SARAH VINE’S My TV Week: Strange tale of the £650m peasant fraudsters
THE GALLEY POOL
WEDNESDAYS, 9PM, BBC2 AND iPLAYER
Television can sometimes seem very similar – when producers find something that works, they like to beat it to death. This past week we featured a new series of Who Do You Think You Are? (No 20), as well as the series finale of MasterChef’s God knows what.
Actually the opening episode of WDYTYA? (Thursdays, 9pm, BBC1 and iPlayer) is well worth checking out as Andrew Lloyd Webber (along with his canine companion Mojito, a Cuban Havanese) traces his ancestry back to Henry VIII through the Battle of Waterloo, several castles, a or two East End pubs – and a troupe of 18th-century traveling showmen.
But in addition to known formats, we have something unusual. From acclaimed This Is England director Shane Meadows, The Gallows Pole tells the story of the Cragg Vale Coiners, a group of counterfeiters in 18th century Yorkshire.
Based on the book by Behamin Myers, The Gallows Pole tells the story of David Hartley (played by Michael Socha), the leader of the Cragg Vale Coiners, a group of counterfeiters in 18th century Yorkshire
Mesmerizing performances: Sophie McShera plays Grace, the wife of counterfeiter David Hartley, in The Gallows Pole, from acclaimed This Is England director Shane Meadows
Based on the book by Benjamin Myers, it tells the story of their leader, David Hartley, and his brothers, weavers who – as the industrial revolution erupts – are unable to make ends meet.
It is a true story with a place in English folklore, as the gang was so successful that they almost brought down the British economy at the time.
By cutting gold and silver coins, melting down the shavings and then counterfeiting counterfeits, they put £3.5 million worth of coins back into the system – the equivalent of £650 million in today’s money – increasing the value of the currency. decreased by 9 percent.
In the end, they were betrayed by an associate and met a sticky end – but not before Hartley earned himself the nickname “King” and his brothers “Dukes.”
The gang counterfeited £650 million worth of counterfeit coins in today’s money, nearly bringing the UK economy down
They were tough men for hard times, ruthless and violent – but also respected and protected by their community, which perforce regarded them as outlaws, the Robin Hoods of their time.
This is very much how Meadows frames their stories. The hardship and brutality of this time are blatantly romanticized, as are the characters, their suffering – and their subsequent crimes.
He imbues the rugged landscape and bleak lives of the protagonists with a ferocious beauty and brings their rebellion to life with an almost painterly look.
The performances are so intense that they are mesmerizing. Unusually for a period drama, they feel unscripted and spontaneous, and the direction has a fly-on-the-wall quality that really takes the viewer to the heart of the action.
Sarah Vine (pictured) reviews The Gallows Pole
The emotion is high, urgent, sometimes feverish, amplifying the desperation and anger of the situation.
It’s also incredibly weird at times. There’s a sinister, surreal element to it, with Hartley cast as a messianic figure possessed of mystical, mysterious powers drawn from nature and the landscape.
He is pursued (or are they for real?) by a group of black-robed figures wearing deer skulls, their purpose never quite clear.
It’s hypnotic and laced with dark, folkloric nightmares, echoes of The Wicker Man and Midsommar, the 2019 cult folk horror movie starring Florence Pugh.
The result is a show that is as weird as it is brilliant, a truly original piece of television, with a fantastic and very talented cast (led by Michael Socha as Hartley).
Some viewers may find the action a bit slow, but I enjoyed the longueurs, the moments of silence that set the tone and atmosphere.
ANNIKA
SATURDAY, 9.10pm, BBC1 & iPLAYER
Annika, starring Nicola Walker as Detective Annika Strandhed, recently transferred to the Scottish Police’s Marine Homicide Unit in Glasgow, is also quite an odd proposition.
This show premiered on the Alibi channel in 2021, but has just resurfaced on the BBC – and if you’re into moody cop dramas, it’s definitely worth a detour.
Annika, starring Nicola Walker (pictured right) as DI Annika Strandhed, had the potential to be pretentious, but her skill, along with funny deadpan dialogue, saves her from that fate, says Sarah
Annika, who is of Norwegian descent, is also a single mother. When she’s not supervising her scruffy teen Morgan (Silvie Furneaux, left, with Walker), she spends her time philosophizing on camera and tracking down killers with an infallible sixth sense.
In the hands of anyone other than Walker, it all seems rather pretentious; but her skill, combined with the funny, deadpan dialogue, makes this a clear cut above it all.
TIME TO TUNE INTO TINA
Tina Turner, who passed away on May 24, was more than just a musical icon, she was a trailblazer and her life was a lesson in courage and self-confidence, says Sarah
The death of Tina Turner last month marked the end of an era, the passing of a woman who, to fans like me, was an inspiration, not just in musical terms, but just a really beautiful example of a human being.
On the day of the announcement I went back and watched When Tina Turner Came To Britain (BBC iPlayer). If you want a lesson in the power of one woman’s courage and confidence, look no further. Of course also great music.
Channel 4 has been airing some pretty questionable stuff in recent years, but Open House: The Great Sex Experiment really dives into new depths.
Dressed up as some kind of anthropological exploration of open relationships, it’s really just an excuse to show people in heat on camera. In other words, porn. I really have no idea how they get away with it.