Sparkhouse

So the whole thing kinda left me underwhelmed. I'm a massive 'At Home With The Braithwaites' fan and was very interested to see what the writer, director and star could produce over on the BBC.

It was sentimental and sensationalist. Her sister being her daughter? That was old way before Eastenders did it. Carol smashing up a car and hanging a dog but letting her dad hit her? A 12 year old being pregnant and no-one asking questions? My biggest problem was that Sally Wainwright was supposed to be writing this great passionate love story. A bit of rainy snogging on the moors does not make it passionate. If they were so massively in love with each other then why did they let anything stop them? They played psychological games and deliberately hurt each other. If Carol later picked up sticks with her sister/daughter and went off why couldn't she have done that earlier with Andrew? It was also directed by Robin Sheppard, who did first series work on 'the Braithwaites'.

Okay, enough about the writing. The acting was good. Celia Imrie was pretty classic, as was Nicholas Farrell, though he bore high both physical and character resemblance to David Braithwaite. They were fun. Joe McFadden, whatever. He annoyed my girlfriend almost to the point where she couldn't stand to watch it anymore. And why did he suddenly acquire glasses when he became a teacher? Are they part of the uniform or something? His wife, Becky, was played by Camilla Power. The aforesaid girlfriend occupied herself by persuading me that it was a grown up Jill Pole from the Narnia dramatisations. It was. She was cool. And then of course there was Sarah Smart.

I couldn't believe it when Carol turned up in the posh car with the smooth hair-do. It was certainly a double take moment. Wainwright is certainly very interested in this character. She took Virginia (Ms Smart's wonderful character in 'the Braithwaites'), changed the world around the character and wrote a story. She didn't even change how the character looked. Sarah Smart was good, but she showed us nothing that new. We know she can pull funny faces and swear and shout and be angry and lovely. And I'm ever so pleased she got the chance to play a romantic lead in a big production. I just hope her next role will be more interesting and different.

When the Dutch tv-stations offer only Chuck Norris-movies and news talkshows, I escape to the BBC. On a Sunday night, I fell into Monarch of the Glen and kept watching it. Then came Sparkhouse: a rollercoaster ride of emotions, which still keeps me thinking about the story over and over again. Cast (especially Joseph Mc Fadden and Sarah Smart!!), directing, locations were perfect. BBC, thank you for a fantastic experience!!

Sparkhouse is an update of the classic Wuthering Heights in which the roles of Cathy and Heathcliff are reversed i.e. it is the female character Carol who is the rebellious one in the relationship and is set in present day.

This is one of the most moving TV dramas that I have watched in a long time which owes both to the excellent script and the acting of the cast. Sarah Smart (Carol) and Joseph McFadden (Andrew) have such strong chemistry between them that you really believe in the intensity of heir relationship and are able to understand the motives for all of their actions. Beyond this, what really makes the story so is emotional is the supporting characters. Alun Armstrong plays Carols father with such sensitivity that although you know you should hate him as much as Carol does, you can't help feeling some of the pain he is going through.

On the other side Andrew's, parents add more depth to the story by their constant arguing and hate of each other yet their resilience to stay together both because of Andrew and because they do not know what to out outside of the marriage.

Sparkhouse emotionally illustrates differences between love and sex and shows that while some relationships are necessary for survival, others are so raw and uncontrolled that they can become a destructive power to all involved. There is a fine line between love and jealousy

OK, I'm sick to death of people whining, and saying "Oh, it's so PREDICTABLE, oh it's so MELODRAMATIC, oh it's so UNORIGINAL". Guess what kids - EVERY THEME HAS BEEN DONE. It's no longer a question of fresh, new concepts or ideas, the art is in the FORM. The show had wonderful performances, it was well put-together, and I enjoyed it. Yes, the plot twists have all been done before, the story has been done before (not surprising, since it's a lovely modern retelling of Wuthering Heights), but so what? Just about every flick I see is predictable and hackneyed from a plot perspective, but the WAY the film plays out is what draws my attention.

Watch it, it's another example of a production that would never fly in the US because it's much too basic. Personally, I think Sarah Smart is lovely and very talented, but in the States, they would have selected someone with a following, someone ridiculous like Sara Michelle WhatsHerName and completely ruined it. Not to mention the big budget sets, the cheesy one-liners, and the farm-girls that look like they all stepped out of the Elizabeth Arden spa.

The best drama on UK television since Our Friends in the North. This has everything: brilliant acting (especially from Sarah Smart who should have won a BAFTA), passion, drama, unexpected plot twists, and above all INTENSITY. It's well-written, incredibly moving, and has a real power to it that most TV dramas lack.

Yes, it's based on Wuthering Heights and there are one or two quotes from the book, but it's a million miles away from being plagiarism. I would go so far as to say that it's better than the original, certainly more contemporary, and in many ways quite different.

The fact that this is not available on DVD is a crime!