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The Rotters' Club

Jack Vincennes

15:48 / 27.01.05

Did anyone else see this? It is, unsurprisingly, based on Johnathan Coe's The Rotters' Club -the first episode was on BBC2 last night. If you've not read the book (as I haven't) it's about three teenage boys -at the same school, but from fairly different backgrounds -and their families, in the late seventies. As an extremely rough summary.

I thought it was excellent -the script moved quite well between being funny and not so, and the occasional archive footage that was integrated with the action worked. It also featured (be still, my fluttering heart!) Julian Rhind-Tutt as a sleazy art teacher.

What did everyone else think? And if you've read the book, how do you think it worked as an adaptation?

Benny the Ball

19:44 / 27.01.05

I half watched it, being late home from work, so preparing some food, and then leaving for a phone call before the ending, but what I saw was great fun, and really well acted. There are a lot of great faces in the cast, and it worked really well.

I haven't read the books, but could be tempted now (I really enjoyed Eureka St. the book after watching the adaptation, and BBC are very good at this sort of thing).

■

00:21 / 28.01.05

Repeated on Saturday, folks. Managed to track down a preview tape (a friend took me boozing last night as a Birthday pressie, so I missed it) so I should be able to be snarky and point out inaccuracies in G-Plan furniture and issues of Look-In left on coffee tables soon.

DaveBCooper

09:45 / 02.02.05

Watched the repeat, and rather enjoyed it. Not familiar with the book, though I know it’s well liked by friends of mine.
Impressed by the way a running reference in the background’ came to the fore at the end, and the way the voice-over said it was always happening ‘to someone else’. And effective as the two involved seemed sympathetic characters.

Episode the second tonight, so this post may serve also to BUMP-

Jack Vincennes

11:17 / 02.02.05

Impressed by the way a running reference in the background came to the fore at the end

That was one of my favourite scenes in the whole thing -the combination of Lois' almost hysterical response, the close ups of the bomb, and the archive pictures after the explosion were great. Which worked well (I thought) in balancing portraying the explosion as a personal event, the 'not just happening to someone else' part, and a public one.

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