ANeary

Lovers of the novel will find little to fault here.

Anyone seeking refuge from the 2022 travesty with the same name will be delighted by the faithfulness to the novel and fine performances throughout. There is appropriate deference to Austen's literary genius - not a lame excuse to diminish her work as a simplistic "rom-com".

I was lucky enough to see this at the theatre in Stratford, and took the opportunity to see it in my local cinema when it was transmitted live a couple of weeks later.

It was surprisingly like being there for real, while at the same time, being able to see things you wouldn't be able to see when seated in the theatre. The quality of filming & direction was excellent, much higher than I have seen in other filmed live performances.

Greg Doran keeps the work in period (as opposed the modern dress Hamlet). The RSC still reigns supreme for Shakespeare (as well it should) and the verse is well-spoken. Tennant is charismatic as usual; Jane Lapotaire astonishing in her pivotal scene.

Highly recommended.

Jericho is a middle-aged over-achieving Scotland Yard detective, tormented by witnessing the death of his father as a child. This may sound somewhat formulaic, but that would be unfair to this tremendous series. The evocation of 1950s London is superb: even down to details like a "blink-and-you-miss-it" sign in a window advertising for tenants stating "no Blacks, no Irish" (A common sight in post-war Britain: I can vouch for this - my parents were Irish and told me about it).

The performances are superb, and the cast includes the cream of British acting: Robert Lindsay of course, but also Peter Bowles, James Wilby, Jane Horrocks, among others.

Anyonewho has seen "Foyle's War" will appreciate the sense of period and the way the stories intelligently explore contemporary issues. Highly recommended.