.C.

Originally published by L.S. Media. August 27th 2011.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Martin Shaw, Lee Ingleby, Maggie O’ Neil, Eamonn Walker, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Lenora Crichlow, Craig Conway, Gary Carr, Simon Hubbard, Cliff Lee.

In the last few years Martin Shaw has proved that a good actor cannot be kept off the screen for too long. The 1970’s saw him as part of The Professionals and in recent years he has kept his fans happy by being the star attraction in Judge John Deed and as the man out of place in Inspector George Gently.

Inspector George Gently. Television Review. B.B.C. Television. full post

(436 words, 1 image, estimated 1:45 mins reading time)

Great Expectations (2011), Television Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 5th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Gillian Anderson, David Suchet, Douglas Booth, Ray Winstone, Shaun Dooley, Claire Rushbrook, Mark Addy, Jack Roth, Vanessa Kirby, Harry Lloyd, Tom Burke, Oscar Kennedy. Izzy Meikle-Small.

One of the big shows for the B.B.C. this Christmas period has to have been the latest big budget version of Great Expectations. An all-star cast, one of the biggest for a television series for a while on the channel, was greatly added to by newcomers Oscar Kennedy as the young Pip, Izzy Meikle-Small as the young misguided and manipulated Estella and a towering performance by Douglas Booth as the elder Pip.

Great Expectations (2011), Television Review. full post

(548 words, 1 image, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

Sherlock, The Hounds Of Baskerville. Television Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 9th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Russell Tovey, Amelia Bullmore, Clive Mantle, Rupert Graves, Gordon Kennedy, Mark Gatiss, Sasha Behar, Una Stubbs.

The second of three new stories for the world’s greatest consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, sees Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat bring the wonderful and tantalising story of The Hound of  the Baskervilles completely up to date and leave the Victorian era behind completely and utterly forever.

Sherlock, The Hounds Of Baskerville. Television Review. full post

(698 words, 1 image, estimated 2:48 mins reading time)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Television Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 13th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Matthew Rhys, Alun Armstrong, Ron Cook, Julia Mckenzie, Janet Dale, Rory Kinnear, Freddie Fox, Tamzin Merchant, Sacha Dhawan

How exactly do you finish of someone else’s work after they have died so that’s its deemed worthy enough for an audience’s appreciation? Beethoven, Schubert,  and Charles Dickens have one thing in common and that is they died before they could finish a major piece of work.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Television Review. full post

(485 words, 1 image, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)

Sherlock, Reichenbach Fall. Television Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 16th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating *****

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Andrew Scott, Rupert Graves, Una Stubbs, Mark Gatiss, Jonathon Aris, Loo Brealey, Amber Elizabeth, Pano Masti, Katherine Parkinson, Vinette Robinson.

Save the best till last, always keep the audience wanting more and keep them guessing…even if it means the clamour and noise from the enormous fan base that’s been the envy of many other prime time television programmes gets louder and louder until the B.B.C. and the Moffat/Gatiss writing team confirm that there will be a, hopefully, third series.

Sherlock, Reichenbach Fall. Television Review. full post

(600 words, 1 image, estimated 2:24 mins reading time)

Birdsong, Television Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 23rd 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ***

Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Matthew Goode, Clemence Poesy, Richard Madden, Thomas Turgoose, Joseph Mawle, George Mackay, Rory Keenan, Laurent Lafitte.

Birdsong is a late 20th Century classic and arguably, to some critics, Sebastian Faulks’ finest novel to date. To fans of the book though who have been desperate to see this First World War drama brought to a larger audience, they have waited, patiently or not, since 1993 and it has to be said it was almost worth the wait.

Birdsong, Television Review. full post

(526 words, 1 image, estimated 2:06 mins reading time)

We’ll Take Manhattan. Television Review. B.B.C. Television.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 27th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Aneurin Barnard, Karen Gillan, Helen McCrory, Joseph May, Frances Barber, Robert Glenister.

It can only be described as astonishing to think that nobody has filmed the love affair between two of the most iconic British people from the 1960’s before now. Before the Beatles and the Liverpool invasion of Ed Sullivan’s show, which made a generation of American teenagers sit and take notice for the first time what was happening across the pond in dear, tired old Britain, there was a seismic cultural revolution that took hold with just one camera shot.

We’ll Take Manhattan. Television Review. B.B.C. Television. full post

(604 words, 1 image, estimated 2:25 mins reading time)

Birdsong, Part Two. Television Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 31st 2012.

L.S. Media Rating **

Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Matthew Goode, Clemence Poesy, Richard Madden, Thomas Turgoose, Joseph Mawle, George Mackay, Anthony Andrews, Rory Keenan, Laurent Lafitte.

The second part of Birdsong, written by Abi Morgan, which worked well in parts in the first installment, unfortunately descended into cliché ridden and almost predictable deaths for some of the major characters within the plot. Even for those who have read Sebastian Faulks’ excellent novel it seemed to go from convoluted to create a dull ending.

Birdsong, Part Two. Television Review. full post

(489 words, 1 image, estimated 1:57 mins reading time)

Whitechapel. Television Review. Series Three, Episode Three.

Originally published b y L.S.Media. February 13th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Rupert Penry Jones, Phil Davies, Steve Pemberton, Claire Rushbrook, Sam Stockwell, Ben Bishop, Hannah Walters, Jacqueline Roberts, Camilla Power.

Series three of Whitechapel continues with the gruesome premise of a murderer and the brutality of dismemberment. The scene is set by that other act of social discourse and interaction that some can find squeamish and sends shudders down the spines of the strongest of police officers, namely the spectacle of a family christening attended by those family and friends who you never see except when there’s free drinks on offer by the host. Given the choice I think I’d rather investigate another of those historical patterned murders, no matter how insidious, than ever have to wipe new born baby sick of a freshly ironed shirt.

Whitechapel. Television Review. Series Three, Episode Three. full post

(637 words, 1 image, estimated 2:33 mins reading time)

Whitechapel, Television Review. Series Three, Episode Four.

Originally published by L.S. Media. February 20th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davies, Steve Pemberton, Claire Rushbrook, Sam Stockwell, Ben Bishop, Hannah Walters, Jacqueline Roberts, Camilla Power.

The continuity announcer said before the start of the second part of the second story of Whitechapel, that some viewers may find some scenes upsetting, she might have well as ushered into the phrase, “and you’ll kick yourself for not realising who the killer is.” Such were the latent and subtle clues strewn throughout this final part that it was easy to forget the one fleeting and seemingly innocuous moment in the first episode where the murderer was revealed.

Whitechapel, Television Review. Series Three, Episode Four. full post

(449 words, 1 image, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)