Decline and Fall
They’ve taken the evil out of Evelyn Waugh. That must be the verdict on the three-part adaptation of his debut novel, Decline and Fall (Friday, BBC1, 9pm). The travails of 
Paul Pennyfeather after he is sent down from Oxford were charged with a brittle streak of sadism in Waugh’s scalpel-sharp prose. Somehow the story brought to the screen is as sluggish as a particularly lazy hippo wading through particularly thick mud.
Before we point fingers in the wrong direction, the blame game does not begin with Jack Whitehall in the lead role. The man who’s made a career as a self-deprecating stand-up comedian mocking his posh roots is surprisingly convincing as a feeble soul lost among the inter-war bright young things.
Quite what David Suchet is doing with his OTT performance as the dodgy headmaster at the seedy school where Pennyfeather finds a job is anyone’s guess, and if he rolled his eyes any more you’d fear for his sight. The script isn’t half-bad; it’s the tone that’s all wrong. You can’t help but wonder if Spanish director Guillem Morales was intent on a Buñuel-esque surreal caricature of the English upper middle classes. The result, however, is light years from The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and only faint traces of Waugh remain. Still, Eva Longoria as the exotically seductive Margot Beste-Chetwynde does cut a fine figure in her Jazz Age gowns.
NOT TO BE MISSED...
GISELLE: BELLE OF THE BALLET (Sunday, BBC4, 8pm)
Dancer Tamara Rojo tells the story of the dazzling if tragic tale, which has mesmerised ballet lovers since its launch in Paris in the 1840s.
SAYE MONEY: GOOD FOOD (Tuesday, ITV, 8pm)
Susanna Reid is joined by chef Matt Tebbutt for a new series brimful of eminently sensible money- saving tips.
ME AND MY DOG: THE ULTIMATE CONTEST (Wednesday, BBC2, 8pm)
Pets and their owners face physical and mental tests in Chris Packham’s enthralling new series.
Paul Pennyfeather after he is sent down from Oxford were charged with a brittle streak of sadism in Waugh’s scalpel-sharp prose. Somehow the story brought to the screen is as sluggish as a particularly lazy hippo wading through particularly thick mud. Before we point fingers in the wrong direction, the blame game does not begin with Jack Whitehall in the lead role. The man who’s made a career as a self-deprecating stand-up comedian mocking his posh roots is surprisingly convincing as a feeble soul lost among the inter-war bright young things.
Quite what David Suchet is doing with his OTT performance as the dodgy headmaster at the seedy school where Pennyfeather finds a job is anyone’s guess, and if he rolled his eyes any more you’d fear for his sight. The script isn’t half-bad; it’s the tone that’s all wrong. You can’t help but wonder if Spanish director Guillem Morales was intent on a Buñuel-esque surreal caricature of the English upper middle classes. The result, however, is light years from The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and only faint traces of Waugh remain. Still, Eva Longoria as the exotically seductive Margot Beste-Chetwynde does cut a fine figure in her Jazz Age gowns.
NOT TO BE MISSED...
GISELLE: BELLE OF THE BALLET (Sunday, BBC4, 8pm) Dancer Tamara Rojo tells the story of the dazzling if tragic tale, which has mesmerised ballet lovers since its launch in Paris in the 1840s.
SAYE MONEY: GOOD FOOD (Tuesday, ITV, 8pm)
Susanna Reid is joined by chef Matt Tebbutt for a new series brimful of eminently sensible money- saving tips.
ME AND MY DOG: THE ULTIMATE CONTEST (Wednesday, BBC2, 8pm)
Pets and their owners face physical and mental tests in Chris Packham’s enthralling new series.