The Hour, Series 2
by Abi Morgan (BBC, 2012)
An intelligent drama that builds across six episodes but then doesn’t quite deliver (despite compelling characters and top-notch acting). Perhaps the historical realism, centred around news journalism in the late 1950s, precludes a truly satisfying denouement. Peter Capaldi is a welcome addition.
Father Brown, Series 3
(BBC, 2015)
A 15-episode series exploring all manner of murderous avenues and festering social issues in 1950s rural England. The mysteries are nicely scripted and prove easily digestible, though Inspector Sullivan does rather grate in his wilfully officious, one-note resistance to Father Brown’s meddling.
Doctor Who: Delta and the Bannermen
by Malcolm Kohll (Target, 1989)
audiobook read by Bonnie Langford (BBC, 2017)
An ambitious story, in that it pairs manifestly serious themes (not least, genocide) with a feel-good, late-1950s rock ‘n’ roll vibe. Kohll opts for blithe exuberance in the novelisation, and, regrettably, not to excise the American agents. Langford’s reading is pure Mel.
Quirke
by Andrew Davies & Conor McPherson (BBC/RTÉ, 2014)
Marketed as crime noir, Quirke makes clever use of colour and greyscale in characterising 1950s Dublin. The drama in this nuanced miniseries is people- rather than plot-driven, Gabriel Byrne leading a fine cast through three feature-length explorations of drink, death and dishonesty.