If you like your television drama to be grittily realistic, you'd best give the BBC's latest effort a miss.
The Amazing Mrs Pritchard portrays the meteoric path to power of a supermarket manager. Mrs Pritchard takes great exception to two parliamentary candidates scrapping in the carpark of her store. She decides she could do better, announces she's standing, gathers an instant party - and sweeps Tony Blair from power.
Jane Horrocks is excellent in the title role, but nothing can save the drama from its sheer implausibility. (Incidentally Gavin Esler will be in trouble for calling her amazing - goodbye BBC impartiality...)
Good British political drama is rare. Channel 4 gave us A Very British Coup in 1989, and ITV gave us Bill Brand - about a Labour candidate - during the long, hot summer of 1976. (The more recent House of Cards was pastiche.) But nothing that comes close to The West Wing.
I know this comment won't qualify me for TV critic of the year - but regardless of its implausibility, I am loving it! Jane Horrocks, Meera Syal, Stephen Mackintosh and now Geraldine James, plus Jodhi May, and women taking over the cabinet - what's not to like? :)
Posted by: Linda | October 12, 2006 at 04:39 PM