It's good to be English. There are loads of reasons for this, none of which conflict with my pro-Europe stance. I do not believe being pro-Europe is anti-English, in fact the most fanatical of Europeans are often the most patriotic for their homeland. Hence, Germany as a big European player has a very strong sense of nationality, which has not been diluted by the Euro currency or European laws on human rights etc. Ditto France. Ditto Spain. Ditto Italy. All have remained fiercely proud of their national identity. I'm also OK with being British as well, but despise the Little Britain mentality of small minded island race bigotry which says that for some reason we are better than Johnny Foreigner.
However, one bastion of Englishness and Britishness envied by all others is The BBC. I have a logo on the page declaring my support for this organization and have often posted before about it, specifically the fantastic value we ALL get for around 35 per day, without a single advert in sight. So, once again its hats off to them for yet another innovative and compelling piece of drama in the form of Life on Mars, aired for the first time last night. Starring the marvellous John Simm and Phillip Glenister it is the story of a copper transported from 2006 back to 1973. Well, in fact he's hit by a car in 2006 and the assumption is he is in a coma and all the 1973 stuff is happening in his head whilst he fights for life in hospital. The show is made by Kudos productions who made Spooks, another of my favourite shows and is fast becoming one of the most classy of independent TV production stables around. However, this is not just simple time travel, with the usual paradoxes and conundrums. No, this is about the capability for someone to accept massive change and to do the best they can when things change beyond all reality. A sort of Groundhog Day scenario without the constant repetition. But what wins me over the most is the attention to detail in the nostalgia-fest for everyone over 40. The little touches like flowery wallpaper, TV's with no remote control, old news bulletins featuring Robert Dougall as the newscaster, a Cortina Mk3 Ghia with Vinyl roof, an 8-track as the music system in a Rover car. The list just goes on, wonderful shots down streets lined with parked Austin Allegro's, Vauxhall Viva's and Morris Marina's, a vinyl record shop with listening booth playing "Teenage Wasteland" by The Who and Simms characters reference to buying his first record there - Cars by Gary Numan, not released until 1979. And of course the Sweeney like attitudes of 1970's British police. A sexist environment where women police are referred to as "skirts" and charged with making tea or filing paperwork, where all the men made jokes about a recently murdered woman because of her alleged sexual exploits, a police station where smoking in the office is de rigour, and a world of no computers or mobile phones. The look on Simm characters face when he learns it will take two weeks to get some lab results back because it's all done by post is priceless. Alongside this there is the intriguing story of the link between a murder in 2006 and something very similar in 1973. It is a series so I guess each week there'll be something different story wise with the underlying story-arc around the time travel bit and how they wrap it up will be intriguing to say the least - I wouldn't imagine it's a multi-series...err...series if you get my drift.
However it is simply indicative of how a public funded service can be innovative, different, take risks and produce high quality drama. To put it into context, the offering on ShiteTV last night was the abysmal Soapstar Superstar. Need I say more?
Later, Grocerjack
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