The Hour

[DanaC]

I'm really into the new BBC drama The Hour, and whilst trying to find a viewable from the US clip, I came across an advert for it for BBC America. So, looks like it will be airing over there. I really recommend this. It's great fun, dark, occasionally humourous, great mystery, and luscious to look at. Awesome cast too. It's like a who's who of British character actors. Including Dominic West, of The Wire fame.

The ad is for a drama showcase series that BBC A will be running, and I noticed Luther and the original State of Play mini series. Luther is also a very entertaining show, if a tad silly/quirky at times. Again, another star of The Wire, Idris Elba in the lead.

But the one (apart from The Hour obviously) people really should look out for is State of Play, if you've only ever seen the film, then do not miss the original tv mini series. It's one of the best tv dramas of recent years with some of the tightest writing, and best acting you could hope for. Much more subtle than the film.

[Rrrraven]

Looks like my kind of program. I was able to save it in my Netflix queue - which is a good sign. State of Play, the series was already in my queue - my oldest daughter who is a BBC fan must have placed it there. I've added the movie as well. Thanks for the suggestions.

[DanaC]

I came across a really good review of The Hour in NYDailyNews:

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...=entertainment

If you're a fan of high-quality, deliberately paced period drama, you need to check out "The Hour," a BBC mystery thriller set in 1956 London.

On the other hand, if you think "deliberately paced period drama" is just a nice way to say "it puts me to sleep," then "The Hour" probably will do just that.

"The Hour" is set in a British television newsroom, where a new program - excuse me, programme - called "The Hour" is being launched in an attempt to get away from the staid, dry, dull news shows of the past.

The drama revolves around three characters involved in that broadcast.

Dominic West plays Hector Madden, the suave, well-educated, well-bred and well-married fellow who has been hired as the primary anchor.

Romola Garai plays Bel Rowley, who has been hired as the producer. Women just didn't get that kind of position back then, so she's battling the boys while trying to keep her personal life in some sort of balance.

Ben Whishaw plays Freddie Lyon, a sarcastic, exasperated and fanatically committed young journalist who won't quit a story until he has asked all the questions.

Because Freddie is Bel's protegé, she hires him for "The Hour," where his relentlessness plunges him, and ultimately the show, into a dark world of high-stakes international Cold War intrigue.

The characters are similarly elusive, which can make them either frustrating or intriguing.

Freddie is also annoying, which makes him a multidimensional good guy, while Hector can be either evasive or simply aloof. Either way, West underplays him beautifully.

The star, though, is Bel, in whom Garai conveys poignant vulnerability under the smoldering intensity of a Lauren Bacall or Katharine Hepburn.

Her performance alone makes "The Hour" worth watching.

[DanaC]

Oooh. And there's a clip from the first episode on the tube now it's shown in America:

In this clip, brilliant & outspoken journalist Freddie Lyon (Ben Whishaw) joins the new news program The Hour, but his merriment is short-lived as he finds himself closer to unlocking the mysterious death of a local academic

He'd found the cigarette earlier in the episode and given it to the young lad, thinking it was unimportant.

[Sundae]

Romola Garai is lovely.
I carried on watching The Crimson Petal and the White even after Mark Gatiss died, just to see more of her. Oh and in case I saw some more of Chris O'Dowd's cock of course.

I first saw her in I Capture the Castle. I surprised myself by not hating her. I mean she was playing Cassandra Mortmain - how could anyone live up to that? But she did splendidly.

Sorry - The Hour isn't my bag. Just thought I'd jump in and big up Romola.

Ooh! Just watched your clip and saw Burn!
Bless him. He's so distinctive.

[DanaC]

Even better review here:
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertain...better/243741/

Oh I love Burn. He's fucking brilliant in this. Like something straight out of a le Carre novel.

Did you give up after the first episode at all Sundae?

I did too. I watched it on the premier night and ended up drifting off onto the forums halfway through. Wasn't that struck. Then watched episode three just 'cause it was on and it was great. Went back and watched from the start.


Loved Crimson Petal. Garai was awesome in that, as was Chris O'Dowd. I was watching it for Gatiss too initially, but O'Dowd really caught me. Thought he was great. As indeed was Richard E Grant.

[Clodfobble]

Wow, I had no idea that Dominic West is British. His accent in The Wire was perfect.

[Sundae]

But did he sound like he was from Iowa?

[Clodfobble]

No, it was solidly blue-collar Baltimore. Really good.

[DanaC]

Yeah, he's fabulous actor. Hell of a range.

He was brilliant as Oliver Cromwell in some period drama or other I saw a few years ago. Can't recall now, Might have been The Devil's Whore.

I love his accent in The Wire. Well, their accents. I also liked how much dialect speech was in there. Reminded me a lot of working class accents/slang over here.