Decline and Fall
BBC ONE, 9.00PM Rev writer James Wood’s splendid three-part adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s 1928 comic novel is, surprisingly, the first ever TV version. It’s well-timed: filming marked the 50th anniversary of Waugh’s death and this Wodehousian school romp is just the ticket for the Easter holidays. Oxford divinity student Paul Pennyfeather (Jack Whitehall, playing another variation on the posh twit persona that has become his signature) is set for a quiet priestly life when he is unfairly expelled for indecent exposure, having been the victim of a prank by the boisterous Bollinger Club. Our hapless hero seeks gainful employment at a Welsh boarding school, where he finds he’s not a natural disciplinarian of “disruptive oiks”. He soon encounters a wealthy widow, the Honourable Mrs Margot Beste-Chetwynde (Eva Longoria) – the glamorous mother of a pupil. Little does Paul know of the surprises that lie ahead when he agrees to tutor her son over the summer. This is gently satirical, irresistibly knockabout fun, with a star-studded supporting cast that includes David Suchet, Stephen Graham, Vincent Franklin and Douglas Hodge.