Upright

Superb. Compelling. Funny. Emotional. Just got better and better with every episode. The best of Oz filming. Tim Minchin and Milly were absolutely absolutely absolutely superb.

Absolutely love Tim's previous work but this is gold. And couldn't recommend it more, Laughed and Cried what more do you want.

I can't imagine what is going on in the minds of the few low rating reviews. This is top-notch TV. It is, as intended, frequently comedic and in places hilarious, but the unfolding of the three main characters (including the piano) and their secrets and histories is delightful, done via odd but believable encounters with various groups of quirky incidental characters which occur in mostly remote, often amusing and sometimes quite stunning locations. The direction and camera work is great too, infusing the austerity of Australian outback with colour and life.

I'll start by confessing that Tim Minchin has done nothing. NOTHING for me in his fairly long and, largely, highly succesful career, so when it was suggested I watch this I doubted I'd get past episode one.

How wrong could I have been?

By the end of episode eight, binged in two days, the tears rolled down my cheeks.

It's bawdy, ballsy, rude, ridiculous, hilarious, breathtaking, touching, sincere and is based on a largely unpredictable storyline that twists and turns like a Tasmanian Devil.

It also features a stand out, frankly equal footing, performance by 19 year old Australian actress, Milly Alcock, remember that name, she's the next Margot Robbie.

A truly excellent TV series, right up there with Succession, Fleabag and Chernobyl as my favourites of 2019.

The road movie is a rich and often mined creative seam. Think Easyrider, Thelma and Louise and even Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart in African Queen. In Upright we have the classic formula of two misfits with different and sometimes competing agendas thrown together. While this could easily have descended into cliché, this is far from the case here. Tim MInchin, is brilliant and moving in portraying a character falling apart psychologically as he endeavours to face his demons. Milly Alcock is a mini powerhouse of kickass attitude whose drive and stickability as she warms to the task of ensuring the piano reaches its goal is both endearing and poignant. The final episode is moving but not in a maudlin way as it draws together the points that have been alluded to by means of flashbacks throughout the earlier scenes. The metaphor occupied by the piano as the central point of the series is a brilliant piece of writing. Some of the scenes, without giving too much away, for example the horse being replaced by the piano in the horse box, is priceless. R H Young (Dhanmondi Road 2019)