Les Miserables (BBC Miniseries)

He is one of the best young actors around, and people who saw his debut in Dickensian were tweeting he'd make a great Enjolras back in 2016 before the BBC version was even announced. If you watch this - and I really hope you do - you'll see what we mean. Enjolras is the novel is modelled visually and verbally on the 1790s revolutionary Saint Just, and his appearance as described isn't actually period-appropriate for the 1830s. And nowhere in the novel does it state that Enjolras walked around dressed like a military horseman in battledress - no civilian in the 1830s, in fact no civilian until 1960s hippies and 1980s New Romantics, would have walked around a city in a gilded hussar waistcoat, but the Les Mis musical fandom don't all say "right, I'm boycotting this musical - this character is dressed entirely inappropriately!"

Also, why are you criticising the director, Tom Shankland? He didn't make these comments. It's Andrew Davies, the screenwriter, who was criticising the musical.

It's just his opinion, I don't get why people are getting so wound up. It's also not nice to call someone you don't know an idiot.

I enjoyed episode one! it's a slow burn for sure, but so are most of Davies' adaptations (and that's sort of the point isn't it? ) I confess I had moments of singing the songs in my head - it's hard not to when they repeat '24601' over and over. But I also enjoyed the 'breathing space' to learn more about the characters. And Dom West is predictably excellent. As was everyone else from what we saw in episode one (ok Fatine was a bit annoying but as a character she is so that's hardly the actress' fault). I also enjoyed Johnny Flynn being a bit of a lad, but not quite, which seems his niche.


I'm not a huge fan of the musical (as in I like it well enough but I've only seen it live twice and have no overwhelming desire to add to that again in the immediate future) so I don't know what character details are VERY different, but that's like me whining the stage version of Pride and Prejudice wasn't exactly the same as Davies' version- Colin Firth in the pond and all.

Finally, as much as I joined in some twitter bitching about Davies' ill-thought comments, my take is that it's more a case of foot-in-mouth and quotes taken out of context. Les Mis isn't even every musical theatre fan's cup of tea never mind someone who isn't into musicals (which is a perfectly fine and reasonable stance) Would I publicly decry the most famous version of the thing I'm selling? probably not...but Davies is 80-something and one of the most successful TV writers we have so I don't think he's ALL that bothered.

Btw, I'm not a fan of the musical but as the novel itself is a weirdly-structured melodrama jam-packed with implausible coincidences I don't think turning it into a musical is a 'travesty' - I just don't like any of the songs! I see More4 are trolling the BBC by screening the musical this evening.

I liked the Valjean scenes best, getting to see a bit more of him struggling with the idea of being "good" than we do in the musical.

I love Les Miserables, the best musical ever and only wish I could seen from the beginning with the magnificent Colm Wilkinson, saying that I didn't love the movie and thought Russell Crowe was flat out awful and Hugh Jackman was a little better.

It has been very faithful to the book, however a bit of a ingenious to start the drama with the battle of Waterloo and Thenardier robbing soldiers' bodies, which is a lot further on in the book. Also when Valjean steals a Sou from the boy, before Valjean commits to Christianity, which is from the book. Also good to see that Fantine as a middle class bourgeoisie and the director done a brilliant job on doing this by giving her the ability to read, before her scripted 'fall from grace.'

So even I could shed a tear when the great Derek Jacobi as bishop buys Valjean soul, which isn't bad for a devout atheist

However

You can understand it while still hating it: when I was a kid I took a friend to see one of my favourite goth bands and she left after the first song and hid in the toilets for the rest of the gig. She did the same when I took her to an indie film, walked out after 5 mins and sat in the cafe very p-d off I didn't join her. She liked boybands and 'The Sound of Music' which was/is my idea of hell.

And the media likes a row. The Andrew Davies vs the musical story got Les Miserables half of the front page of the Torygraph yesterday, with a great big photo of Lily Collins in costume: free advertising.

They showed some old headlines in that BBC4 programme on him - he knows controversy generates publicity. Social media may have changed the game a bit - hardcore Les Mis musical fans saying they want to boycott it, and actors from the musical and TV versions coming out to woo them back by praising both adaptations. Fan culture is a fascinating thing, so this will be an interesting interaction to watch.

David Oleyowo is a brilliant actor who is sadly often overshadowed by the overrated Idris Alba. I agree though his Javart wasn't quite right in the first episode but it's early days

I miss the revolve.

I was underwhelmed - but will give it another go with episode 2.

I felt that Jacobi was underused - the Bishop sequence is central to Valjean's transformation - and it didn't have the weight it needed.

I have no idea why we needed a peeing in the woods sequence - unless he was hoping for a bit of controversy (in which case he failed)

It just feels a bit overdone in places - particularly David Bradley who just gave us the same snarling character he usually does this time with a powdered wig.

Not sure it was the right writer for this project.