What to watch
BBC TWO, 9.00PM
The dysfunctional and uber-wealthy Getty family are the focus of this enjoyably soapy new series, which dramatises the circumstances surrounding the real-life kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III in 1973 – and was also the subject of the Ridley Scott film All the Money in the World. It’s fertile ground for writer Simon Beaufoy and director Danny Boyle, who squeeze maximum pulp from the events, bringing zip, humour and visual flair to this outlandish tale.
The opening episode puts the crime in context. It begins with American oil magnate John Paul Getty (Donald Sutherland) holed up at Sutton Place, his Tudor pile in Surrey, with his mistresses and despairing of finding an heir from his “feckless progeny”. Things look up, however, with the arrival of his namesake grandson (Harris Dickinson), who, despite his hippyish demeanour, charms Getty senior with his interest in the family business. But the youth’s motives quickly become clear.
Sutherland and Dickinson provide an excellent contrast, with the former studiedly imperious, the latter all freewheeling energy. And although it’s too soon to tell if the show has depth, its confidence and brio makes for a compelling watch. Toby Dantzic