Back in the early Nineties, the BBC did a five-part adaptation of Alan Plater’s fifth and final novel, Oliver’s Travels. I have long since regarded it as the most perfectly miscast series in broadcasting history. Absolutely everybody, down to the least walk-on part, was wrong. It was sort of a miracle in that respect.
Today, I’ve seen the first photos and information released about the forthcoming BBC America eight-part series, The Watch, ‘inspired’ by Terry Pratchett’s City Watch books.
Oliver’s Travels no longer stands alone.
I’m not encouraged by the images, either, but I’m still holding out a faint hope the they’ll at least use some of Terry’s dialog.
If they do it won’t work. I’ve seen this before, when something that work’s brilliantly is ‘improved upon’ by some sub-talent that can’t resist overwriting thevoriginal. Read my ‘An Inspector Calls – but needn’t have’ blog for a more expansive investigation of the idea –
I intend to watch and blog it, mind you. The knives will run red indeed.