Top secrets of a bigamist
IT’S meant to be a three-part story but as episode one of the new fact-based drama MRS WILSON (BBC1, 9pm) nears its conclusion you could be forgiven for thinking it’s more or less already wrapped up. It’s April 1963 and lead character Alison, played by her real-life granddaughter Ruth Wilson (right), is burying husband Alec (Iain Glen), an occasion overshadowed by the shocking truth she’s recently learnt about his past.
To her horror, Alison has discovered she was never legally married to novelist Alec, with whom she lived for 22 years.
All this time, the former secret service chap (that’s how they met, during the war) had apparently been leading a shadowy double life.
Understandably, she’s refused to believe it at first, taking particular exception to the “real” Mrs Wilson turning up on her doorstep shortly after Alec’s death and insisting she’s his widow.
In the end, however, she’s had to face facts: she was “married” to a bigamist.
And there, as I say, you could almost imagine the story ending. Admittedly, not in the most happy-ever-after, all’s-well-thatends-well sense (not one for Disney, I shouldn’t imagine), just one in which it’s a bit too late for her to do much about it.
However (and this is a however of fairly immense proportions), two significant further developments occur at Alec’s funeral in the episode’s final few minutes.
One is when Alison is approached at the graveside by another stranger, a chap whose remarks hint at further mysteries surrounding the deceased.
The other is that, moments earlier, we viewers have spotted Keeley Hawes in the congregation, looking almost as uneasy as she does when her youngest lad brings home another random sloth in The Durrells.
Why on earth is Keeley Hawes at Alec’s funeral? It won’t be just to make up the numbers, we can be sure of that.
Anyway, it’s all fabulously intriguing, with plenty of twists still to come. The fact that Ruth Wilson herself, doubling as executive producer, was instrumental in dramatising this remarkable true story (I feel it would have been somewhat wasted as an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?) is also reassuring, since I assume she won’t have messed too much with the facts.
Also reassuring is that HOW TO SPEND IT WELL AT CHRISTMAS WITH PHILLIP SCHOFIELD (ITV, 8pm) is back for its second series, as I do love a TV show with a ludicrously long-winded title. It starts with a look at some of the latest toys and games, most with some element of electronic gimmickry to them (ie. they walk, talk, fly etc). By far the most striking is a baby unicorn that its owner can actually feed (unicorn food included). Once she’s had enough, you simply press her tummy button and – oh, good God – she, erm, carries out her very own bodily functions, evacuating a deeply unpleasant stream of green slime. She’s called Poopsie and she’ll cost you £49.99. Imodium capsules are widely available.