2 weeks ago
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…And the award for the actor least likely to play a cold blooded hitman goes to… Brit Eddie Redmayne. I always thought he was such a nice boy. The next thing I turn around, and he's looking down the barrel of a fancy rifle ready to take out some European politician or businessmen. And he's very good at it too, utterly believable.
The new Day of the Jackal (Sky Atlantic, Thurs) is a triumph for its creators, with this production enhancing the reputation of an iconic thriller written by Frederick Forsyth, a consultant on this show. I didn’t even think of Edward Fox from the original film. Honest.
All the pieces are in place here again. Redmayne is professional, exacting, suave and remote. Just what you want in a serial killer.
What I didn't know was that the money was so good. Plenty of people will be sitting at home thinking, “Is it too late for me to retrain as a sniper dear…”
Sharp shooters also appeared to be in short supply. Eddie was darting from one continental capital to another, loading up as he went.
I was however extremely disappointed to see him negotiating his $10 million fee while slumming in a cyber café. Travellers and low-level crims must have wondered how he’d taken such a wrong direction in his life.
But there he was, steady Eddie, drinking horrible coffee from a machine, waiting to organise his next gig. Had he not heard of burner phones? I don't really know what they are either, but in most television shows they allow you to run over the final details of your next hit from the comfort of your black Audi getaway car.
Meanwhile we Brits were telling the Germans how to track our bird-sketching, chess-set collecting, well-mannered sniper.
Bianca (Lashana Lynch) at MI6 was an expert in firearms and she was telling the Germans a thing or two, no ifs or butts. They were very impressed on a Zoom call. Alas, by episode's end, her strategy was in tatters, and she also managed to miss her daughter’s parents' evening. Tut, tut!
If you're missing your fix of Slow Horses, Day of the Jackal will do quite nicely. It’s like Slow Horses meets Killing Eve. For one, the security services are just as pleasingly bumbling. It’s how we get things done.
Let’s hope there’s scope for another season. I’ve got my sights on three seasons, plus a Christmas special. We’d love to meet his family, who probably reside in the shires, and shoot clays of a Sunday.
It's been a week of psycho killers. Next up was Until I Kill You (iTV, Sun), the real-life drama of John Sweeney, a genuinely disturbing story of a serial killer who coerced and imprisoned his female victims before dismembering them.
You could argue we surely don't need to watch his exploits on a Sunday night. This was no Midsomer Murders, but perhaps some of these stories are worth telling, reminding people of just how hideous people can be, and that some men are not what they seem.
One other aspect made this drama a compelling watch -- the two lead performances at its heart, Anna Maxwell Martin as Delia Balmer, and Shaun Evans as John Sweeney.
Turning in stunning performances made the drama even more intense to watch. You could argue they were too good. We’d always rather believe that such a heinous, scheming criminal doesn’t exist. Now we know differently.
Taskmaster is so good, it’s been decided to make it again. For kids. Or is it?
Junior Taskmaster (C4, Fri) is so entertaining, parents will insist on watching too.
As the parent of grown-up children, I had no reason to watch this -- apart from the obvious – but was nonetheless impressed with how inventive children can be while not being too annoying in front of a TV camera. Indeed, the floor manager might just as well have waved a placard saying, “Show off now!” but this troupe of five were immaculately behaved.
Comedians Rose Matafeo, and Mike Wozniak herded them about the place, while upholding an above average gag rate. A hit.
And so is Judi Love’s Culinary Cruise (ITV, Mon). Judi Love cooks? Well, she did win Celebrity Masterchef, so back in the knife block.
Love is made for this new hybrid genre – cruising and cooking. She can simultaneously talk and chop a shallot in small pieces, without resorting to the obvious joke, “That’s your lot”.
Her jokes, as she cooks on deck are far more spontaneous as she worked up her mussels: “I'm in the Mediterranean sun! This is the Mediterranean, isn't it?!”
The thing is that Loose Women’s Judi Love can hardly believe she’s got the gig, laughing away, while having a great time.
Well may it continue.
English (US) ·