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TV review

Published Monday 17 November 2008 at 19:00 by Harry Venning

Hats off to any drama that starts with the death of Mother Theresa of Calcutta and climaxes with a bloodbath in a gay sauna, even if everything that occurs in between is completely bonkers.

Apparitions stars Martin Shaw, bringing his grey-haired gravitas to the role of Catholic priest and reluctant exorcist, Father Jacob. Father Jacob just wants to get on with the day job of researching miracles to support claims for sainthood, but it would appear that various demons and spirits have been asking for him by name.

After which point, I have to confess, total bewilderment kicked in. A little girl believes her father is possessed because he speaks to himself at night. An Indian seminary student, miraculously cured of leprosy in childhood, is visited by an evil apparition. They are linked by the death of Mother Theresa. But how? God knows, and so, presumably, does scriptwriter Joe Aherne, but neither is telling.

Father Jacob, with a somewhat cavalier attitude towards the finer points of the Mental Health Act, ecumenicalism and child protection, figuratively rolls his sleeves up and wades straight in to go 15 rounds with the powers of darkness and anybody else who might get in his way. The scene is set for a spiritual showdown after dark, behind the locked gates of Kensington Palace Gardens.

It may be daft, it may be confusing, it may be gratuitously violent, but Apparitions nevertheless succeeds at sending chills up the audience’s collective spine. It certainly knows how to build up an atmosphere, when to shock and how to do it.

The show has little time or interest in levity, and demands irony-free performances from its talented cast. Martin Shaw practically defies the viewer not to take it all as seriously as he does.

Apparitions could prove a very enjoyable show indeed, if you are only prepared to suspend a little disbelief. For example, not asking how Father Jacob got into Kensington Palace Gardens after the gates were locked.

Walter’s War is inspired by the story of Walter Tull, one of Britain’s first black professional footballers and the first black officer in the British army.

Wounded in 1916 and commended for his bravery, Tull rejects the opportunity to sit out the remainder of the war, choosing instead the challenge of officer training. It is this period the film focuses on, with Tull encountering hostility and prejudice from his fellow cadets, abuse from his NCO trainer, and romance with a local girl.

An hour wasn’t nearly enough time for Walter’s War to do justice to this remarkable man, properly explore the many issues his story raises or flesh out the characters that surrounded him. Nor could the budget stretch to creating convincing battle scenes.

But it was carried by a remarkable performance from OT Fagbenle as Tull and by Kwame Kwei-Armah’s sensitive and intelligent script.

Terry Wogan, all credit to the game old bird, donned tux and took to the dance floor for the Children in Need Strictly Come Dancing Special. His waltz was reminiscent of the final scene from Ben Hur, where Charlton Heston’s corpse is propped upright and sent out to fool his enemies.

DETAILS

Apparitions - BBC1, Thursday, November 13, 9pm

Walter’s War - BBC4, Sunday, November 9, 9pm

Children in Need - BBC1 and BBC2, Friday, November 14, 7pm

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