What misery to be about to write praising the BBC’s brilliantly scripted and superbly acted Ripper Street, only to discover the murderers in BBC management have just axed the damned thing. If we have heard about the Golden Age of television in the US, with series like Homeland and many others, why is it that pathetic Britain always ruins the things it is best at? Ripper Street wins by avoiding creaky clichés like Jack the Ripper and instead goes for something that is rich, complex, historically convincing and socially important too. It has created very original characters and it never shies away from issues from Banking to Homosexual repression. It has been marvellously eccentric with its characters and at times deeply moving.
But just as it is getting better and better, lo and behold some idiot in White City street axes it, in another act of TV Murder. It is because the BBC, suffering from no leadership whatsoever, and after the Jimmy Saville scandals and others, is dominated by cowards and in fighting cynics who can only make their own way and feather their nests by getting rid of some one else’s excellence. There may be hope, with the Guardian announcing five hours ago they may have found a funding partner, but why isn’t the BBC that partner? We should all go down to the BBC building and pull up paving stones, tear back railings to assault the over paid ignoramuses and scrawl THE BBC WILL NOT BE BLAMED FOR NOTHING in dripping blood.
PA PRESS
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