Sparkhouse

Never really watched other wainright series "at home with the braithwaights." but this is magnificant. Two main stars are brilliant. In this modern version of wuthering heights the roles of cathy and heathcliff are swapped. The son of a doctor and the abused daughter of a local alcoholic farmer have a passionate obsessive love affair. Thwarted by his snobbish parents and some very personal home truths, the two are forced apart. He leaves to go to university. The events then take on both the Brontee and also more modern slants. The direction is fast paced and uses the moors in most scenes and is a piece of absolutely fantastic very grabbing television. Is just unmissable tv!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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.

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.

Feel a bit guilty about not watching this properly - was tired after a hard day of landscape gardening and got some beers in, sat down next to the box, put it on indiscriminately and thought "this'll do" and then watched it like a vegetable. Didn't know anything about the show and hadn't seen the write ups, but watched both the episodes shown together thinking it was very realistically put together (the fight sequences in 'real time' for instance, and the was he/wasn't he really there images in the ruined old house. Yes, love CAN send you nuts!) Genuine tension and emotion, went to bed and woke up thinking I'd dreamt it! Thought it was a dream about Wuthering Heights, read the book 20 years ago. Haven't stopped thinking about it now for about 3 days so in my opinion at least it's good if it leaves a thoughtful/lasting impression on you. Which is a lot more than can be said about some of the complete rubbish that comes out of Hollywood! Well done, gave it 9/10.

OK it's very melodramatic, but what acting by the two leads! Both of them are excellent in this. I've seen Sarah Smart do a similar 'act' in other things. Whatever it is, she does it very well.

Joe McF plays his passionate and emotional part very well here. I know he irritates some reviewers by his 'soppiness' in this, but that's the character.

I'm surprised that Sparkhouse did not catapult both of them into much greater prominence. Joe McF, in particular, seems almost to have disappeared from the screen.

By the way, I also think Camilla Power is good in her rather thankless role. To think she was once in Narnia! Richard Armitage also does well here, but doubt I'll ever understand the adulation he seems to attract.