My review of "A Very English Scandal"
The BBC series "A Very English Scandal" (based on the novel of the same name) focusing on the downfall of former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe, has been one of the most talked about British television programmes this year.
I have watched both episodes that have been broadcast thus far, and the show paints a relatively realistic picture about Jeremy Thorpe's perspective here. It is not surprising that Hugh Grant can play him so well-Mr Thorpe was educated at Eton and Oxford and qualified as a barrister, typical of the old British political elite that has now largely disappeared, and Hugh Grant was educated at Latymer Upper School (a prestigious private school in Hammersmith) and Oxford. Its portrayals of other figures in the story, however, are not nearly as careful or considerate-it overdoes the negativity on its portrayal of Norman Scott aka Norman Josiffe, and is largely one-sided, except for the scenes featuring Rinka, the dog killed within the story. Nowhere else does it try to portray him in a positive light. As for its portrayal of Peter Bessell, it glosses over the fact that Mr Bessell was often siding with the Conservatives on many issues relevant to Britain in the 1960s, including retaining capital punishment and British entry into the Vietnam war, and his opposition to the EEC so strongly supported by the Liberals.
Its portrayal of Emlyn Hooson (Liberal MP for Montgomeryshire from 1962 to 1979) has attracted the most widespread criticism, and for good reason: the real Hugh Emlyn Hooson was not a callous, uncaring machievellian by any means. In fact, he was in a few ways a good Welsh counterpart of Jeremy Thorpe; both North Devon and Montgomeryshire are rural constituencies with a strong Liberal tradition and require considerable local commitment from any MP elected to serve them. Both Messrs Hooson and Thorpe qualified as barristers, although only Mr Hooson practiced law for long enough to become a QC.
The drama's perspective of the story is highly subjective and overly supportive of the elite of British politics. As I said back in 2014, the day after Mr Thorpe's death, the whole story is much more complicated than the programme would have you believe: https://alansgreenthoughts.blogspot.com/2014/12/local-by-election-result-from-51214-and.html
The final episode of this drama will be broadcast tomorrow on BBC1 at 9pm-remember to tune in!
I have watched both episodes that have been broadcast thus far, and the show paints a relatively realistic picture about Jeremy Thorpe's perspective here. It is not surprising that Hugh Grant can play him so well-Mr Thorpe was educated at Eton and Oxford and qualified as a barrister, typical of the old British political elite that has now largely disappeared, and Hugh Grant was educated at Latymer Upper School (a prestigious private school in Hammersmith) and Oxford. Its portrayals of other figures in the story, however, are not nearly as careful or considerate-it overdoes the negativity on its portrayal of Norman Scott aka Norman Josiffe, and is largely one-sided, except for the scenes featuring Rinka, the dog killed within the story. Nowhere else does it try to portray him in a positive light. As for its portrayal of Peter Bessell, it glosses over the fact that Mr Bessell was often siding with the Conservatives on many issues relevant to Britain in the 1960s, including retaining capital punishment and British entry into the Vietnam war, and his opposition to the EEC so strongly supported by the Liberals.
Its portrayal of Emlyn Hooson (Liberal MP for Montgomeryshire from 1962 to 1979) has attracted the most widespread criticism, and for good reason: the real Hugh Emlyn Hooson was not a callous, uncaring machievellian by any means. In fact, he was in a few ways a good Welsh counterpart of Jeremy Thorpe; both North Devon and Montgomeryshire are rural constituencies with a strong Liberal tradition and require considerable local commitment from any MP elected to serve them. Both Messrs Hooson and Thorpe qualified as barristers, although only Mr Hooson practiced law for long enough to become a QC.
The drama's perspective of the story is highly subjective and overly supportive of the elite of British politics. As I said back in 2014, the day after Mr Thorpe's death, the whole story is much more complicated than the programme would have you believe: https://alansgreenthoughts.blogspot.com/2014/12/local-by-election-result-from-51214-and.html
The final episode of this drama will be broadcast tomorrow on BBC1 at 9pm-remember to tune in!
Comments
Post a Comment