Doctor Who: Frontios (21.3, BBC, 1984)

"It's, um, very good of you to help us, Mr..."

"I'm not helping, officially. And if anyone happens to ask whether I made any material difference to the welfare of this planet, you can tell them I came and went like a summer cloud."

Smuggler - ITV - April 5, 1981 - June 28, 1981

Adventure (13 episoides)

Running Time: 30 minutes

Stars:

Oliver Tobias as Jack Vincent

Lesley Dunlop as Sarah Morton

Hywel Williams-Ellis as Honesty Evans

Peter Capell  as Captain Konig

W A T C H I N G

"OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" (1976) Review

"OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" (1976) Review

I have a curious history with the 1998 adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1864-65 novel, "Our Mutual Friend". I had a lukewarm reaction to it when I first saw it. Following two re-watches of the miniseries, I became a major fan of it. So, when I discovered there had been an earlier adaptation of the novel, I did not hesitate to watch it. My efforts to view the 1976 miniseries, "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" proved to be difficult, due more to availability reasons. But I finally managed to achieve it in the end.

Whether you are familiar with Dickens' tale or not, "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" centered around the "death" of the heir to a fortune inherited from his father, a former collector from London's rubbish. The story begins with a solicitor named Mortimer Lightwood, who narrates the circumstances of the death of his client, a former dustman named Mr. Harmon, who collected London's rubbish, to his aunt and other guests at a society dinner. The terms of Old Harmon's will stipulated that his fortune should go to his estranged son John, who had returned to Britain after years spent abroad. John can inherit his father's fortune on the condition that he marry a woman he has never met, Miss Bella Wilfer. However, a Thames River waterman named Gaffar Hexam and his daughter Lizzie discover a corpse in the river with papers identifying the latter as John Harmon. When Mortimer learns of this death, he and his close friend Eugene Wrayburn head toward the river to identify the body. These events led to the following subplots:

*John Harmon fakes his death and assumes the identity of John Rokesmith, the Boffins' social secretary, in order to ascertain Bella Wilfer's character. John had recruited a sailor to impersonate him, but the latter betrayed him by drugging and later, robbing him. However, the sailor was later betrayed by others who not only robbed him, but also murdered him. The Hexams had discovered the sailor's body.

*Old Mr. Harmon's employees, Nicodemus and Henrietta Boffin inherit the Harmon fortune and take in Bella Wilfer as a ward to compensate for her loss, following John's "death".

*Gaffer Hexam's embittered former partner, Roger "Rogue" Riderhood falsely accused Hexam of murdering "Harmon".

*While accompanying his friend, Mortimer Lightwood, to identify Harmon's body, Eugene Wrayburn meets and falls in love with Hexam's daughter, Lizzie.

*Charley Hexam, Lizzie's younger brother, has a headmaster named Bradley Headstone, who becomes romantically and violently obsessed with Lizzie.

*Mr. Boffin hires a ballad-seller with a wooden leg named Silas Wegg to read for him. When he finds another will of Old Harmon's in the dust, he schemes with a taxidermist named Mr. Venus to blackmail his newly rich employer.

One of the reasons I had such difficulties in embracing the 1998 version of "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" was the complex nature of the narrative. The story began with the death of the fake John Harmon and the latter's deception and spiraled out into different subplots. Years ago, I had made the mistake of assuming that most of these subplots had no connection whatsoever. Following my other viewings of the 1998 miniseries and this production, I now realize that the subplots had three major connections - money, class and John Harmon. Nearly every subplot had something to do with money, class or both. As for John Harmon . . . I found myself pondering on the fates of the main characters if John had not made that decision to recruit that sailor into his deception regarding his identity. Perhaps some of the subplots would have panned out - John and Bella's marriage (if he had agreed to the terms of his father's will), Charley Hexam's education, Lizzie Hexam's introduction to Bradley Headstone and her subsequent rejection of his marriage proposal. But there are some - Lizzie meeting Eugene Wrayburn, Eugene and Bradley's conflict, and Silas Wegg's attempt to blackmail Boffin - definitely would not have happened if John had not engaged in any deception on his part. Nearly the entire story seemed to be a case of "the Six Degrees of John Harmon".

One story arc from the novel seemed to be missing in this series - namely the attempt made by elite, yet impoverished newlyweds Alfred and Sophronia Lammle to befriend and scam a young heiress named Georgiana Podsnap. I can understand why the screenwriters had never included this arc into the miniseries, considering that the Lammles and Miss Podsnap had no connection to John Harmon, whatsoever. But apparently, the screenwriters had decided to delete them altogether, unlike screenwriter Sandy Welch, who had used the Lammles to go after Mr. Boffin in the 1998 adapation.

