Loving Miss Hatto

This was an interesting biopic, that showed what someone's love can drive them to.

Based on the true story of Joyce Hatto, a concert pianist, who became famous in her 70s after struggling for most of her life to make it in the classical world, but what later turned out to be all down to a fraud plot. The dramatisation saw how her husband, William Barrington-Coupe's love for his wife would see his determination to make her dream of being recognised for her talent by the classical world a reality by taking recordings from other pianists and tweaking them to sound like how she use to play before she was diagnosed with cancer.

This setting and the script by Victoria Wood, made it a very touching story and it easy for me to emphasis with Joyce and William. It also allowed me to see how they were drawn into making the fraudulent recordings and understand their motives behind doing it. This was done through showing Joyce's struggle to become well known through performing in her 20s, but suffered from terrible nerves and lack of confidence. Then when she does perform it was done in an exceptional standard.

William's support and determination also showed a great strength among the couple and it was good how the story was told mainly from his perspective. Then when the fraud was exposed 6 months after Joyce's death, William defended what they did and stated that Joyce wasn't involved at all int he fraud and thought that the recordings were hers. The dramatisation works well to display this by having Willliam talk to the ghost of Joyce and argue over whose fault it all was and then when he is visited by two ex-pupils of Joyce's and see how much they had faith in her, he decides to defend her honour. This brought I really heart-warming and emotional end to the story.

 Francesca Annis and Alfredo Molina were superb as Joyce and William and the chemistry between the two really worked. Maimie McCoy and Rory Kinnear also gave great performances as the younger versions of the couple.

Doctor Who: Series 7 - The Snowmen

This was a great episode and a good introduction to the new companion, Clara Oswald played by Jenna-Louise Coleman.

I thought this was a really great episode full of twists and turns. The story sees the Doctor now acting as a recluse, with him living in the TARDIS on a cloud. This was a really good idea and I liked how he tried to fight against trying to get involved with the strange happenings around Victorian London. The reintroduction of the characters of Madame Vashtra, Jenny Flint and Strax work well to add to the Doctor's determination to keep out of the affairs of others. I also thought the bit where Clara had to give one word answers and the one she used to convince the Doctor to help was 'pond', was really a nice way to sort of give a nod to Amy and Rory.

The humour of the episode was really good and well placed against the drama of the Snowmen attacks. The concept behind the Snowmen was well thought through and a good balance was made between introducing Clara and bringing the jeopardy to the story. I also liked the new design of the TARDIS and how the episode displayed the classic traits of a new companion introduction with a few twists such as Clara saying 'It's smaller on the inside.' instead of the usual 'It's bigger on inside than on the outside.' The use of the name of the parasite that was in the snow, which was the Great Intelligence, was a curious thing to do as that has been associated with the Yetis back in the classic series, so unless this is pointing to their possible return. Will have to wait and see.

Clara was a very interesting and intriguing character. It was good to see how she seemed to be near the Doctor's equal and the two bounced off each other quite well. I liked how the character changed between different personas and did a good job at showing different sides to Clara. Then when they had killed her off, it came as such a surprise and quite a bold move to play. But when the revelation over her connection to Coleman's role in the early episode, Asylum Of The Daleks, and how Clara - later revealed to be Clara Oswin Oswald - and Oswin Oswald were the same person, who somehow died in two different time periods and then seen alive in the present day, it created a lot of intrigue and made me really want to know more. Now I can't wait for the rest of the series.

Coleman gave a superb performance, making Clara a unique and interesting character, while Matt Smith also gave a great portrayal of a different side to the Doctor. The guest cast, including the return of Neve McIntosh, Dan Starkey and Catrin Stewart, and with Richard E. Grant and Tom Ward, all gave good performances. Sir Ian McKellen and Juliet Cadzow also did great as the voices of the Great Intelligence and the Ice Governess, really adding a lot to the episode.

Merlin: Series 5 - The Diamond Of The Day (Part 2)

So here it is. The last ever episode and the show ended in a very epic and emotional way.

This was a great ending to the series and to the show, full of tension, emotion and tragedy. The continuation from the previous episode of the battles scenes worked really well to create an epic opening to the show and they were shot really well. I liked how powerful Merlin was as the older version of him and it really showed his potential and strength. Then when Mordred confronted Arthur and the vision Merlin saw earlier in the series comes true there is a good deal of tension and the lack of dialogue does well to great a good death scene for Mordred and the mortal wounding of Arthur.

I think that the best thing was the scenes between Merlin and Arthur. Merlin's reveal to Arthur of his magic and Arthur's struggle to accept this, were really strong and very powerful. It was good how throughout the episode Arthur started to understand Merlin and see a different side to magic through Merlin's kindness and friendship with him. Then when Arthur died before Merlin could save him, it was so heartbreaking and very touching and Arthur thanking Merlin was so powerful and well performed by Bradley James and Colin Morgan. Merlin's grief and determination to save Arthur were superbly performed by Morgan, adding a lot of strength to the scenes.

Meanwhile, others character gave a lot to the episode as a whole. Gwen showed a great deal of control and strength, while Morgana displayed increased madness and erratic behaviour, which created a good contrast. While Gwaine and Percival were also given more action and Gwaine's death acted as an initial shock before the dramatic finally. All theses aspects add to a very dramatic and powerful conclusion to the series. I also liked the image at the end of the aged Merlin walking past the same spot that Arthur was buried in the modern day.

Morgan, James, Angel Coulby and Kate McGrath all gave superb performances and have overall really made the series and the show a great success. John Hurt, Richard Wilson, Alexander Vlahos, Eoin Macken, Rupert Young and Tom Hopper have all given great performances and have also added a lot to this final story. I will miss the show a lot.

The Makng Of A Lady

This was a good one-off rages to riches Victorian tale.

