I'm fascinated by anything to do with Bletchley Park and the wartime code-breakers, so I couldn't resist ITV's new series The Bletchley Circle.
It's got all the ingredients ... Set in 1951, those clever women in frumpy frocks are now married to nice-but-dim husbands who haven't got a clue what the little woman did in the war. That's if you're lucky. The other career options are marriage to a brute or desiccated spinsterhood. (If you've got the looks, of course, you can be the token slapper who has rather more fun.)
Maybe that's how it really was ... one day you're saving submarines then, before you know it, you're out on your ear and knitting in suburbia. (There is lots of knitting.)
Unfortunately, being ITV, they took an interesting idea and turned it into a silly murder mystery drama.
Because you can't have a clever woman in a frumpy frock unless she's Miss Marple.
Final episode of this series turned out to be trash, and rather sleazy trash. The real lives of Bletchley women would have made a far classier drama.
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12 comments:
Oh, what a disappointing review. I live rather close to Bletchley Park and knew a few women who were there for the duration. They were remarkable women and I think it sad that they have been portrayed as less than that. I shan't watch it in that case...
It's a shame, Toffeeapple. It's a good cast (Anna Maxwell-Martin) and I'd have thought clever women going back to their ordinary lives should have been quite enough without tagging on a serial killer.
I'll carry on watching for the period detail but I was disappointed with it.
Oh what a disappointment. This is the sort of thing I would've watched on the catch up service. I think I may give it a miss then if it's that bad.
Just jumped over to youtube for a peek...all 20 seconds of it. It doesn't give away much but I do love the clothes. The lining in my 1950s cashmere coat has had the biscuit so I've been in a state of mourning for the past few days. Not to worry though, I am determined to attempt putting in a new one at some point.
Thanks for keeping me up to date with shows to look out for, Mary, I also look forward to the knitting porn!
Ruby, maybe I came down a bit hard. It's not dreadful, just not what I hoped for. It's what I call high-class rubbish. Easy to watch but completely forgettable.
Darlene, there's a BBC series about servants coming up. Definitely your sort of thing.
Never the less Mary, you sparked our interest with the 'High class rubbish'...Now if we can find this at a later date, here in the middle of nowhere...It took years but we finally spotted Dr. Finlay at the library!
A warm hello from the Pacific NW coast,
Hello Noelle, I hope you won't have to wait that long! Hope you're enjoying Dr Finlay and Janet ... fond Sunday teatime memories!
I missed Bletchley but will avoid it now, thanks for the warning. I have a great banana bread recipe if anyone wants it.
I have just watched what I think is the first episode and I actually enjoyed it!
Margaret P
Maybe I came down on it rather hard, Margaret - I loved all the clothes etc - but I could have done without the sex crimes. I'd have liked more about the women ... and less of the sordid stuff.
I watched this yesterday evening. Quite enjoyed it but I wish I could like Anna Maxwell Martin better.
When you see film today of Bletchley women still alive, you don't get the impression they led repressed lives after the war.
Callmemadam:She has that one Bleak House expression for every role, doesn't she?
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