From breezy to bawdy in PBS’s ‘Tom Jones’
“Tom Jones,” the Henry Fielding adaptation currently on PBS’s “Masterpiece” on Sundays at 9 p.m., is breezy and likable. Written by Gwyneth Hughes, it’s four episodes of romance, farce, class differences, flawed heroism, and — remember, this is not Jane Austen — bawdiness.
Naturally, the story from the 1749 novel has been cut back and streamlined a bit, but much of the essence remains. Tom (Solly McLeod) is left as an infant in the home of the wealthy Squire Allworthy (James Fleet). The squire adopts and lovingly raises him alongside his sister’s son, William Blifil (James Wilbraham), who resents Tom, fears for his own inheritance, and undermines his adopted cousin at every turn. But Tom has a winning temperament, and he cares little about inheritance while he lightheartedly dallies with the daughter of a local hunter and other women.
Gradually, he falls in love with his childhood friend Sophia Western (Sophie Wilde), who was raised in Jamaica and now lives with her wealthy grandfather. And she loves him, too. But there are obstacles, of course, not least of all the forces trying to match Sophia with the nefarious Blifil.
One of the highlights in the “Masterpiece” adaptation comes with the appearance of Hannah Waddingham from “Ted Lasso” in the second half. She plays the wicked and conniving Lady Bellaston, Sophia’s aunt, who wants to get her paws on Tom. She’s funny, and predatory, and, finally, sad — and Waddingham makes the most of it all. The cast is filled with entertaining supporting turns, including Alun Armstrong and Shirley Henderson as Sophia’s grandfather and aunt, respectively.
McLeod is fine as Tom — a bit hollow, but also endearing. He makes it too clear that Tom is a great guy all along, as he goes through his coming-of-age wildness. But everything around Tom — the comically excessive costumes, the colorful side characters, the romp-like tone, the moral curlicues — more than compensates for his blandness.