PATRICK MELROSE
The moment we first meet Patrick Melrose – brilliantly played by Benedict Cumberbatch, in this five-part miniseries – he answers the phone, high on heroin, to discover his father has just died. A well-to-do wastrel who drinks, smokes and takes drugs, he doesn’t elicit much sympathy. But based on the quintet of autobiographical novels by Edward St. Aubyn, this superb adaptation by One Day author David Nicholls gradually takes hold, with each episode devoted to one book.
After the ugly highs of ‘Bad News’ (largely set in 1982 New York), we turn to Melrose’s childhood in ‘Never Mind’, where we witness the damage done by his abusive father (Hugo Weaving) and alcoholic mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh).
Later chapters see Patrick try to clean up (the ’90-set ‘Some Hope’) and deal with his bitterness towards his mum (‘Mother’s Milk’ and ‘At Last’, set in the early ’00s). But even as Patrick finds sobriety, family life and a job in law, he’s haunted by his early years.
From the Trainspotting-like highs to the emotional comedowns, director Edward Berger (Deutschland ’83) puts you inside his protagonist’s troubled mind. Almost like a living embodiment of the Philip Larkin pronouncement, “They fuck you up, your mum and dad,” Melrose will leave you sharing his desperation, his despair and his determination to overcome his trauma. With Cumberbatch on award-worthy form, this is a tough watch that’s easy to lose yourself in. James Mottram