Murders and musicals
FERN RIDDELL describes some of her highlights of this year’s historical viewing, from broadcast TV to home media
There’s been so much to enjoy on television this year, especially as 2016 saw the triumphant return of the BBC’s Ripper Street, back again for a fourth season. I’ve been one of the show’s historical consultants since season three, and it has been a privilege to be part of this gothic crime drama.
With a huge commitment to getting authentic, untold history into its storylines, Ripper Street constantly challenges the audience’s perception of the past. Featuring exceptional writing from Richard Warlow and Toby Finlay, and fantastic performances from Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn, Adam Rothenburg and MyAnna Buring, no other 19th-century drama showcases the reality of late Victorian London.
Levison Wood’sWalking the Himalayas on Channel 4 was part history, part cultural commentary, and definitely all adventure. The explorer set out to walk the length of the world’s highest mountain range, from Afghanistan to Bhutan. Wood’s passion for the places he encountered lights up the screen.
Currently airing in both the US and the UK on Sky, the series Westworld is an outstanding take on our need to escape into history. Set in a recreated American Wild West theme park, where all the characters are robots and the humans are tourists living out their history-based fantasies, Westworld makes us question not only our fascination with the past, but also whether it is where we have left our humanity. The delicately crafted Regarding Susan
Sontag, which has been doing the rounds of film festivals for the last two years, is finally available on DVD. It is essential viewing for anyone interested in the life of this influential critic who died in 2004. Set in 1920s Australia, Miss Fisher’s Murder
Mysteries, available via Netflix, has been one of my favourite discoveries of this year. Based on Kerry Greenwood’s books, Miss Fisher is a glamorous lady detective, solving crimes and catching murderers while slowly seducing her stoic police inspector Jack Robinson. It’s a lot of fun, and perfect for binge watching on grey autumn days.
Honourable mention goes to Galavant, a hilarious medieval musical cut short in its prime by cancellation (now online at ABC America). There’s huge fan support for this series, which saw notable guest stars including Hugh Bonneville as a pirate captain, Simon Callow as a fortune teller, and Kylie Minogue as a fairy queen who owns a gay bar.
Ripper Street constantly challenges the audience’s perception of the past