All creatures great and small
The Great British Sewing Bee: Celebrity Christmas Special
Anyone can play the piano, as Les Dawson always said. It takes talent to play it badly.
Junior veteran Richard Carmody (James Anthony-Rose) performed Tchaikovsky's “March of the Toy Soldiers” in three different keys simultaneously in the Christmas special of “All Creatures Great And Small” (Chapter 5), which required both concentration and cloth ears.
“Will you please stop this damn noise?” bellowed Siegried (Sam West, always great). I felt like he expressed the feelings of a nation that has been exposed to music like Jingle Bell Rock and Step Into Christmas for far too many weeks now.
“All Creatures” can lay claim to being the most nostalgic series on television. Even more than “Call The Midwife,” it places great emphasis on reflecting the atmosphere and details of its time. Not only the clothes and the cars, but also the dishes, the decorations, the lighting and the precisely layered social classes are reminiscent of the 1930s.
It becomes all the more clear when the attitudes of the 21st century are reflected in history. Helen Herriot (Rachel Shenton) was expecting her first child while her husband James was away at war as an officer-in-training at an RAF base, so she gave up alcohol.
Helen Herriot (Rachel Shenton) was expecting her first child while her husband James was away at war as an officer-in-training at an RAF base, so she gave up alcohol
She drank water in the pub, and Siegfried didn't even offer her a sherry as a nightcap on Christmas Eve.
We might be horrified to see a modern mother-to-be drinking, but during World War II it was as common as chain smoking – another feature of the era that the characters quietly abstained from.
James' (Nicholas Ralph) behavior was even more contradictory. As an apprentice pilot, he bristled when younger pilots called him an “old man.”
“You know, I'm really not that much older than you,” he complained.
Everyone was an “old man” for this generation, regardless of age. In any case, it's bizarre to see our hero fretting over “microaggressions” when faced with anti-aircraft batteries and Messerschmitt squadrons intent on inflicting maximum aggression.
But what really shook credibility was his decision to walk away after being denied Christmas leave.
Junior veteran Richard Carmody (James Anthony-Rose, pictured: right) suggested Tchaikovsky's “March of the Toy Soldiers” in three different keys simultaneously in the Christmas special of “All Creatures Great And Small” (Chapter 5).
James (Nicholas Ralph), an apprentice pilot, resented being called an “old man” by younger aviators
Such dereliction of duty should be unthinkable – his wife and friends would be horrified and disgusted, and he would risk court-martial, prison or even execution.
But instead of condemning him, his commanding officer realized his mistake and granted the deserter a two-day pass home.
This sentimental nonsense belies the hard work of the props department and customers.
In the end we just have to look past it, like the wrong notes on the piano, because the joy of this series is the constant circling of Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) and Siegfried. Will they ever swallow their pride and admit how much they are in love?
Props and costumes came together in a deliciously silly double act as Ghosts star Kiell Smith-Bynoe presented The Great British Sewing Bee: Celebrity Christmas Special (BBC1).
Props and costumes came together in a deliciously silly double act as Ghosts star Kiell Smith-Bynoe presented The Great British Sewing Bee: Celebrity Christmas Special (BBC1).
Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young set sewing tasks including Christmas stockings trimmed with bells and a transformation task that involved transforming quilted jackets into giant sprouts and carrots.
The overall standard may have been the lowest ever seen at the Bee, but singer Toyah Wilcox was so fiercely competitive that she brought a photo of herself in her prime wearing one of Esme's Swanky Modes outfits on stage.
She also brought out some Swanky jewelry and casually mentioned that she wore them to lunch with Princess Di. How did Toyah come to be friends with Diana? It's a mystery…