Highlights of 2011

Our annual review of the year in television continues with our celebration of programmes which we consider were well worth watching; the highlights of the year.

ATV Today’s pick of these highlights include comedy Mrs Brown’s Boys, dark cult drama The Fades and glossy American drama The Vampire Diaries.

Mrs Brown’s Boys

It has been a very long time since any comedy made us laugh out loud all the way through it (okay since Come Fly With Me last Christmas) but Mrs Brown’s Boys did just that. By the end of each episode we were aching from laughing so much. The critics didn’t find it that amusing but who cares what they think?

Mrs Brown’s Boys was pure comedy gold. Brendan O’Carroll, who also writes the series, plays the foul-mouthed Irish matriarch Agnes Brown who can’t help but interfere in the lives of her family. Perhaps what makes the comedy even better is some of the “goffs” are left in; the opening episode see’s Agnes Brown run across several sets to get her handbag the camera falling her all the way there and back. Its those little moments which make Mrs Brown’s Boys even more fun.

The Fades

No one does a dark, creepy and atmospheric cult drama quite like us Brits. Sure the American’s do cult dramas very well but they tend to be a lot more “glossy” than our ones. The Fades, created by Jack Thorne, is a perfect example of an innovative, original and dark drama and it was offered to us by BBC Three. It is shows like this that prove the worth of the digital channel and prove the nay-sayers, who want it closed down, wrong. If only BBC Three could offer us more programmes like this and less like Snog, Married, Avoid.

The Fades revolved around Paul (Iain De Caestecker) who has visions of the end of the world and his supernatural abilities; he is an angelic caught in a battle with the dead Fades. The Fades cast also consisted of Claire Rushbrook, Natalie Dormer, Tom Ellis, Daniel Kaluuya and Daniela Nardini. Whether or not it will return for a second series remains clear especially as Zai Bennett is now in charge of BBC Three and as the past few months has shown he has no hesitation in wielding his axe.

Downton Abbey

The first season of the ITV period drama, penned by Julian Fellowes, was something of a surprise hit for the broadcaster. It was one of the top, if not the top, rated drama’s of 2010 and was certainly one of the most widely discussed. With the first season being such a hit with audience and critics alike it was only natural that the second season would feel the pressure.

The second season of Downton Abbey was set during the First World War with the household feeling the affects from the far-off war; Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) and footman William (Thomas Howes) went off to the trenches, Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay) became a nurse, Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton) returned to nursing while the grand house itself was turned into a hospital for injured officers. Robert Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) spent most of the season huffing and puffing that he hadn’t been sent off to fight in the war and nearly had an affair with maid Jane (Claire Calbraith).

The second season certainly met with a mixed response with some feeling it moved through the war years far too quickly while others felt the storylines were being too far fetched; the plot with the supposed Patrick Crawley returning from the dead was one example. Other criticisms were aimed at the number of ad-breaks and the sponsorship stings which were obviously beyond the control of Julian Fellowes. Despite the criticism though Downton Abbey was still a delight to watch and a wonderful rest-bite on Sunday evenings from the likes of the X Factor.

The Vampire Diaries

Vampires; you can’t get away from them. They are everywhere. Twilight rules the cinema thanks to the sex appeal of lead stars Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lauter and Kristen Stewart. True Blood rules television screens thanks to an impressive cast lead by Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer and Alexander Skarsgard. However, there’s a contender to both of their thrones; The Vampire Diaries.

The teen-drama continues the trend established by Buffy the Vampire Slayer of supernatural dramas revolving around a teen cast, mostly, who balancing high school with saving the world. Only The Vampire Diaries is far superior that than basic premise makes it sound. It’s a series that might feature teens as the main characters but its very adult in nature and doesn’t treat its audience as fools; you need to pay attention to keep up with the plots on this series.

Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) has a vampire boyfriend Stefan (Paul Wesley) who in turn has a vampire brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder). The two were turned into vampires in the 1800’s by Katherine Pearce who just happens to be a doppleganger of Elena. Trying to keep up with who is pretending to be who, out of Elena and Katherine, at times is hard work as it is without throwing werewolves, witches and hybrids into the mix.

The second series was full of twists and turns with a shocking two-part season finale in which another regular character was killed off. The third season, which recently reached its mid-season finale, is equally as good and full of turns. The Vampire Diaries deserves far more recognition than it gets; this is no teeny drama Hollyoaks style, this is up there with True Blood and other notable genre fare.

The Hour

Okay so The Hour was, sadly, more miss than hit but it did show promise. Unfortunately the BBC Two drama lost its way a little and strayed off into soapy territory with the unconvincing will they/won’t they romance between Bell (Romola Garai) and Hector (Dominic West).

Far too much screen-time was devoted to the storyline which panned out in an obvious and predictable manner. The conspiracy theory storyline, involving Freddie (Ben Whishaw), was far more interesting and thankfully given more screen-time as the series progressed.

The Hour is part of BBC Two’s drive to increase its drama output beyond one-off productions. It is seeking a regular drama series and has been given an increased budget in which to produce more drama for the channel. The Night Watch, a brilliant adaptation, is another example – and perhaps better example than The Hour – of what BBC Two’s drama is likely to offer audiences.