Moving Wallpaper & Echo Beach

A new TV concept aired last night. 

I LOVE new concepts!

From What’s On TV:

“Echo Beach is a … soap-style drama … while earlier show Moving Wallpaper is a comedy that follows the fictionalized crew who make it." 

Wow. Sounds GREAT. I would never have expected this from ITV!

“The interlinking comedy and drama screen back to back … with plots, characters and jokes crossing over between the two."

THAT was a one-way street.

“Echo Beach sees much-loved soap stars Jason Donovan and Martine McCutcheon return to their roots playing ex-lovers Daniel and Susan."  

I should have known...

“On the other side of the camera, in Moving Wallpaper, the hapless producer Jonathan Pope (Ben Miller, of Armstrong and Miller), is pushing his creative team to the limit.”

But not far enough to exceed mild humour!

“Producer Jonathan Pope claims the concept will 'change the face of British television for ever'.”

I doubt it.

As you’ve probably guessed, this did not live-up to my expectations. Perhaps because I was a huge fan of The Larry Sanders Show, from which this type of concept is obviously derived. I’m not saying no other show can do it; I loved Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Moving Wallpaper & Echo Beach takes the step of splitting the idea into two separate shows. And is weaker for it, IMO. But they are targeting a different audience (I think!) and soap fans might appreciate this more than me.

However, I did laugh at this line in Moving Wallpaper.
Script Editor to Producer: “They’re writers, they hate everyone!”


Everyone? Perhaps with the exception of Larry Sanders!!!

Vivienne Vyle

Apart from Ugly Betty, and the occasional fix of Newsnight, I don’t watch very much TV. When I moved back here from New York, and to the horror of my X Factor-addicted sisters, I didn’t even OWN a TV set for almost three years.

That said, I’m a huge fan of Jennifer Saunders, and thought Absolutely Fabulous was, well, absolutely fabulous in its time. So I anticipated with great excitement, The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle. Co-written by, and starring Jennifer Saunders, it is set in the world of daytime TV.

But I’ve been really disappointed. In fact, I found episode one to be borderline depressing. Still, I persevered, because new comedy shows sometimes take a few episodes to settle in. I’ve now watched four or five, and I’m not the first to say -- this just isn’t funny.

The problem is not that Jennifer Saunders isn’t fantastic as the ambitious host of a daytime talk show. It’s the subject itself that brings it down. This type of format is difficult to parody. And really -- how much humour is there to be found in vulnerable people having their lives torn apart on national TV?

After five episodes, for me it's over and done. Bye-bye, Vivienne Vyle.

But I still love Jennifer Saunders!