I was more in love with The Split’s kitchen than its storyline
Let’s talk about, last night’s finale of BBC One’s divorce drama, The Split. Can you guess what I was most excited about? Was it finding out if hotshot lawyer Hannah would stick with erring Nathan? Nope.
Was I eager to learn if Hannah would run off with Dutch office smoothie Christie? Not that either.
Would Hannah’s maddening, daffy sister, Rose, tie the knot with that lovely Indian boyfriend she totally didn’t deserve? Not bothered. The truth, I’m afraid, is slightly shaming.
What I loved about The Split was the kitchen. To be precise, Hannah’s family kitchen/diner, the size of an aircraft hangar, with its artfully picked paintings, retro furniture and bibelots. And those doors on to the garden! So obsessed did I become with the kitchen, that when the actors obscured my view I was quite annoyed. “Can you move Hannah, so I can get a look at the worktops?” “Yes, all right, you’ve just found out he’s cheating, but where did you get that coffee machine?”
Is it a sign of age that interiors are more interesting than plot? During an episode of French drama, Spiral, I was willing Pierre, the handsome prosecutor, to get out of shot so I could see the panelling in his apartment. Ping! A message from my friend Lou with an urgent query. “What paint colour do you think Pierre’s gorgeous panelling is?”