Must Watch reviews Great Expectations

Thursday 30 March 2023, 10:33

Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows.

This week, Hayley Campbell and Scott Bryan review ‘Great Expectations’.

It's a six-part BBC series based on the classic Dickens novel of the same name, starring Olivia Colman as Miss Havisham.

Expect a dark and gritty tale as it's been developed by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.

Scott says: It is not for me. Many good points and lots of deja vu with viewers.

He says: "There were previous adaptations in 1959, 1967, 1981, 1999, 2011 and now in 2023. Last adaptation was with Ray Winston, Jillian Anderson and Douglas Booth. This is executively produced by Steven Knight. It has led to a lot of questions as to why it is being made again.

"I think Charles Dickens has always had a timeless quality to it the way it explores class and childhood guilt.

"This drama has interesting qualities. It has been shot in an interesting way. Tom Sweet as the young pip is solid. And Miss Havisham (Olivia Colman), although we see her for only for two mins in the opening episode, is also good.

"I think it may have been a Must Watch if the other adaptation hadn’t happened. It doesn't have a spark, possibly because this story has been told so many times before."

Hayley's review: This is a maybe-watch. Take it as a no rounded up, or yes rounded down.

She says: "I think it’s worth watching for Olivia Coleman’s take on Miss Havisham.

"I think if you are a Dickens purist it will annoy you to watch because it takes liberties with the plot. But I think that’s fine: there are so many adaptations of this book (17 in film/TV and 11 on the stage) that if you’re going to adapt it you may as well make it your own thing.

"Steven Knight has basically taken the book and extrapolated it in a dark, gritty way, as a kind of thought experiment. It’s imagining what Dickens’ story would have been like if he wrote more explicitly about violence or prostitution.

"This is Knight doing his usual thing, so if you don’t like Peaky Blinders then probably the same issues you have with that show will translate to this one.

"One of the fun reasons for a new adaptation is giving a whole new cast a go at these well-known characters. I always like seeing who’s playing Miss Havisham, and Olivia Coleman is delicious in this.

"There’s a bitter rot at the heart of her character that is seen perfectly in the costuming. However, you may have to turn up the brightness on your TV screen to see it."