And how did "OUR MUTUAL FRIENDS" handled the narrative's multi-arcs? I thought director Peter Hammond, along with screenwriters Julia Jones and Donald Churchill managed to handle them quite well. Despite the various arcs being scattered to winds, all three managed to convey how they all connected in the end. My only complaint was how the director and the writers introduced the various arcs. I noticed that they mystery surrounding the discovery of John Harmon's body seemed to dominate the series' first episode, whereas the introductions of the Boffins and Bella Wilfer seemed to dominate the second. This seemed to give "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND"'s narrative a "paint-by-the-numbers" style in the miniseries' first third. From Episode Three and onward, Hammond, Jones and Churchill seemed to have no trouble juggling the various arcs within an episode.

But as much as I had enjoyed "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND", I have a few quibbles. Like a good number of BBC/ITV costume dramas between the 1950s and the 1980s, this production seemed to suffer from from the occasional slow pacing, due to Hammond shooting the miniseries more like a stage play. Granted, there were a few scenes that seemed avoid this fallacy, due to being filmed in an exterior setting - the Hexams' discovery of the fake John Harmon's body, Lizzie Hexam's discovery of the dying Betty Higden and Bradley Headstone's attack upon Eugene Wrayburn. But a good number of scenes - mainly those with interior settings and those that featured Silas Wegg and Mr. Venus' blackmail conspiracy - seemed to drag nearly forever, to the point that I found myself wondering if I was watching a televised stage play. I have one last complaint. The miniseries ended with the main characters briefly discussing Bradley Headstone's fate with a few words, not long after Eugene and Lizzie's marriage. As much as I had enjoyed this production, I found this ending rather abrupt and cold - quite disappointing, when I recall how the 1998 miniseries had ended.

As much as I had enjoyed many of the performances in the miniseries, there were the occasional bouts of hammy acting that left me wincing. For me, the biggest offenders proved to be Alfie Bass, Edmond Bennett, David Troughton, and Kathleen Harrison. Do not get me wrong. They all managed to convey their characters' personalities very well. But I believe they had indulged just a bit too much in stagey or hammy acting for my taste. But there were performances that I had actually enjoyed. Granted, performers like Leo McKern and Polly James, who portrayed Mr. Boffin and Jenny Wren respectively, had their moments of hammy acting. But I thought they managed to give first-rate performances in the long run, creating some memorable interpretations of their characters. However, the series featured some excellent supporting performances from the likes of Andrew Ray, Hilda Barry, John Collin, Ray Mort, Patricia Lawrence and Ronald Lacey.

The miniseries also featured some outstanding performances. They included John McInery as the intelligent, yet compassionate John Harmon; Lesley Dunlop, whose Lizzie Hexam managed to be warm and caring without any taint of treacly behavior; Jack Wild as Lizzie's eager and ambitious younger brother Charley Hexam; and Warren Clarke as Bradley Headstone, who managed to be both sympathetic, yet frightening at the same time. Yet, I believe the two best performances came from Nicholas Jones and Jane Seymour as Eugene Rayburn and Bella Wilfer. Jones gave a subtle, yet very complex performance as the roguish Eugene, who seemed torn by his love for Lizzie and his reluctance to pursue her honestly, due to her lower class. Seymour's portrayal of Bella struck me as equally complex, as she managed to convey her character's growing development from the mercenary and shallow girl to a warm, generous and yet spirited woman.

Aside from the opening shot of the Thames River for each episode, I must admit that I found myself unimpressed by Elmer Cossey's cinematography and Sam Barclay's lighting. Not only did I find the miniseries' visuals rather flat, but also a bit too dark. On the other hand, I thought Chris Pemsel's production designs pretty spot-on. I thought he did a competent job in re-creating mid-19th century London and England. I especially have to give praise to Robin Fraser-Paye's costume designs. I found his costumes - especially for female characters like Bella Wilfer, Lizzie Hexam, Mrs. Boffin and Jenny Wren - rather exquisite, as shown in the image below:

As for the hairstyles featured in "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" . . . I have mixed feelings about them. I have no idea who the hairstylist was, but he or she did managed to come close in re-creating mid-19th century hairstyles. Only those worn by most of the younger female characters seemed to be loose curls or flowing curly hair in the style of those featured in many pre-Raphaelite paintings - especially by Lesley Dunlop and Polly James. Although such hairstyles were popular in mid-19th century art (especially in Britain), I have grave doubts that many women - or many young women between the 1840s and the 1860s wore their hair in such a manner.

