While book sites and blogs may be wary of turning their attention too directly towards mere television, it’s interesting how often conversation in the smoky, after hours underworld of the comments section turns to favourite series. Here, The Fiction Desk takes a look at some of the television programs most often cited and loved by the acolytes of the printed page.
Brideshead Revisited
Not the recent film adaptation (which is rarely spoken of in polite company), but the 1981 series of Brideshead Revisited, starring Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews. The series follows Evelyn Waugh’s novel scrupulously, and is often held up as the high-water mark of television adaptations. The strong cast also includes John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, and Jeremy Irons delivers a real love-it-or-hate-it narration. (Appreciation for the show relies heavily on tolerance for Jeremy Irons.) The performances are helped by Waugh’s plot, strong writing, an unending series of beautiful locations, and a stirring score. Some people even prefer the series to the novel, and I may well be one of them.
The Jewel in the Crown
Three years after Brideshead Revisited, ITV scored another success with The Jewel in the Crown, an adaptation of Paul Scott’s Raj Quartet. In terms of production quality, this was the mixture as before: Strong performances (Art Malik and Charles Dance are both solid, Peggy Ashcroft poignant, and Tim Pigott-Smith demonic) and writing combined with stunning location filming around India. Much as I love Brideshead, the complexity and depth of Jewel in the Crown may make it my personal favourite on this list.
I, Claudius
Back to the seventies and channel-hopping to the BBC for I, Claudius, based on the novel (and its sequel) by Robert Graves. It’s a very theatrical adaptation—all static sets and porridge makeup—and can take a while to get used to, but once you’re sucked in, there’s no denying the strengths of the series, which includes early performances from John Hurt and Patrick Stewart, among others. Derek Jacobi plays Claudius, and Christopher Biggins appears as a horribly sticky young Nero. The series encompasses both novels, and the general consensus seems to be that I, Claudius the book is better than the series, but that the series is better than second book Claudius the God.
Just don’t try showing it to an Italian: it doesn’t matter how good the rest of us think Brian Blessed’s performance is, the Italians will never accept Augustus as a rotund Yorkshireman.
The Wire
Every couple of years, the press gets overexcited about a new television series. “It’s like a novel!” they cry. “It’s killed the novel!” they add. For a while, The Sopranos was king of the bibliocides, but it pales in comparison to HBO’s The Wire. Series creator David Simon set out to show us the underbelly of Baltimore in all its violence and futility, examining different elements of the city in each series: the city’s betrayal of the working class, the failing school system, and the media who report it are all woven into the overall story of cop Jimmy McNulty’s attempts to fight drug trafficking in the city. It’s powerful, strong stuff, and it’s hard to look at other TV shows in the same way after watching it.
Foyle’s War
This is a new discovery for me, following a recommendation from a certain Canadian Kevin. Foyle’s War was intended as a replacement for the recently deceased Inspector Morse in ITV’s schedules. The series is set during World War Two, with each self-contained episode taking us a little further into the war. Foyle is a detective working murders in the town of Hastings, on the south coast of England and therefore a key strategic point in the event of invasion (we learned that one the hard way…). As well as the murder story, each episode explores an element of life in Britain during the war: the home guard, conscientious objectors, the rescue at Dunkirk, racketeering, and the treatment of German and Italian expatriates in Britain are all explored by writer Anthony Horowitz. In fact, one of the series strengths is the subtlety with which Horowitz works the background information and history into the script without it feeling unnatural; there are plenty of prose writers that could learn a great deal from him.
Having concluded the war at the end of its sixth season (fifth in the US, where two seasons were combined into one), Foyle’s War will apparently be back for another season set in the post-war years. Filming’s begun, so we shouldn’t have long to wait…
May 9th, 2009 at 8:45 am
Haha, I agree with the bit about Augustus. As an Italian, that’s the only show of these that I’m not able to watch. The rest I love.
May 9th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Ah, Petu… if only you knew what you were missing…
May 10th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
I’m happy you are enjoying Foyle’s War and thanks for the data that a new season is being filmed. Can’t wait.
We do own DVD sets of all your selections and I agree with your assessment — Foyle’s War is my favorite. Here are a few others to consider:
1. A Dance to the Music of Time — the film version is excellent on the first eight books (a lot of setting shots helps) and then gets wonky as the books get more complex (and better). Still worth watching.
2. The Sword of Honour Trilogy. More Waugh, not as good as Bridie, but still an enjoyable evening or two.
3. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley’s People. LeCarre is one of my “escapist” authors and how can you go wrong with Alec Guiness as your star. These two rate right up there with your top four.
4. The Sandbaggers. Max Cairnduff from Pechorin’s Journal put us on to these — three seven episode seasons from 1979-80. Surprisingly high production values for a 30-year-old series and a great story (MI6 is what it is about). Without spoiling it, it is the only television I know that just when you think they are establishing a new continuing character they kill him/her. Excellent work.
5. Deadwood. Another HBO effort but stop after Season Two — it goes badly downhill.
We do have 12 discs of the Pallisers and I do like Trollope but I can’t get my wife interested in starting it. I’d appreciate thoughts from anyone who has seen it. And good North American that I am, I have not watched even one episode of Inspector Morse but have ordered the set in preparation for next winter.
Great post, Rob. Some nights good literary television is just as good, maybe better, than a good book.
May 11th, 2009 at 1:47 am
Hi Kevin, thanks for adding to the list!
I must admit, the only series I’ve seen on your extended list is Tinker, Tailor. I didn’t get on with at the time – couldn’t connect somehow – but one day I’m sure I’ll return to try again. Dance… and Sword of Honour are two series that I’d very much like to see. I don’t know much about Deadwood, but somehow I got the sense that it might be one of those series that mistakes negative for profound… am I off the mark here?
One thing I meant to say about Foyle’s War but forgot is that it has an incredible number of cast members from Brideshead and Jewel in the Crown in it. There was one episode that had at least two actors from each series, which I’m sure wasn’t a coincidence. And did you spot poor pus-footed Kurt as the German spy in Fifty Ships?
I hope you enjoy Morse. Not every episode is perfect, but when it’s at its best, it’s an excellent series. Perhaps the highlight is the penultimate episode, The Wench is Dead.
May 11th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
I haven’t seen any of these series. However I do own Paul Scott’s novel Staying On, which is not part of the Raj Quartet. Does that count?
Friends of mine recommend the series To Serve Them All My Days, based on R.F. Delderfield’s engrossing novel of a schoolteacher’s life. The series would be of a similar vintage to Brideshead and Raj, I think?
May 11th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I have a feeling that Staying On shares some characters with the Raj Quartet, but not sure…
To Serve Them All My Days sounds familiar. Time for some IMDb’ing.
May 11th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
I remember To Serve Them All My Days and it was very good. It has been a while since I read The Raj Quartet but I did treat myself to the new Folio Society version recently, so next time I can read it in hardcover.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Sounds like I’d better keep an eye out for To Serve Them All My Days. I finally found a (paperback) edition of the Raj Quartet without dodgy eighties TV tie-in covers, but still haven’t got around to reading it. I will, though. I will…
May 29th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
I just watched all 5 seasons of The Wire back to back (took me slightly over a week). What it reminds me of, are the BBC twin series Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley’s People. They both breath a sense of realism, inside knowledge and eye for detail that are very similar, as is the way they portray a certain time and subculture, however different.