The Hour [television]
I enjoyed The Hour. In case you haven't seen it, it's a new drama on BBC2, set in 1956. I was probably watching it with slightly different hopes than most vintage bloggers because of my love of old crime and thriller stories. Having noticed that it was supposed to be a conspiracy story, my real hopes were that it would be more Eric Ambler than Ian Fleming.
The first episode sees female journalist Bel Rowley and her colleague Freddie Lyon leaving their work on newsreels to help set up a new current affairs programme, The Hour, fronted by Hector Madden. Initially, as Freddie is filming a society engagement, we see the newly-engaged debutante trying to phone a man, who then gets his throat cut. She contacts Freddie, saying it wasn't the simple street robbery it appeared to be, and that she could be killed for talking to him. Freddie starts looking into things, and I will say no more about that first episode.
People looking for a 50s fashionfest will probably be disappointed, as will anyone looking for something sugary. I really hope the story isn't going to get sidetracked by the possibility of Bel and Hector having a relationship (he's married, so it's probably a certainty...) or, worse, a Freddie-Bel-Hector love triangle, with Hector's wife popping up occasionally to make things really annoying. If The Hour stays focussed on the thriller side of things, I'm going to enjoy it lots.
The first episode sees female journalist Bel Rowley and her colleague Freddie Lyon leaving their work on newsreels to help set up a new current affairs programme, The Hour, fronted by Hector Madden. Initially, as Freddie is filming a society engagement, we see the newly-engaged debutante trying to phone a man, who then gets his throat cut. She contacts Freddie, saying it wasn't the simple street robbery it appeared to be, and that she could be killed for talking to him. Freddie starts looking into things, and I will say no more about that first episode.
People looking for a 50s fashionfest will probably be disappointed, as will anyone looking for something sugary. I really hope the story isn't going to get sidetracked by the possibility of Bel and Hector having a relationship (he's married, so it's probably a certainty...) or, worse, a Freddie-Bel-Hector love triangle, with Hector's wife popping up occasionally to make things really annoying. If The Hour stays focussed on the thriller side of things, I'm going to enjoy it lots.
If you're in the UK and missed it, the first episode of The Hour is available on iPlayer.
I thought the first half hour was a bit scrappy and hard to follow. The second half really started to pick up though, I think it could be a really good story.
ReplyDeleteTerrible styling though, really, such a shame :o)
mentally marking...we might get it in a couple of years....
ReplyDeleteRetro Chick, I'm just waiting for someone to do a style analysis of it (hint hint!) as I don't know enough about the 50s look to get it right.
ReplyDeleteFabriqueFantastique, it might come to BBC Canada.
Oh, so it wasn't just me, being lost at the beginning. :-) This first episode was promising, I'm curious about the rest and your comments on it.
ReplyDelete