I love politics drama, but this one just didn't fire on any cylinder.
Firstly they start with the end - thus immediately popping the balloon of where this story was going.
They never really built the narrative of where the UK was, and where Thatcher was at the time. The supporting characters came in and out, but they never really told the story of what led to Thatcher's downfall. A few grumbles in a hallway, then you're meant to emotionally invest in the outcome.
I felt the writers were trying to find positive in Thatcher even if they found it hard. I may be wrong, but they just stuck on certain talking points like being able to succeed whatever your background. It kept coming up again and again like it was the only positive thing they could latch on to with a complicated character in UK history.
Even tension around the final interview is kind of zapped by the execution. With the by-the-numbers extras commenting on the broadcast, thus explaining to you what you are meant to be thinking rather than really letting the interview stand on its own legs.
Frost vs Nixon, this was not.
In terms of the actors I think the actress taking on Margaret did very well even if she did go a bit Esther Rantzen at times.
The actor playing Brian... well when he was in the interview scenes it snapped me back to the 80s when I was kid. I remember seeing him interview on TV even if I didn't 'get it' as I was quite young, but I immediately was back there. Outside of the interview scenes he could have been anyone.
This could have been a lot more overall. I think it was a tenuous basis for a show, and then they failed to really capitalise on what was on offer.
Not awful, but quite limp.
