Play for today
Bravo to BBC2 for setting aside 90 minutes for a wordy, talky, thinky play, God On Trial, the latest from the lightning typing fingers of Mr Frank Cottrell Boyce. I'm sure you know it was about the apocryphal tale of a hutful of Auschwitz prisoners creating an ad hoc court in which to try God for the atrocities currently being meted out upon the Jews, and that it was shaping up to be an acting masterclass from the cast list alone (Anthony Sher, Eddie Marsan, Rupert Graves, Jack Shepherd, Stellan Skarsgard, Stephen Dillane, Lorcan Cranitch), but I was taken aback by just how demanding it was for a Wednesday night in 2008, when TV drama still means "issues", but "issues" set in middle-class kitchens with magnetic letters all over the fridge door.Aside from a neat little framing device about a modern-day tourist trip to Auschwitz, this was proper, old-school Play For Today stuff: a load of actors talking for an hour and a half - and remembering their lines, too, as the director filmed in long, 20-minute takes apparently. Oh, and talking about the history of the Jews, and about faith, and about sacrifice, and about human nature, and - of course - making it impossible for us not to think forward to the current state of Israel and all the further bloodshed and suffering and indignity connected to it in various far-reaching forms. Hats off to Frank Cottrell Boyce - who, to declare an interest, I am in occasional genial email contact with after getting on very well with him during an interview for Radio 4 last year - who seems to be able to turn his hand to anything. (A quick, and selective CV: Hilary & Jackie, Welcome To Sarajevo, Millions, 24 Hour Party People, A Cock & Bull Story etc. etc.) I know that Frank is a good Liverpudlian Catholic, so how he tackled this vast subject - or even started to tackle it - with such authority and inquistion, I don't know.
As a writer, I am humbled and inspired. As a viewer, I am provoked and, yes, entertained. Meanwhile, they want to take away the licence fee? Fuck off.
posted by Andrew Collins @ 11:56 PM
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16 Comments:
I saw the last hour of this, having not realised in was on. It was excellent. Well written. Moving. Thought provoking. But most of all refreshing.
Refreshing because when I turned the TV on it went automatically to channel 4, which was showing Big Brother. I was getting set for another evening of tedium until I got to BBC2.
I really hope they show it again, as I'd love to see if from the start and record it.
Oh, and Andrew - I occasionally get into arguments with people who resent having to pay the licence fee. I think in future I shall use you simple, yet effective two word retort!
I'm not sure how effective it will be on iPlayer, unfortunately. They'll repeat it. Or BBC4 will.
I didn't watch this, preferring instead to go for Lost In Austen on ITV. I was however planning to watch this on iplayer, particularly after this glowing recommendation.
I'm just wondering why you think it wouldn't work so well on iplayer though?
Lost In Austen was very enjoyable though and just about the first decent thing on ITV I can remember watching in a very long time.
It's very intense, Charlie. Prove me wrong by all means, but I fear it might be like going to the theatre and watching it through a skylight. Lab Rats, for instance, loses nothing in translation to a tiny screen.
I don't see how anyone can resent the licence fee given all that BBC provide, it's not exactly a lot of money.
However, I can understand why people get upset by some of the programmes that are hammering home a BBC opinion. But cutting the licence fee is not a logical thing to do, advertising is hardly a preferable alternative.
You can watch i-player on your TV, supposedly, either by hooking up a PC or using a Wii. I've not tried this though, it may be terrible.
I will look out for that programme, it sounds marvellous and thanks for pointing it out.
Please do a "What I will be watching next week" blog.
Off-topic, but could be useful:
Get yourselves a graphics card with at least S-Video output, or if your TV has HDMI input a card with DVI-out will be good. You don't have to pay much. Something like this will do: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/140582
You'll also need to hook the sound up if your PC is in a different room, but that's not hard to do.
You can then watch Iplayer and 4OD online. If the programmes you want aren't available there you can also download using bittorrent (only legal stuff mind!) and watch it on your TV.
'Lab Rats, for instance, loses nothing in translation to a tiny screen.'
Andrew, this reminds me of one of my favourite Benny Hill jokes (paraphrased):
TV ANNOUNCER: We apologise to viewers for the break in transmission; and hope that the loss of sound ... and vision didn't ruin your viewing of Crossroads too much.
I'd recommend Lost In Austen.
Against my better judgment - I'm not a fan of costume drama generally - I really enjoyed this. Mrs F-C was completely entranced.
God On Trial on the other hand, while being just the sort of thing the BBC should be doing of course, is really not my bag per se.
I watch enough bleak stuff as it is.
Of course you and FCB share other things in common, you wroe EastEnders (why do they insist on the capital in the middle?) and he did Brookie, including killing off Damon Grant.
Mind you those were the glory days when Channel 4 wasn't over-run by Big Brother.
And take away the licence fee? They really can well and truly Fuck the Fuck Off.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00d75ny
Skip to about 8m50s in. Readers of this blog may be amused to see Jon Gaunt getting absolutely battered by Michael Portillo, of all people.
I'm an expat, so the license fee doesn't trouble me much. Thing is the BBC don't sell it very well, do they. How many plays like this= 1 x Jonathon Ross?
I'm in Japan, I don't watch much TV, but I'm heartily glad they don't have big brother here.
Cheers
Matt
Wish I'd watched this now. Can't get iplayer in Ireland so I'll have to watch out for a repeat. Stupidly chose WDYTYA with that awful Rantzen woman.
I can get iPlayer through my very basic Virgin Media cable package, with full-sized picture. Thought others might like to know. I'm working up to 'God On Trial' though like F-C, I deal with enough bleak stuff in my working week to sometimes deliberately need to body-swerve certain things.
John Gaunt was very ably rapiered by Polly Portillo on 'The Moral Maze'. I think Polly's coup de grace was 'you were just almost caught thinking, until you remembered your column and your readership'.
This is nothing to do with God on Trial and everything to do people listening to you podcast in strange locations. Last month I heard about your podcast and downloaded the first 24 episode in order to "box-set the cunts" (its a new phrase I'm starting). I loaded them on to iPod and flew to Namibia, where I joined the yacht I work on. From Walvis Bay to Gran Canaria up to Venice took over 3 weeks and I listened to your podcasts while on engineering watch. Eventually getting internet access to download the live podcast from Edinburgh (my home town) that I would have attended if not for that journey. Its a great listen, just keep it the way it is - no production, sponsorship or script.
anthony sher has a knack of choosing these thought provoking dramas - Home was another one, I think?
machine levine
Didn't see God on trial when it was originally aired - and didn't see it advertised. Watched it now, and wow! All the positive reviews it has had are warranted.
Would be curious to see how theologians have responded to it. Would it inspire debate despite the tale's questionnable authenticity?
machine levine
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