soundwright

The hallmark of good british crime dramas has always been roles being under played with dignity and respect for the viewers. In this one the lead actress gets a pass, just, but the important roles played by Adjoa Andoh and Mark Lewis Jones were unforgivably hamed up with a mix of amateur overacting and hyper theatrical speech that any director worth paying should have put a stop to immediately. That is what they are paid for. The younger cast members deported themselves well and I hope the self-indulgent performances of their elders does not rub off on them. Happy Valley and Marcella are modern examples of directors keeping tight reins on theatrical indulgence by actors, but casting should also answer for giving roles to those already guilty of overplaying roles in the past. Adjoa Andoh and Mark Lewis Jones have form.

The list of things gone wrong with this is best left to others, suffice to say it is a great old story ruined by modern sensibilities and fear of upsetting the precious and fragile weaklings we think our children are. The production company deserves a participation trophy at best. You know what I mean, an award for turning up. I seriously hope there was no public money spent on this mess. When this sort of thing happens I always hope that the people responsible get told in no uncertain terms that this is not what the consumers want. Better still send a message to every production company by not giving whoever made this any more work.

Who thought this was a good idea?

If ever there was proof that Australian TV is a cultural desert, here it is. Also proof that you need a lot more than the inclusion of minorities and "box ticking" to make something memorable in a good way. Not a single laugh out loud moment in the first episode, or any tangible pathos or even a moment of authentic affection. All hallmarks of the original series. Why do we not have any directors who will play a straight bat with the "talent" and tell them that this is not Home And Away and you need to show some skills here. Denise Scott may have pulled it off with a proper script but the casting just didn't work.