The Crow Road

I remember watching a tape of "The Crow Road" lying on a sofa in some friends' flat on a New Year's Day in Edinburgh in the late Nineties and being captured by the whole "feel" of the mini series. Everything seemed to work beautifully: the cast (including actors who shot to fame later like Dougray Scott), the story (a brilliant family tale/coming-of-age/detective story), the setting... Unfortunately, my friends hadn't taped the end of the series, but luckily there was a BBC video out that I got a few weeks later in addition to reading the book at the first possibility. Every year, I make sure that I watch the mini series at least once, because it is the best adaptation of the many brilliant books by Iain Banks.

Brian Elsley's enormously commendable adaptation of Iain Banks' brilliant but seemingly unfilmable complex novel benefits from a witty, beautifully literate script and a strong cast, spearheaded by an immensely charismatic Joe McFadden as Prentice, the young Scot with the large, quirky circle of family and friends who gradually unravels a web of dark secrets. Bill Patterson is also worthy of note as the story-weaving, staunchly aetheist father, and the whole is a gripping, quietly stunning example of just how good BBC drama serials can be.

My wife bought me this for Xmas and we've just finished watching it again. As something of a perfectionist when it comes to adaptations of books I have read (Starship Troopers anybody), I have to say that this one tops the list. If I have to criticise it at all, I'd only say that I'd expected Prentice and Ashley to both be blond. Suffice it to say that this is the only fault I can find both with an exceptional adaptation and a fine set of performances by the whole cast in general and Joseph McFadden in particular.

'The Crow Road' came out at a time when gritty dramas were flavour of the month like 'The Lakes', 'This Life', 'Shockers' etc. but, for me, this was the big stand-out. Mainly because it was so well adapted from the book and because of the great cast. Joseph McFadden, who plays the lead (Prentice McHoan), was relatively unknown at the time, but more than held his own alongside established actors like Bill Paterson & Peter Capaldi. Also the young support cast of Dougray Scott, Valerie Edmond & Simone Bendix play their parts very well. Dougray Scott, in particular, is perfectly cast as Prentice's swaggering, comedian brother.

The director keeps the suspense and mystery going throughout, allowing the story to come together a little at a time, leading on to an explosive finale that I found genuinely surprising.

I don't think I've seen anything else like it.

10/10 Outstanding.

I saw the crow road when it first aired and it was the first BBC drama that I never expected to like but really enjoyed, I could wait to see the next part. Years later when I went to Uni I became friends with a lad who reminded me so much of Prentice and fortunately UK gold began running the series and it has not lost any of the original spark. I would definitely encourage anyone to see the Crow Road, it is both funny and captivatingly mysterious, containing excellent performances from all the cast especially Prentice.