It’s annoying when, even though you agree with the broad thrust of a film, you know that the filmmaker is painting with such broad strokes as to make their argument laughable. Michael Moore is well known for doing this, although at least he’s usually employing hyperbole for comic effect and in order to make his point. This drama on C4 last night, though, was frankly a bit embarassing. Okay, we all know Alistair Campbell was a highly strung man with a bit of a temper and a bee in his bonnet about the BBC, but the way he was portrayed in this film just made him look like a cartoon villain; he came across more power-crazed Bond-villain than politico. Andrew Gilligan was portrayed as a lazy, slack, morally bankrupt hack. When Tony Blair was shown playing guitar whilst talking to Alistair Campbell on speakerphone, it was all I could do to not burst out laughing.
The other problem with the programme is that it seemed directionless – at one moment, it seemed to be attacking the government, the next, Andrew Gilligan, and the next, the whole war on Iraq. The only consistent theme was “Look at poor David Kelly, a confused, endearing old man with a beard, caught in the middle of this huge political row” – but even then, it was hard to feel sorry for him because of his irritatingly overplayed character which at times was just excruciatingly simpering and weak.
I know this drama was only supposed to be “based” on the story around the events of the time, but the writing and characterisation was so utterly amateurish it was painful. A big disappointment.
EDIT – it seems the Guardian disagree with me, though.