A Bit of Fry and a Bit of Laurie
Well, who could’ve predicted the winding career paths of Messrs Fry and Laurie after they first came to our attention in the early days of Saturday Live, Blackadder and A Bit Of Fry and Laurie? A lot of water has passed under many a bridge since then but we now find each of them in weekly doses in two astonishingly different drama series. In fact, “drama” is quite a strong word to describe Kingdom. A classic, British, Sunday night viewing experience in the style of Heartbeat, i.e. it should only be any good if you are a viewer of a certain age and disposition (though I’ll try not to stereotype). However, a massive audience was secured for the first episode that told a sleepy, genteel tale that was set in a sleepy, genteel town that had some lovely touches throughout. For example, the little, old lady who Stephen Fry’s character, Peter Kingdom was desperate to avoid; a backstory that looks set to continue concerning Kingdom’s missing brother, Simon; and a bit part for Tony Slattery who has been sorely missed on our screens for quite some time. Woven into the opening tale were some classic slices of Fry effrontery as elements of alcoholism, male prostitution and disability were presented as a simple part of community life that went almost unnoticed until I thought about it a bit later and realised how brave a decision it was. Good characters too: Fry himself was as watchable as ever, Hermione Norris was amazingly different from her last TV outing on Spooks and even the more minor characters like Lyle and Gloria were lovingly crafted. Not to everyone’s taste but worth staying with, I suspect.
Over on five, in that most popular of slots “Thursday at nine” we have the third series of House in full flow. Hugh Laurie’s move across the Atlantic is certainly starting to pay dividends as well as a pair of Golden Globes. The format remains rigidly unchanged with an opening scene that plays out like a game of “guess who’s gonna collapse?”, then we fast forward past the titles to run through a series of incredibly complex diagnoses until, ultimately, the correct one is revealed by some serendipitous happenstance. Still, it is the character of Gregory House that holds this show together, his acerbic asides and unrelenting sarcasm do not endear himself to anyone (other than us viewers) and neither does his anti-establishment viewpoint but the brilliance of his mind leaves those around him having to put up with it. The current crop of episodes features David Morse as a detective who House has antagonized during an appointment and seems set on revenge against our eponymous anti-hero. It all makes for a great show although I don’t know how long the viewers will stay loyal to it.
I do hope that we see Fry and Laurie together again at some point soon (a single episode of QI is all I can recall of late) as they are becoming too an interesting a double-act to keep apart.
Tags: Five, Hermione-Norris, House, ITV, Kingdom, Modern Drama, Stephen-Fry, Tony-Slattery
