Donovan Quick

Donovan Quick is a modern day reworking of Cervantes Don Quixote.

It also happens to be a critique of the Tory governments privatisation policies of public transport. In short council led bus services being replaced by private monopolies who stifle competition. They also gets millions of pounds in government subsidies.

Colin Firth is the haunted stranger Donovan Quick who enters the life of alcoholic Lucy Pannick (Kate Murphy) in Scotland. Donivan rents a room from her and is generous with the rent.

Lucy has a intellectually disabled younger brother Sandy, a senile mother who is always wandering around in her underwear, a tearaway teenage son and an abusive married boyfriend who is always sponging off her.

When Sandy cannot get public transport to his learning centre because services are cut by Windmill Transport.

Donovan and Sandy team up to start their own bus company. This provokes the ire of Windmill transport who wants to quickly put them under.

Donovan is polite, generous and slightly eccentric or maybe just mad. He is also hiding something and has flashbacks to a time when he was not so nice.

This is a small scale gritty fantasy. You have to ignore that maybe Donovan Quick might have been more easily identifiable.

Effectively Donovan is the catalyst for the Pannicks, a marginalised family in a rough working class district. They gain something as the little guys who take on the bigwigs.

An interesting and a dark tinged reworking of Don Quixote.

Colin Firth stars as a modern Day Don Quixote, set in Scotland, his mission is to defeat a greedy capitalist, George Mackie.

It may seem like such a small story, but it isn't, it's about the small man standing up for what he believes in, for what's right, and saying no to the bullies. We have the intrigue in learning what has haunted Donovan.

Katy Murphy is great, no wonder she won an award for her performance. The standout of course though is Colin Firth, he's so charismatic, and incredibly handsome.

You have to laugh, Liz Smith walking round in her underwear, a much missed comedy legend, who did a wonderful line in scatty old ladies.

We need more dramas like this nowadays, easy to watch, feel good, and no corpse in sight.

Rather good, 7/10.

Apart from the currently fashionable under-lighting which puts some scenes in near total darkness this is a most enjoyable & involving drama with ever-smouldering Colin Firth the stranger in town with a past and Katy Murphy (what a wonderful face!) the damsel in distress who he comes to rescue. Her distress involves a mentally-retarded brother, a manipulative, selfish lover, a pile of bills and a Mother who wanders round the house dressed only in her slip.

Donovan buys an old bus and sets up in opposition to the villain of the tale, a monopolistic bus company, Windmill Transport (Geddit?) and battle is joined.

I found one short, violent scene unnecessarily graphic but the plot is beautifully resolved with a most satisfying - and surprising - final scene.

To begin with Donovan Quick is Don Quixote, albeit a modern Don Quixote in a thoroughly modern setting with a modern corporate enemy (Windmill Transport). Donna Franceschild (who also did the tv adapation of Eureka Street by Robert McLiam Wilson) captures something of the dreamer-influencing-reality spirit of the original book in her screenplay for this telemovie. I found myself entranced by the production, going from desperation with the circumstances of of the Pannick family (Katy Murphy turning in a wonderful performance as Lucy Pannick, caretaker of her mentally disabled brother and senile grandmother, girlfriend to the somewhat abusive Clive) to the belief in the grand schemes of Donovan Quick (Colin Firth). What occurs in the confrontation between Donovan and Windmill Transport and what happens in the final twist ending I won't reveal here - go out, find a copy of this telemovie and see it for yourself.

(And for Colin Firth fans - this is a must! As Donovan Quick, Firth gives a brilliant demonstration of his abilities as a character actor, not just as a handsome leading man.)

I first watched this when it was first shown 21 years ago, enjoyed it then. Over the years, I'd forgotten about it, then for whatever reason it popped up in my memory again. Kept looking out for it for ages, then I spotted it showing on BBC Scotland as I was channel hopping. Still as enjoyable as it was when I first watched it. Great performances by all, especially Colin Firth and Katy Murphy. It's well worth seeking out for a decent BBC Drama.