British, Aussies accent diversion
Hot Springs resident Hazel Wright, a contributor to The Sentinel-Record’s Viewpoints pages, sent me a lovely letter in response to my April 26 column, “Coping with the state of the world.”
Wright was gracious in her comments and wrote, ” I agree with your column — one must have a sense of wry humor. When the news gets to me politically, I escape to HGTV and watch Chip and Joanna Gaines on the farm with their adorable kids and cute animals.”
Thank you, Hazel, for sharing your diversions from some of our present-day woes and concerns. I am still a “news junkie,” but when stories and commentaries become a bit too bothersome, I entertain myself with a private collection of British and Australian television programs.
My friends know I am an avid mystery-crime procedural aficionado. Two years ago, thanks to some assistance from a high school pal who had lived in the United Kingdom, I rediscovered a BBC series that had briefly aired in the U.S. via the A&E Network.
It is called “Silent Witness” and the original protagonist was Dr. Samantha Ryan, a forensic pathologist, played into the show’s eighth season by Irish-born actress Amanda Burton. Burton portrayed Ryan as a prickly, no-nonsense individual who took on her colleagues, the public and even police investigators, to get to the truth behind a victim’s demise.
Created by Nigel McCrery, a former detective, “Silent Witness” was first broadcast in 1996. Burton was highly popular as the often enigmatic Ryan and went on to star in numerous other BBC series, including “The Helen West Casebook,” “The Commander” and the acclaimed “Waterloo Road.”
But, “Witness” did not lose its following or falter in the ratings when Emilia Fox was introduced in the pivotal role of Dr. Nikki Alexander in 2004. Season 20 concluded in January of this year and there is some hope that a 21st season is in the offing.
When not immersed in “murder, mayhem and the morgue,” I am an enthusiastic fan of Australian television offerings, particularly the much heralded, “A Place to Call Home,” which is shown on AETN. Hopefully the fourth season of the series, which critics have dubbed, “The “Downton Abbey” from Down Under, will air soon.
Marta Dusseldorp, who plays the long-suffering Sarah Adams on “Place,” is also a featured performer in two other Aussie productions, “Crownies” and “Janet King.”
And if public funding were to allow it, AETN audiences would probably take to “Packed to the Rafters,” a comedy-drama series that ran for six seasons in Australia. The creative genius of Australian Bevan Lee is evident in both “A Place to Call Home” and “Packed to the Rafters.”
Lead actress in “Rafters” is Rebecca Gibney, a native New Zealander whose series work includes “Halifax, F.P.,” “Winter,” and “Wanted,” a new twist on the iconic “Thelma and Louise” film of 1991.
The British and Australians aren’t just elevating their worldwide status in the television and cinematic sphere. I highly recommend the good reads of authors Jacqueline Winspear (British), Liane Moriarty (Australian) and Jane Harper (Australian).
Remember, the accent’s on entertainment and deflection.