Sept / Oct 2014 BBC1 written by Matt Charman, 2 episodes co-written with Adam Kemp/ directed by Andy de Emmony (3 eps), Robert McKillop (2 eps), Saul Metzstein / starring Lee Ingleby, Liz White, Anne Reid, Sophia Myles, Stephen Campbell Moore, Peter Wight, Ralf Little, Honor Kneafsey, Amelia Clarkson
There’s a quiet revolution going on in television that the BBC in particular seems to have grasped. As other channels chase the increasingly elusive young audience many of whom baulk at anything lasting longer than 10 minutes or prefer the brilliant but tense American dramas the majority of schedule tv watchers nowadays are a bit older and want something less stressful but still interesting. This used to mean Sunday evening series that lacked a certain something to really convince as drama; they were essentially soft soaps. Now there is a group of programmes that may seem disparate but which appeal to people who feel that interesting tv is not always about blood, swearing and mould breaking; sometimes it’s about a good story well told. Signifiers of this trend include the year’s biggest `reality` show The Great British Bake Off (over 12 million viewers for its final!) the successful drama Last Tango in Halfax and now Our Zoo. Unexpectedly given its more modest pre promotion this six part drama based on a true story is a gem of a programme.
