Dramarama

I was peeling prawns the other day with Gatesy. Now a lot of people don’t like peeling prawns because it is a smelly, messy tedious business and people who can’t or won’t peel their own prawns steal yours as you shell them. Or they do till you stab them. No peel no eat I say and no I don’t care that you are only four years old.

But I don’t mind the process. I find it like ironing, another task that to me is strangely soothing but productive.

While we were shelling I said to Gatesy that I was of the opinion that the majority of TV shows seem to be confirming my suspicion that Mankind is actually getting dumber. I take little pleasure in this. It is a very worrying situation, as we seem to be continually distracted and amused by empty-headed TV like MAFS and endless cooking shows. TV etc.

He disagreed somewhat and thought that I was missing the point. He was of the opinion that like ironing and prawn peeling for me, the watching of reality TV, inane game shows and talent quests was providing some people sedation, a rest from the modern world. Which is a nicer way of saying the following from the rap group The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, “Television drug of the nation, breeding ignorance and feeding radiation”

Gatesy is usually pretty much on the money but I was not sure so I asked Blaze his thoughts. With the constant demand for more and more content thanks to the explosion of channels to the entertainment consumer Blaze was in a creative phase. He was apparently creating a new reality TV show where washed up performers would be transported to a newly formed island created by an exploding volcanic vent. There they would all take turns singing the same song with points being awarded by a panel of judges consisting of their former band mates, wives, managers and the Tax Office. Criteria would include BMI index, amount of their own hair, octave range and ability to still perform signature stage moves. The loser would be sacrificed to Huey the surf god by being thrown into the active volcano whilst the rest of the competitors stripped naked for a dating/ survivor show filmed immediately afterward thereby saving production costs.

I asked him whether he had a name for the show yet but he was still workshopping that. There was no one else with him other than his budgie who could only say “Pretty Boy” and Get a Dog Up You” so I am not sure how that is going to go.

“It didn’t matter anyway,” he said, “the show is going to be huge.”

I repeated to him some words a wise Yorkshireman once said to me. “I could agree with you and then we would both be wrong.”

But then he told me that he would rig it so that John Farnham would definitely lose and I began to think he might have something.

Anyway seeing as I prefer my mind to be stimulated, possibly dangerously so, I think we should all be watching more thought provoking TV. In fact I think we need to be thinking as well as scared to get through this next fifty years.

Years and Years, an English made mini series on SBS On Demand would be a great place to start. It is thought provoking, terrifying, and a little depressing but it is great television. The concept, script and acting are all first rate but normally when you watch shows about dystopic futures you know that the possibility of the shows actually representing likely futures are remote. I mean as much as gamers and Skirmishers would love it, there is just not going to be a zombie apocalypse in a Walking Dead kind of way. Nor is it likely that vicious aliens will launch an assault on good old Planet Earth any time soon or bad humans from parallel universes will make trouble for us real humans [Hang on, are they the real humans?]. Either way it is improbable.

But Years and Years, set in a Europe beginning about now and moving forward fifteen years over the six episodes is, to me anyway, absolutely chilling and not only possible but to me already underway.

The show covers bank failures, the rise of populist/fascist movements, uncontrolled movement of refugees, terrorism, food shortages, the rise of surveillance and artificial intelligence, restriction on personal liberties and the weakening of the rule of law and generally everything going very, very bad.

And it does it all through the prism of the Lyons family who are the lucky protagonists who have to live through it. I really identified with the characters so it is all very believable and an emotional rollercoaster with tears and laughs and tension. The actors are not that well known but the performances are uniformly great. The concept and scripts are from Russell T Davies, responsible in 2005 for the incredibly successful reboot of the Doctor Who franchise. Watch it for the emotion, watch it for the drama and watch it for the mental stimulation, it is great TV.

Another great drama but one that looks back with affection is The Crown with multiple series planned that focus on the Royal Family and Queen Elizabeth’s reign from the get go in 1952 to well, when ever it finishes. So far we are up to 1969 in series three. The episodes feature real events but with some definite embellishments to keep things interesting.

Blaze agrees that it is compulsive viewing and he has now been converted to a monarchist point of view, no longer playing The Sex Pistols and instead watching Last Night of the Proms endlessly on YouTube while drinking warm ale beer. Such is the power of quality drama.

I am a republican through and through but there are standard elements in family dynasty dramas and even political series like The West Wing that pop up here which means the whole monarchy love/hate thing is not as critical as you may think. Indeed the reality that there is a large price to pay if you are a senior member of the Royal family is fully explored.  It is not all luxury and ease. Even more than Years and Years there has been no expense spared in this production and it is great viewing even if you still want to kick their snooty privileged arses from time to time.

Also in a pretty interesting move, as the main characters get older the younger actors are replaced with older ones instead of using make up to age them. Unusual, effective and doable when you have great actors but not every change is as successful as the move from Claire Foy to Olivia Colman in the role of Queen Liz. I am not so convinced with the move from Matt Smith to Tobias Menzies in the Prince Phillip role.

Also if you really like this sort of thing check out Olivia Coleman with Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz in the movie The Favourite, set in the English royal court in the 1700s. A black comedy with great acting and a cracking script it is beautiful to watch and is directed by Yorgas Lanthimos, the director of the truly twisted The Lobster, a movie where people are turned into the animal of their choice if they can’t find a love interest. Not quite the same as afternoon tea with the Queen.

It would seem that like the late 90s and early 2000s when we had shows like The Sopranos and The Wire expanding the genre, we are again in a great age of quality TV. And this time with shows like The Crown, Years and Years, Fleabag etc. the Brits are leading the way. Tally ho what!

Sorry, Blaze threatened me with violence if I did not write that.

Some very English classics

The Queen Is Dead – The Smiths

Tower of London – XTC

God Save The Queen – Sex Pistols

Eton Rifles – The Jam

Elizabeth My Dear – The Stone Roses

Lady Jane – The Rolling Stones