Based on the novel, The Making Of A Marchionness by Frances Hogson Burnett, the central character Emily Fox Seton was saved by the harshness of poverty when she decides to accept the offer of marriage, not out of love but of the need of security, from Lord James Walterhurst, the nephew of her once employer Lady Maria Bayne. Within this comes an interesting exploration of the importance of duty and position and how purity and kindness, that Emily showed, suffered.

It was good how Emily and James come to love each, but it was sad how his duty to his family causes this to be damaged. Emily's friendship with Walderhurst's cousin Alec Osborne and his wife Hester. The arrival of these two characters seemed to, as well as give a lot of humour, bring a darker edge tot he story, with Alec's erratic behaviour and them faking an invitation from James from them to stay.

The figures of Ameerah and Mr Litton also add to the episode, with suspicion over their true intentions and it is uncertain for most of the story as to which one I should trust. This is further amplified by the later discovery of Litton's body in the river. Then it soon appeared to be an attempt to isolate and kill Emily by Alec and Hester as they would inherit the fortune. The tension at the end was very affective and well built.

Lydia Wilson did a great job as Emily, while Linus Roache, James d'Arcy and Hasina Haque all gave strong performances. The supporting cast including Joanna Lumley, Sarah Ridgeway, Claire Hackett and Souad Faress all do gave good portrayals of their characters.

Merlin: Series 5 - The Diamond Of The Day (Part 1)

This episode saw the start of the end.

This was a great first part to the last ever series finale, filled with drama, humour and tension. From the off the episode kept building up to the fateful battle at Camlann between Arthur's and Morgana's forces that would determine Arthur and Camelot's destiny. Within this context every character was able to give their bit towards the narrative. For instance, Sir Gwaine's softer side was seen with his handling of the only survivor, Eira, of the first of Morgana's attacks, although she later turned out to be a spy.

The episode also worked well to bring in a little bit of humour at the start, through banter between Arthur and Merlin. However, it was good to see a tender and serious scene take place between the two and how they go off to meet destiny on separate paths. Also, Merlin later warning to Arthur through a dream and Arthur's belief in it shows the strength of their friendship. In contrast, a vengeful Mordred emerged, adding more gravitas to the growing tension and his alliance with Morgana works well to show their determinate to kill Arthur and Merlin.

The exploration of Merlin in this episode was really good as he had to deal with his magic being drained by a creature sent by Morgana. It was good how Merlin became vulnerable at the start of the episode and throughout tried to fight against fate and regain his magic until he was trapped by Morgana in the crystal cave, and he gave up. Then, through the use of the ghost of Merlin's father, Balindor, Merlin finds the belief in himself he needs to emerge out of the light as the stronger older Merlin, whose use as comical figure appears to be at an end.

All the central cast, Colin Morgan, Bradley Jame, Angel Coulby and Katie McGrath all give great performances, along with Richard Wilson, Alexander Vlahos, Rupert Young, Eoin Macken and Tom Hopper's portrayals also add a lot to the episode.

The Town

This 3 part series centres around the residents of the town of Renton.

Mainly centring around the return of Mark Nicholas to the town after the supposed suicide of his parents, the show works well to keep this story as the focal point, but to also bring in other strands of narrative through the lives of other characters. Also as Mark tries to find out more about what happened to his parents, a conspiracy seemed to be developing, which made the story more intriguing.

When it emerged that Mark's mother, Kate, had an affair with Chris Franks, the officer in charge of the investigation into their deaths and that Mark's parents were involved in the death of the mayor Len's son 13 years earlier and it seemed to support the suicide theory. So later when it is revealed that it was the Len that murdered his parents in revenge for what happened to his son, it came as a surprise.

I did like how Mark's sister, Jodie and grandmother, Betty, dealt with the tragedy and how they all tried to move on. I wasn't sure about Jodie at first, but by the end of the first episode I had started to come around to her. Within this it was interesting to see the development of Mark's relationship with past partner Alice, Jodie's relationship with Harry and Betty's friendship with young boy Daniel.

Andrew Scott, Martin Clunes, Julia McKenzie and Avigail Tlalim all gave superb performances as the leading characters. Meanwhile, Charlotte Riley, Goldy Notay, Kelly Adams, Gerard Kearns and Toby Regbo are all great additions to the cast, which allowed for the sense that the story involved the whole town to be shown.

The Poison Tree

This was a good and tense thriller.

Centred around Karen Clarke, who finds herself being stalked and blackmailed after the return of her husband, Rex, from a 12 year prison sentence. From the start there a good amount of mystery and intrigue around the reason Rex was in prison and also for the secret that they can't tell their daughter Alice. From this was see Karen struggling to hid the stalking from Rex and protect Alice from the truth.

The mysterious is revealed through flashbacks to 1999 where a 19 year old Karen meets art student Biba and later moves in with her and her brother Rex. We see how the three grew close and then when Biba and Rex's estranged father tried to sell the house and started to throw out their belongings, it was Biba who accidentally pushed their father over the balcony and then shot Lenny in order to stop him calling the police, instead of Rex. I thought that this was built up well and the reveal was done in a very good way to leave a question of who shot Lenny at the end of the first episode.

The secret emerges that Alice, was the daughter of Biba and Lenny, not Karen and Rex, who was left with Karen after Biba's apparent suicide. This aspect was well written and handled, with it being seen from Karen's perspective. The use of the flashbacks works well to build up tension and allowed me to connection with Karen and see how she was pushed into being part of the cover up and taking care of Alice. When the second mystery stalker is revealed, it was aurprise and the action that Karen takes was very shocking.

MyAnna Buring, Matthew Goode and Ophelia Lovibond all gave great performances as the three central characters, while newcomer Hebe Johnson gave a strong performance as Alice.