Ruthless Hugh leaves his rom com roles behind

A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL (BBC1)

To many, Hugh Grant will forever be the charming, slightly awkward Englishman who won the fair lady in rom coms such as Four Weddings and Notting Hill.

But his portrayal of a very different Englishman in this new three-part drama was shockingly different – and stunningly good.

For those who remember Jeremy Thorpe, Hugh appears uncannily like the former leader of the Liberal Party.

The mannerisms and his delivery in the House of Commons was exactly like we’d seen from the political giant who harboured hopes of getting the keys to No. 10.

What we hadn’t seen, of course, was the seedy private side, the pursuit and then betrayal of his lover Norman Scott – another brilliant performance from Ben Whishaw.

Grant’s Thorpe switched from enticingly nice to crudely demanding and then, finally, ruthlessly evil.

Getting that right was a masterstroke. A smile that turned into a sneer, a glance held long enough to be a lustful look.

It was definitely postwatershed viewing as their affair was very frankly portrayed.

For all that, though, it was fascinating stuff that moved along at a cracking pace. And amidst the drama and pathos, there was no shortage of humour.

Grant reckons his rom com days are in the past, but it looks like his acting is just entering a new, very fine, chapter.

LoVE YouR GARDEN: NHS SpECIAL (ITV)

The transformation of a big old space at a Manchester kids hospital into a magic garden was one of Alan Tichmarsh’s biggest challenges.

But, as usual, the makeover maestro succeeded and made a blooming marvellous programme about it.