Recently, the BBC have made wonderful use of TV license money through such great productions as "Privates" and, the mesmerising second-series of "The Hour". Set in 1957, the second series of "The Hour" picks up a year from where the last left off with Freddie returning from his American exile followed by his new French wife. Que pacey drama, humour, wit, intellect and clothes, the clothes!
The acting is first-rate with Ben Whishaw, Dominic West, Oona Chaplain and Romolo Garai playing the lead roles with polished performances all round. However, the two that have really stole the show for me are Peter Capaldi and Anna Challenor, playing Randal Brown and Lix Storm respectively. The chemistry between these two characters is heartbreaking and amusing in equal measures- by far my favourite television romance in many a year. In fact, so good were their performance that I have deemed it necessary to catch up on "The Thick of it" in order to get my Peter Capaldi fix.
With a wardrobe department not matched since "Life on Mars", a superb soundtrack that captures the mood of the piece permanently, "The Hour" is perfect for a viewer that wishes to be captivated by a piece that is both glamorous and intellectually stimulating. Unfortunately, it appears that viewers of this ilk are few and far between and, as a result, viewing figures have been somewhat disappointing.
Nevertheless, I urge the BBC to commission just one more series, to pull all the loose ends together and offer closure to the dedicated fan base that the show has. "The Hour" is a work of art, the like of which we haven't seen in a long time and, I doubt will see again for an equally long period.