Overall, I cannot deny that "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" was a first-rate adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1864-1865 novel. Yes, I had a few issues that included the miniseries' photography, some writing decisions, a few over-the-top performances and the belief that I felt I was watching a filmed play. But despite these quibbles, "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" also featured some top-notch performances from a cast led by John McInery and a screenplay by Julia Jones and Donald Churchill that did Dickens' novel proud.

Merely a weekend, still, I thought it might amuse you to know Who's invited to go This time with his pants A Weekend In The Country - A Little Night Music 1977 movie

lesley dunlop

Smuggler: set during the Napoleonic wars of the early 1800s, Oliver Tobias stars as Jack Vincent, a swashbuckling ex-British naval captain turned smuggler. A strong-willed, independent man who lives by both his wits and the sword, Vincent is ably assisted by Sarah (Lesley Dunlop) and petty thief Honesty Evans (Hywel Williams Ellis) in his struggle to stay one step ahead of the Excise Men...

Lesley Dunlop

Top 5 books from your childhood/ adolescence, for the ask game

Here are some of my favourites from when I was a child.

The Suitcase Kid by Jacqueline Wilson: X - Andy’s parents get divorced and she ends up living half the time with her mum's new family and half with her dad's. I didn't read many Jacqueline Wilson stories when I was a kid and from what I've heard, this is one of the less sad ones. Still a lot of relatable childhood emotional upheaval, with convincing characters and a neat conclusion. Andy always carries a toy rabbit with her, and when Radish goes missing, the bottom falls out of Andy’s world for a while, which I could fully understand. I had it on audiobook read beautifully by Lesley Dunlop.

The Queen's Nose by Dick King-Smith: X - Harmony’s uncle gives her a 50p piece that grants wishes. He sets her a treasure hunt/quiz to figure out how the magic works (spoiler: you rub the queen's nose). The 50p described was an old 1973 coin with nine interlinked hands, which represented the nine countries of the EEC. There were still some of these knocking around when I was little so whenever I got one, I tried rubbing it but I never found one that granted wishes. Our heroine loves animals and can't really relate to people until she's decided what animal they would be, which was a really fun aspect of this one.

Pongwiffy: A Witch of Dirty Habits by Kaye Umansky: X - Pongwiffy is a funny, filthy witch who lives on a rubbish dump. Her familiar is a badly-behaved thug of a hamster. She has a prissy best friend who despairs of her stinky ways. Just good fun, anarchic stories about naughty witches, which probably set me up to fall for the Msses Weatherwax and Ogg a bit later. A few years ago I met Kaye Umansky at a book festival and I was so awed to meet the creator of Pongwiffy. She was very gracious.

The Bear Nobody Wanted by Janet and Allan Ahlberg: X - A teddy bear learns to be happy when he gets over his own pride. This was a charming story set during WW2. The book tells us that toys get their personalities from their outward appearance. (In retrospect this is a bit problematic, but go with it.) This bear comes off the factory line with a slightly supercilious expression, making him not quite loveable, so he gets thrown in the reject bin. He goes through a series of adventures and owners. The more bashed about he becomes, the more his nature softens. Finally after being gnawed by a dog, strapped to the front of a dustcart, bombed in the Blitz, and repaired by a kind lady in a toy hospital – he ends up with a kind expression, a kinder heart, and a home to call his own.

Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer: X - On her first night in boarding school, Charlotte goes to sleep and wakes up 40 years earlier in 1918, and finds everyone is calling her Clare. Meanwhile, Clare has woken up in Charlotte's time. Charlotte and Clare spend alternating nights in each other's lives, until one night Charlotte gets trapped in 1918 and then spends several weeks there with Clare's little sister, the only one to know her secret. Can the girls get back to their own times? This is a genuinely haunting book that poses sophisticated questions about identity, dreams and memory. Charlotte even starts to doubt herself and forget who she really is. I recently read this as an adult and I enjoyed it so much. In the same vein of 'child slips through time during the night' as the more famous Tom's Midnight Garden and Stig of the Dump. (Fun fact, The Cure wrote a gloomy song inspired by this book.)

ALSO: I'd recommend Bookworm by Lucy Mangan: X for a lovely and funny memoir of childhood reading.

