Tuesday 30 August 2011

The Hour: Coats, hats, gloves, cigarettes, brooches, brollies, intrigue and a stiff drink


Hello hello hello, I'm back bitches! Apologies for the long absence due to moving/internet woes and other boring things but never mind all that, I'm here, tapping out words on my keyboard, making sentences and everything. A champion as always of British-made telly, it's The Hour that has been feeding my eyes for the past month. Although branded by some the British Mad Men, it's not. Same period, yes but here the women are in charge.

Romola Garai plays the captain of ship as the Hour's producer, Bel Rowley. Billed as the strong ground-breaking female, the character sadly falls a bit flat. I mean she's fine but her bizarre affair with Dominic West's wet anchor with an equally wet name, Hector Madden, just doesn't sit right. What IS she doing with him? He's so DULL and wooden and insipid, EUGH. Rowley isn't the driving female force of the programme as I had hoped, but Duckface is. Yes, Duckface off of Four Weddings and a Funeral, the lovely Anna Chancellor. Playing the slacks-wearing, chain-smoking Lix Storm (Best. Name. Ever.) she completely steals the show from Garai which is a shame as Garai's character seemed so promising in the previews. She does, however look smokin' hot with her gorgeous Joan Holloway-style wardrobe.

Far from a straight forward drama series, the plot is filmic, like a John Le Carre novel. Set in the midst of the Suez Canal Crisis, there are spies, double agents, murders dressed up as suicides and fiendish puzzles. Trying to navigate his way through the maze of subterfuge and intrigue is young journalist Freddie Lyon played by the phenomenal Ben Wishaw. Trying to uncover the truth behind the death of a childhood friend, he stumbles into a dangerous conspiracy. I'll not spoil it for you (BUY THE DVD) but it is pretty thrilling. There are personal sub-plots as well, such as Freddie's obvious love for Bel and his sexy times with Lix, however they do take a back seat to the the Hour, highlighting the importance of the news stories that dominated the time and the vital new format of news programming that was so revolutionary.

I loved it, Bel and Hector's tedious affair aside and am delighted to hear the news that a second series is being commissioned. More Ben Wishaw in tank-tops typing through a haze of floppy hair and cigarette smoke? Yes please.