Contrasting tv dramas

Over the weekend I watched Roadkill, Montalbano and The Bridge.

Within minutes of watching Roadkill I could see what we were in for.

The playwright Sir David Hare is known for his left wing views and his subject was a hypocritical amoral Tory minister Peter Laurence.

The first scene featured him outside court after a libel victory. His barrister, within earshot of the Press, doubted his credibility. This is so unlikely.

Even more that another barrister in the case on his team should suggest meeting the chief witness who had perpetrated the libel.

The drama was saved by Hugh Laurie who, following his brilliant performance in The Night Manager, showed how well he acts as a charming but wholly insincere character.

Montalbano has been going out on the Italian Rai 2 since 1999.

It’s set in Ragusa, a beautiful area of Southern Sicily.  I was struck how well acted it was. Montalbano (Luca Zingaretti) is a well-dressed cool Commissario with his team who have been there since the series began.

In last Sunday’s episode there was a problem when one of his team was besotted with a Swedish actress filming there, a schoolboy internet nerd who seeks protection from bullies on the dark net and the mystery of two brothers, one with severe mental disability and the other amongst whose possessions at death are a series of photos of a wall.

Montalbano shows his humanity in solving each of these. I found the drama uplifting and not just for the scenic beauty. The programme might fall foul of the BBC diversity policy but hey – there are not too many Bames in southern Sicily.

Finally there is The Bridge.

This is hard core Skanda  Noir.

There is plenty of violence and every episode has a mortuary scene.  The Swedish seem to love these as much as the French do a meal.

Uplifting would not be the word here but I watch it more for the performance of Sonia Helin as Saga the Malmo detective with Asbergers.

It’s a brilliant performance.

Her direct questioning make her a smart detective. She often has a quizzical expression, not understanding why her bluntness might offend.

The series is based on a murder where the victim’ face is covered by emojis. The motivation appears to be anti-cross-gender equality.

My conclusion is that the BBC is mired in dogma and Mainland Europe is more innovative and cutting edge.