The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies

I had never heard of either Christopher Jefferies or the other people involved in the murder of his neighbour but then I don't read UK Tabloids.

Christopher Jefferies, is from the start, an unusual man.

When a female neighbour is murdered it appears that the police find no alternative other than to make him the prime suspect. He has (1) a Donald Trump style hair do (2) is correct (3) doesn't watch television and so is unaware of 'Strictly Come Dancing' and other elements of pop-culture and (4) speaks in a stilted fashion.

When he is arrested, he deals with the police questions with dignity. Of course, if he had had the natural reaction, they would have considered this evidence of his violent nature.

The performance echoed, for me, Toby Jones performance in 'Marvellous', of another unusual character.

The way that the media treats somebody that catches their focus becomes a huge part of the story. We could all have our lives turned inside out if newspapers printed photos of us next to headlines saying how odd we were.

Its unfair that people who are slightly odd (as we all are ) are so easily judged.

A thought provoking drama I'm glad I watched.

An acting tour de force! Extraordinary! Jason Watkins is absolutely amazing. This is a kind of exploration of character that requires the deepest understanding of the craft of acting.

This is all a true story told with care and respect about the horrifying behavior of the British Press, the terrible consequences of being falsely accused of murder, and the possibility of human beings to change, even when they are convinced they are set in their ways for life.

I highly recommend this film.

It's available on Netflix.

The drama portrays very sensitively a particular individual in extraordinary circumstances. The acting by Jason Watkins is outstanding, using subtleties of body language/tone to convey the oddities of an individual while allowing a balanced impression of the whole human being to come through. The script also, importantly, seemed respectful of the family tragedy at the heart of the story.

There has been a comment that the drama is 'propaganda for the Leveson inquiry'. However, the drama is ultimately about media intrusion into private lives so inevitably must make reference to Leveson; it would be quite an omission if it didn't! So there is no point criticising it for that. I am no great fan of ITV but 'hats off' to them for broadcasting this; what is more worth criticising is the lack of exposure by all other media outlets of an excellent drama.

By the way, I haven't used the word 'eccentric' in the above because actually we are all odd in our ways - every one of us - which is why the message from the film is so very important. Its about protecting individuals from the media machine, not about protecting so-called 'eccentrics'.

Excellent acting by a great ensemble cast, but overwhelmingly by Jason Watkins, make this both a meditation on the human condition in a media saturated age, and a gently ironic portrayal of a true 'eccentric' which never descends into parody. Leaves the viewer with lots of food for thought about how our society deals with "difference", how individuals see themselves, and how lazy thinking can seduce even the best intentioned.

My review is in no way going to be as comprehensive as those that precede me as I feel are already more than adequate. I was, however, intrigued by the review of drywontonmee and his/her scepticism about the inclusion of the Leveson Inquiry...... maybe it was indulged promotion but maybe it was relevant to the timelines and the actual events that did follow!!

Whilst it states it is a drama based on real events, it doesn't go as far as to say how much is truth and how much is 'imagined or suggested' and which parties (if any) were consulted/involved.

I remember this case as I returned from living in the US for 6 months on 30th Dec 2010 and I remember the footage of Christopher Jefferies being taking into custody. What I had no awareness of was his subsequent release or the subsequent conviction of Vincent Tabak, nor of the efforts of Mr Jefferies to clear his name and defamation of character and so, I am glad that I watched this which set the record straight in addition to enjoying it as a drama on TV.