Growing up in the age of Judith Krantz, Sidney Sheldon and Jackie Collins, I was in love with the blockbuster novel and the inevitable TV miniseries. Thomas Thompson's Celebrity was one of the most enthralling, as both novel and TV spectacular. It was a story that stayed with me forever.
Of course, one could say it is pure schlock, but this is A-Grade schlock, a big sprawling tale of three Texan boys caught in the trap of fame, told with unapologetic bravado.
TJ Luther (Beck) becomes a charismatic preacher at the bizarre City of Miracles. Mackenzie Crawford (Bottoms) becomes a beefcake movie star after a football injury. Kleber Cantrell (Masters) becomes, like Thomas Thompson himself, an award-winning journalist. The bonds of friendship are tested by fame, betrayal and violence.
Most pulpy and fabulous miniseries of the 80s focused on female protagonists - Sidney Sheldon was famous for his strong heroines, Jackie Collins has her set of Hollywood wives, actresses and mistresses, and Judith Krantz had her impossibly romantic female leads - so it was refreshing to see the multi-character blockbuster format populated with three male characters.
Writers would do well to delve into the elements that made it so successful: a central secret, a fascinating historical backdrop, a sensational murder trial and, of course, lashings of sex and scandal. For me, Thomas Thompson was a blue-collar Truman Capote, who told his stories with vigour and without pretension. It's still a damn good story.
