Robert Hardy

Reminded me of much missed Juzo Itami's films.

Very poor, with a dreadfully sub standard script, splendid costumes and pretty sets but uninvolving with no tension or ambition to do the subject justice.

I'm not an enormous fan of the book, which I completed over several days reading in chunks from different parts of the text in different orders. The original film though flawed I think catches the spirit of the book quite well and has some fantastic moments but I found the first episode of this as dull as ditch water, too much reverence for the book and insufficient anger, an adaptation made by and for people too comfortable in their present situation.

I find Catherine Tate very annoying, watched the first episode in the vacuum left by the end of Man like Mobeem but it was so shouty and empty of genuine pathos or real wit. Unlikely to watch another.