Emmerdale'de Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) ve Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop) için zorlu bir geceydi ve ilişkileri üzücü bir sona erdi.Eric, Parkinson hastası olduğunu öğrendikten sonra kendisi de zor bir dönemden geçiyor ve sevdiklerine açılmak yerine herkesi dışlıyor.Sonuncusu Brenda ve dün ona ayrılmak istediğini söyledikten sonra, bugünkü bölümde (8 Kasım) kararının ağırlığı onun üzerinde etkili oldu.Brenda, Eric'in ona söyledikleri karşısında tamamen yıkılmıştı ve kafede çalışamıyordu; bu da Nicola'yı umutsuzluğa düşürüyordu.Eric kararında kararlı olmasına rağmen, Brenda'dan gerçekten ayrılmak istemediği açıktı ve Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) ile yaptığı görüşmelerde gerçek ortaya çıktı.Jacob, Eric'in Parkinson hastalığını bildiğini açıkladı ve Eric, diğerlerinin onun durumunu bildiğini düşünerek üzülse de, sonunda bu konu hakkında konuşacak birini bulduğunu görmek cesaret vericiydi.Bilgilerinizi girerek şunları kabul etmiş olursunuz: Şartlar ve koşullar Ve Gizlilik Politikası. Aboneliğinizi istediğiniz zaman iptal edebilirsiniz.Genç, Eric'e eğer Brenda'yı kabul ederse onu geri almayı düşünmesi konusunda ısrar etti ve onun kendine gelmesini sağladı.Ancak Brenda onarılamayacak kadar yaralandı ve Eric'e onu bir daha görmek istemediğini söyledi.Eric gözyaşlarına boğularak onun söylediklerini kabul etti. Gerçekten onlar için her şey bitti mi?Devamını oku:Emmerdale hafta içi saat 19.30'da ITV1 ve ITVX'te yayınlanıyor. İzleyecek daha fazlasını arıyorsanız TV Rehberimize ve Yayın Rehberimize göz atın veya Sabunlarımızı ziyaret edin merkez.Radio Times dergisini bugün deneyin ve yalnızca 10 £ karşılığında 10 sayı edinin – şimdi abone ol ve Doctor Who'nun 60. yılını Radio Times'ın özel sayısıyla kutlayın. TV'nin en büyük yıldızlarından daha fazlası için dinleyin Radyo Times Podcast'i.

Emmerdale'de Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) ve Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop) için zorlu bir geceydi ve ilişkileri üzücü bir sona erdi.Eric, Parkinson hastası olduğunu öğrendikten sonra kendisi de zor bir dönemden geçiyor ve sevdiklerine açılmak yerine herkesi dışlıyor.Sonuncusu Brenda ve dün ona ayrılmak istediğini söyledikten sonra, bugünkü bölümde (8 Kasım) kararının ağırlığı onun üzerinde etkili oldu.Brenda, Eric'in ona söyledikleri karşısında tamamen yıkılmıştı ve kafede çalışamıyordu; bu da Nicola'yı umutsuzluğa düşürüyordu.Eric kararında kararlı olmasına rağmen, Brenda'dan gerçekten ayrılmak istemediği açıktı ve Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) ile yaptığı görüşmelerde gerçek ortaya çıktı.Jacob, Eric'in Parkinson hastalığını bildiğini açıkladı ve Eric, diğerlerinin onun durumunu bildiğini düşünerek üzülse de, sonunda bu konu hakkında konuşacak birini bulduğunu görmek cesaret vericiydi.Bilgilerinizi girerek şunları kabul etmiş olursunuz: Şartlar ve koşullar Ve Gizlilik Politikası. Aboneliğinizi istediğiniz zaman iptal edebilirsiniz.Genç, Eric'e eğer Brenda'yı kabul ederse onu geri almayı düşünmesi konusunda ısrar etti ve onun kendine gelmesini sağladı.Ancak Brenda onarılamayacak kadar yaralandı ve Eric'e onu bir daha görmek istemediğini söyledi.Eric gözyaşlarına boğularak onun söylediklerini kabul etti. Gerçekten onlar için her şey bitti mi?Devamını oku:Emmerdale hafta içi saat 19.30'da ITV1 ve ITVX'te yayınlanıyor. İzleyecek daha fazlasını arıyorsanız TV Rehberimize ve Yayın Rehberimize göz atın veya Sabunlarımızı ziyaret edin merkez.Radio Times dergisini bugün deneyin ve yalnızca 10 £ karşılığında 10 sayı edinin – şimdi abone ol ve Doctor Who'nun 60. yılını Radio Times'ın özel sayısıyla kutlayın. TV'nin en büyük yıldızlarından daha fazlası için dinleyin Radyo Times Podcast'i.

Haunted: The Ferryman (Granada, 1974)

"The success of The Ferryman is not that it's simply another witchcraft story - it's true, surely?"

"No, it's not true."

"Yes, but it is based on fact."

"No, it's not based on fact. It's, uh... I write fiction."

Julie Dawn Cole and Lesley Dunlop in ‘Angels’

“...her fun gun.”

The Happiness Patrol - season 25 - 1988

Lesley Dunlop who has been a regular on television and in film since the 70′s. Now appears in the UK soap Emmerdale.

4. Least Favourite Female Character

Brenda Walker (No hate to Lesley Dunlop though!)