laduqesa

Well, another one I just switched off after ten minutes. This was so artificial, so boring, so twee that I was actually getting cross with myself for watching it.

The situation just wasn't real and related to nothing in my life or experience.

Lovely seats in the church though! I thought pews were meant to be hard and wooden to concentrate the faithful.

I hate leaving short reviews but there there's little to say about this tosh.

So many shows nowadays seem to have an indulged, spoilt brat who needs a sharp lesson to get over herself. It's worse here as she seems to have the run of Number 10 and access to state secrets.

Another weakness in the series was the utter absence of security for family members. When the terrorist threat level is critical, the Prime Minister's father does not lie in a hospital bed without armed guards. Nor does her husband go to remote areas of the jungle without protection.

There are other lacunae but I don't want to get into spoiler territory. Let it be said that if one can put one's sense of reality aside, this series was fun and a rollicking ride through French and UK politics.

The programme made a good stab at trying to be real but it has to be remembered that the whole thing is a fantasy, albeit an entertaining one. I watched it all within twenty four hours. Have a look for a way to mindlessly spend a few hours but don't expect a screen version of The Crossman Diaries.

This was good enough to watch virtually back to back over thirty six hours. I'll describe the major flaw first - the actual perp was not introduced into the story until the final episodes, making it impossible to use one's investigative skills to work out who it was. As soon as he came into the frame, it was obvious who was committing the gruesome murders and why.

The series unflinchingly portrayed a France of thirty years ago as well as the present day. There was so much racist hatred back then even decades after Algerian independence. But one thing was emphasised and I think it's important - the hatred came from right-wing "anciens combattants" and not from actual "pieds noirs" who had lived there for decades or had families there stretching back generations. I know many of the latter category and they are normal, decent people, often speaking Arabic in street markets with Algerian immigrants.

The series also spoke about the unbridled powers of local French mayors and the influence they wielded which led almost inevitably to corruption on a grand scale. And it also outlined the personal dilemmas of ordinary people in trying to overcome these obstacles.

A "woke" epilogue apart, this series was totally appropriate for the times. Good acting, believable personalities, true-to-life situations.

There won't be another season which is a shame; the series was self contained. I recommend this wholeheartedly.