The Hollow Crown

Henry IV, Part 1: I think sometimes when us Brits moan about the BBC licence fee we are apt to forget that following in the tradition of the excellent "I Claudius" and "Elizabeth R" it can produce some of the finest drama to be seen on the small or the big screen. This is the first part of the comical drama depicting the start of the latter stages of the reign of England's King Henry IV (Jeremy Irons) largely from the perspective of his wastrel son "Hal" (Tim Hiddleston), his sidekick "Poins" (David Dawson) and the inveterately inebriated and shrewdly opportunistic "Falstaff" (Simon Russell Beale). The King is facing some discord from the north of his Kingdom, with the impertinent "Hotspur" (Joe Armstrong) declining to present his hostages from his recently successful cause against the warlike Scots to the King to ransom. It's a tit-for-tat despute that will require the Prince to set down his beer cup and prove to his father and those sceptical at court that he can rise to the occasion and prove his worthiness to succeed to the throne. Sir Richard Eyre has assembled a fantastic cast here to tell us a story of revolution, betrayal and duplicity and none are better than Beale who dominates with his avuncular and lively persona. The engaging Hiddleston successfully manages to mix his own character's traits of wilfulness and debauchery skilfully as it evolves into something just a little more, well, grown up. Sir Richard has also managed to retain much of the intensity and joy of the original earthy dialogue between the characters, again well epitomised by Julie Walters' sparing appearances as innkeeper "Quickly" and Dawson's mischievous "Poins". It's dark, violent, boozy and gritty and it illustrates the perilous times compellingly. Roll on part two...