The Red King

Who needs originality! This has every cliché known to man - accept that and just enjoy this near fabulous entertainment.

The plot isn't too dissimilar to HOT FUZZ - a strait laced, by-the-book police officer is posted to an idyllic yet decidedly weird isolated community. It's populated by a collection of marvellously over the top stereotypes who seemingly all hate the new arrival. There's weird rituals, lots of thunder and lightning, the predictable sound of crows squawking in the fog and then we get the murder.

It's a complete rip-off of every spooky police story from WICKER MAN to SCOOBY DOO but it does it so well it's almost fabulous. The team behind this really know what they're doing and have essentially made "a best of" every quirky suspense tv show in the last twenty years.

Once you've finished moaning about the utter unoriginality of this you'll probably love it. Although completely formulaic, it's really professionally made to be entertaining. The acting is spot on and very naturalistic making this nonsense seem entirely believable. Super-gorgeous Anjli Mohindra plays the Simon Pegg type up tight police officer complete with the usual issues all police detectives seem to have in every other tv show. She tackles her crazily over complicated character with gusto and although she's a real pain in the bum, she's such a superb actress that you're immediately on her side.

After exposing two corrupt colleagues, Detective Grace Narayan is banished to a remote Welsh Islands. No sooner tbab she arrives, she hears of the disappearance of young Cai Pridaux, a year ago, Grace is keen to learn why the case was ignored.

Writer Toby Whithouse certainly has a degree of pedigree, and this series is another shining example of his talent.

Think Midsomer Murders meets The Wicker Man, it's very much a murder mystery, with a group of very strange locals. It held my attention from start to finish.

There are some excellent performances, Anjli Mohindra puts in a first class performance, she does a first rate job. Credit also to Mark Lewis Jones and Adjoa Andoh, the pair are excellent.

Part of me wishes it had actually been filmed in Wales, just to add that little bit of authenticity, although the location filming is tremendous.

Why was this not on one of the 'main' channels, makes no sense.

8/10.

The set-up resembles 1973 British folk horror film The Wicker Man. But by Episode 2, you should have noticed that not all is the same. And things diverge from there.

I also found the 1973 film was spoiled by having Edward Woodward as the policeman. He was stamped on my mind as tough-guy Callan. It took time to realise that this was a very different sort of character. Not someone like Brownlow from The Bill, but fussy and pious. One reason why it was unpopular at the time.

Here, the police lady is quite tough, and shown to be a stickler for the rules. Sent to a bad posting from something that offended other police - just what comes out by stages.

Watch and enjoy.

The Red King: Very much a homage to The Wicker Man rather than a pastiche or a rip off. Sergeant Grace Narayan (Anjli Mohindra) is posted to the remote Welsh island St Jory after troubles in her Newcastle station where she was a whistleblower. Narayan is just as much by the rule book cop as Sergeant Neil Howie in The Wicker Man, it's not long before her inability to let anything pass has her at odds with many of the locals. And these are odd people, the island was once dominated by The True Way, a cult that carried out human sacrifices and worshiped Pagan Gods. That's all in the past thought, isn't it? When Narayan arrives there is a parade in progress, with the islanders masked up as they dance around tourists. Once the tourists have departed the cavorting locals stop and become sullen. The sergeant stays at The John Barleycorn inn, the landlady has a quirky daughter who takes more than a casual interest in Narayan, Then of course we have a missing youth, the islanders are generally silent about this. Things get stranger as the plot unfolds with murders and suicides, some violent gory scenes and a general feeling of unease infuses the story. The previous sergeant is still present and is obstructive. The Lady if the isle carries on as if it is her fiefdom. More of Narayan's back story is revealed and it looks as if a much wider conspiracy is at play. Everything which is happening might also be part of a ritual, Pagan motifs and imagery are ever present. A pretty good addition to the British Folk Horror TV Canon. Created & Written by Toby Whithouse, Directed by Daniel O'Hara. Six episodes on Alibi Channel. 8/10.

Mum and I watched this together and both felt it got off to a powerful start and then began to lag by about episode 3. The main part could have done with a better actress, let's be honest. We felt her character was also badly written; her running around like a bull in a China shop without any precaution or reserve soon became wearisome. Towards the end her character took a highly unbelievable full-turn. The plot-holes in the story became far more evident also, which meant the climax was not as exciting. Despite all of this criticism it was still worth a watch and was at least a far better alternative than the Hollywood sequel of the Wicker Man.