When the Queen’s smile outshone the Crown Jewels
By any standards, The Coronation (BBC One, Sunday) was special. We know the draw the Queen has on television. More people tuned into her broadcast on Christmas Day than any other programme. But to the see the Queen informal, relaxed and smiling, recalling the extraordinary day in 1953 when she was enthroned – and touching, for the first time since, the St Edward’s crown that was placed upon her head 65 years ago – felt like a window into an interior life rarely seen.
“Is it still as heavy?” she asked, her face a delighted blend of curiosity and memory as she reached out to prod and hold the gem-encrusted diadem. “Yes, it is. It weighs a ton!”
For those of us whose who childishly imagine our Royals to be always surrounded by regalia, it was odd to think she hadn’t seen it since then. Then again, one might also have expected the golden carriage in which she rode from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey for the occasion to have been all fur-lined comfort. But no.
“Horrible!” the Queen laughed, glancing almost mischievously at her interlocutor, royal expert Alastair Bruce. “It’s not designed for travelling in at all. It’s only sprung on leather, you know.”
And that was very much the spirit of this enchanting documentary. It had a serious purpose: to reacquaint a nation that hasn’t seen a Coronation in six decades with the significance of all that pomp and splendour, and the role of the Crown Jewels. Perhaps, even, in the wake of Netflix’s hugely popular The Crown, here was a subtle effort to de-soap the monarchy, to redress the balance between drama and the heavyweight realities of Royalty.
In that respect, it did a superb job – cameras offering awe-inspiring close-ups of the two fabulously bejewelled crowns, the sceptre and orb and other regalia, while a succinct commentary explained their history and symbolic purpose. No visit to the Tower of London could ever convey so much.
Yet, even against that dazzling background, it was the Queen who stood out: sharing her delight, her memories, gazing rapt at many images of her Coronation for the first time. Towards the end, some home-movie footage revealed a relieved monarch arriving back at Buckingham Palace after the ceremony, giggling when one of her maids of honour stumbled over her train. It was an intensely human, private moment that spoke volumes about the kindliness and character of the woman who had just been crowned Queen of England.
For all the facts and glittering treasures, what lingers longest from The Coronation was that smile. Gerard O’donovan
Corrupt politician Semiyon Kleiman (David Strathairn) handily summed up the premise of Mcmafia (BBC One, Sunday). These people “dress like bankers, they speak a dozen languages, they eat in the best restaurants, stay in the best hotels,” he told Alex Godman (James Norton). “But underneath all that sophistication, there’s an open grave in the Mexican desert with 50 headless corpses inside.”
This is a world of computerised crime where corruption snakes its way between continents, as illustrated in this stylish saga’s opening credits.
Much of the action in this fourth episode unfolded in Mumbai, where swaggering young pretender Dilly Mahmood (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) stole a tonne of heroin from local crime lord Benny Chopra (Atul Kale), which was smuggled inside washing machines.
Puppet master Kleiman made hedge fund manager Alex give the heist the go-ahead. When he duly did so, the line from that credit sequence was well and truly crossed. He wasn’t just a banker anymore. He was a gangster.
Sundays at 9pm is traditionally home to period or police dramas, so Mcmafia is brave scheduling by the BBC. Sure, it’s glossy and has a big budget but it’s also subtitled with a largely foreign cast. Unlike The Night Manager, to which it gets endlessly compared, it’s a complex, contemporary beast – and, many seem to forget, an original story rather than one adapted from a John le Carré bestseller.
It has been criticised for its stately pace and complex plotting. It can feel a little po-faced, lacking the wit of a Hugh Laurie or a Tom Hollander, who both brought light and shade to The Night Manager. However, Mcmafia is gathering momentum as plot threads are drawn together. The women in Alex’s life – fiancé Rebecca (Juliet Rylance) and colleague Karin (Kemi-bo Jacobs) – were onto him. The Russian mob were out for revenge. As the eight-part story reached its midway point, it was suspenseful, unpredictable and beautifully poised. Michael Hogan