cannygeet

I remember the first time I saw "In Bed". I had got in late from a Saturday night out. Turned on the TV and spent half an hour bent double with tears streaming from my eyes. No, it wasn't a dodgy kebab. It was Bob Mills hilarious commentary. The programme had its weak parts. The terrible puns for different products at the start and the 'microwave' weekly joke produced hits and misses but they were funny in a harmless, charming way. The mickey take of the various programmes was the best. This came ten years before TV Burp and is often funnier as the documentaries show the absurdities of real life. I am lucky enough to have bought the "Best of" which has produced an endless list of quotes that we share with each other. All together now: "That prat answered the door to me....B*llocks!" And the Legend that is Paul Sykes: "I know how you deal with Sharks...You punch them right in the f**kin' ear 'ole!"

I have been a fan of the Messiah series since its beginning way back. The first story was a masterclass in the crime genre being influenced by some of the great cinematic thrillers (namely Se7en). The next two were somewhat of a disappointment (although never being THAT bad) as they never quite reached the dizzy heights of the first Messiah. And now we get to Messiah IV: The Harrowing.

This is a return to form for Red and his team. Gone are the sub plots concerning his wife or the rest of the squad (although one of his squad are linked to one of the deaths that kicks off the story). This allows for a tighter story that keeps the Police/Killer relationship central to the narrative.

Without going into detail the killer in this instance is offing people in the manner that sinners are punished in Dante's Inferno. This literary reference lifts this thriller into something out of the ordinary.

Cracking acting from all (especially Ken Stott whom I hope continues to make these ad infinitum) and some great directing ensures an excellent 3 hours worth of television.

My only problem is with the writer who seems to have shamelessly ripped off Matthew Pearl's superb novel 'The Dante Club'. If this is not the case then I would like to be proved wrong.

Above all: a return to form for my favourite BBC drama.

For a long while Stoke-on-Trent meant very little to those outside of the staffordshire area. Rhyming slang for homosexuality, oatcakes, 'May and mar Lady' and the slogan in the Shopping centre that reads 'Tek yer tarme and 'av a good nose rind'...that was it! But at last a piece of drama has shown the trials and tribulations of a family at work in the pottery industry. The script is sharp with some good performances from all involved. Even the extras do an excellent job (particularly the episode in the museum where two of the extras -one young and handsome; the other a bit grizzly- admire a piece of pottery in an utterly convincing way!)

If you get a chance to watch this on repeat I advise that you do. The episodes sag in the middle but the story keeps you hooked through the ups and downs of the tempestuous storyline.