Pretty much all the focus at TVSA is on South African (obviously) and American shows, with British shows hardly featuring at all. This is understandable as after all, the American TV industry is much larger and therefore dominates the media and the Internet.
There’s also the fact that there aren’t very many British shows on South African TV, so therefore there’s no reason for us to discuss them. A good proportion of SABC3’s shows used to be British, but in recent years there’s been precious little.
I don’t know what the reasons for this are, but as Wednesday evening sees the return of Hustle, there’s the possibility that things may have changed. Even if this doesn’t mean a flood of British shows on our TV screens, I thought this was a good time to finally get round to writing an article I’ve been meaning to write for a while – a look at some British shows I’ve recently discovered.
One of these shows is Doctor Who, but I’m not going to go into any detail as I’ve already covered it
here, and there’s been plenty of discussion in the
forum. But even though I’m not covering it here, it’s still highly recommended, even if you aren’t someone who’s normally into science fiction.
Torchwood
I may not be discussing Doctor Who in this article, but its presence is still felt, most notably in the form of Torchwood. Forum regulars may recognise the name, as Six, Gerhard and I have mentioned it numerous times.
Torchwood is a spin-off of Doctor Who (the name is actually an anagram of Doctor Who), and is essentially a cross between Doctor Who and the X-Files. Torchwood is the name of an organisation whose job it is to keep track of any aliens and alien technology that find their way to Earth.
Torchwood is basically an “adult” version of Doctor Who (not that Doctor Who is a kids’ show by any means), both in the fact that it’s a lot darker and grittier, but also in the show’s content. The presence of strong language, sex (nothing graphic, but everyone seems to be shagging everyone else) and a fair amount of gore means that Torchwood won’t be appearing in an early evening timeslot any time soon, but would probably do well in SABC3’s Friday evening slot currently occupied by Supernatural.
I suppose I should point out that while Doctor Who (and its other spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures) seems to have received near-universal praise, there seems to be mixed opinion about Torchwood. Still, I enjoyed it and I would recommend it if you’re a fan of the X-Files and/or Doctor Who – even though it’s a spin-off of Doctor Who, you don’t have to have seen any of that show to follow Torchwood (although I still suggest you check out Doctor Who).
Primeval
While Torchwood is not really family entertainment, Primeval is. Particularly given the number of young children who are into dinosaurs.
The central idea of Primeval is the appearance of space/time anomalies which form gateways that allow creatures from the past (i.e. millions of years ago) to cross over into the present. And as you’d expect, a lot of havoc is caused as the creatures which make that transition tend to be the more aggressive ones.
Investigating these anomalies is palaeontology professor Nick Cutter, who learns that the anomalies may be connected to the disappearance and presumed death of his wife Helen years earlier. Although as the series develops, it appears that Helen might not be quite as dead as everyone thinks.
Of course, a series like Primeval is going to stand or fall on whether the creatures from the past can be portrayed believably, and I think they succeed admirably here. A number of people on the production side were involved in the series Walking With Dinosaurs, and the effects are up to the standards set by that show, as is evidenced of this shot of a Gorgonopsid going on the rampage in a school.
Jekyll
Doctor Who fans are probably familiar with the name of Steven Moffat, who has written a number of the show’s best episodes. But Doctor Who’s not the only show he’s written for, and one of his most recent projects is Jekyll.
Jekyll tells the story of Dr Tom Jackman, who learns that Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde wasn’t a story, but rather an account of real events. Not only that, Jackman is a descendent of Dr Henry Jekyll, and has inherited his ancestor’s curse.
The key feature of Jekyll is the performance of James Nesbitt who is brilliant in the role of Tom Jackman/Mr Hyde. While prosthetics are used to make minor subtle changes between the two, the two characters are really distinguisged by Nesbitt's portrayal of them, switching between the psychopathic Hyde and the bewildered everyman Jackman with ease.
There’s also more going on than just a simple case of split personalities. Is Hyde really evil or just misunderstood? And just what does a mysterious organisation with a lot of money want with Hyde.
With well-realised supporting characters, and the twists that you’d expect from a writer of Moffat’s ability, Jekyll is a thoroughly engrossing and entertaining story. Although it should be pointed out that it may not be ideal for the faint-hearted.
Life On Mars
Finally, another show which forum regulars may recognise. Alex and I have been punting this show for a while, and with good reason.
Detective Inspector Sam Tyler is a highly successful present-day police office until the day he gets hit by a car and wakes up in 1973. There are three possible explanations for this – either he’s mad, he’s in coma and imagining everything, or he really has travelled back in time. However, he’s not sure which of these is the case.
Some of you may have read the preceding paragraph and though, “I’m not into science fiction, so this isn’t my kind of show.” But you’d be wrong.
While the time travel aspect is there in the background, it remains in the background. The show is really about an outsider trying to find his place in a setting that is very different from anything he knows. In fact, for all intents and purposes, he could be on another planet (which is a partial explanation for the show’s title).
Being a policeman in the 1970s is very different from being one in the 21st century. This was a time when forensics were almost non-existent, and it was permissible to beat a confession out of a suspect.
Sam’s abhorrence of his new colleagues’ methods and his attempt to apply a “modern” approach bring him into conflict with his superior, Gene Hunt, and it’s the relationship between the two that makes the show. The two of them clash frequently, yet they share a close friendship, and you get the sense that while each may deplore the other’s methods, deep down they admire the effectiveness of them.
Adding to the show’s appeal for me was the soundtrack. For obvious reasons, the show makes use of songs from 1973, including songs from the Who, Free, Wings, and the
title track, which in my opinion is David Bowie’s best song.
Life on Mars has now ended, but it has spawned a sequel, Ashes to Ashes, featuring many of the same characters, but has now jumped ahead to the early 80s. It also raises the question as to whether there’ll be a further sequel, namely Hallo Spaceboy (or at least it raised the question in my mind).
I don’t know if we’re ever going to see any of these shows. Hustle may or may not precipitate more British shows appearing, but there’s no guarantee that will happen.
However, all these shows are available on DVD and are fairly easy to obtain. Even if you’re not keen on shopping online, I have seen all of these (with the exception of Jekyll) in South Africa, so you can’t use that as an excuse. I’m pretty sure you’ll find something to enjoy amongst these shows.