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Far too long  between posts. Far too long. Seriously.

The second series of the reworked Reggie Perrin has recently ended on BBC1. Frankly, it puzzles me.

When the remake/remodel was annnounced, I feared the worst, and to be fair, it could have been really, really bad, but managed to be just, well, not all that good.

But the point is, whay are they bothering? Leonard Rossiter and his supporting cast were brilliant in the original BBC series, and nobody could realistically expected Clunes & co to come close… so why bother?

It wasn’t a remake, nor a sequel, just a sort of re-imagining. David Nobbs (the original writer) was involved, but I find it hard to believe the BBC gave him full control.

Overall, disappointing and frustrating.

If you find Nobbs’ original novel, (that came before the TV version), read it – it’s much darker than the TV version, and benefits from the depth provided by a technically able writer.

I’ve been watching Colditz, the BBC production from the seventies.

There’s plenty of good things I could say about it, but one aspect that stands out is how restrained and understated it is compared to contemporary television drama. We don’t really see any overacting, and some of the portrayals, such as Jack Hedley’s Colonel Preston, are almost languid.

Bernard Hepton makes tremendously effective Kommandant, who goes from cold and  impersonal in the early episodes to resigned and despairing at the end as he learns of the death of his son; and the overwhelming sense of dignity is there throughout. Likewise Hans Meyer’s Hauptmann Ulmann is more than just Germanic efficiency. Both contrast with Anthony Valentine’s Major Mohn, who starts off all fervently loyal Nazi, but is quick to crumble once the writing is on the wall; the irony as he himself plans his escape from Colditz is delicious.

A Colditz moustache

I did wonder how much the series reinforced wartime stereotypes, or whether it was just a case of accurate portrayal; as well as the odd comedy moustache which could have come from a Monty Python sketch, you can see how the series provided plenty of material for ‘Allo ‘Allo.

Considering all the dross on TV that passes for drama these days, it a shame that programs like this aren’t given the chance to capture a whole new audience.