Comments on: “To the North…”

By: Suzy

Suzy — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 13:14:47 +0000

It’s about time there was more northern grit on and any comparison with OFitN is going to hold my attention.

By: Oliver

Oliver — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:34:43 +0000

Thanks for posting this as I’d heard about the programmes being made but didn’t know when they’d be screened. I thought 1980 was the best of the four novels as it’s easier to understand the point-of-view of the copper. I think David Peace captures the fear of the period better than any factual book or programme on the Yorkshire Ripper. It’s interesting that you actually need quite a lot of detailed historical knowledge about the Yorkshire Ripper case to fully appreciate what Peace is doing with the books and I wonder if that’ll put people off the TV programme. I personally found it important to know about the real case when reading the Peace books and also read Michael Bilton’s ‘Wicked Beyond Belief’ around the same time. Equally my lack of interest in the Miners’ Strike in 1984/85 put me off GB84 within the first couple of chapters and I still haven’t felt like picking it up again. The Red Riding Quartet felt less historical than GB84 to me. I’ll be watching with interest.

By: Pidge

Pidge — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:44:21 +0000

I found David’s comment very interesting. I’ve seen the first show on preview disc and gradually through the epsiode became increasingly alienated from what I was watching. Some scenes near the end were a step too far for me and I gave up on it. But David’s description of the books is exactly how I feel about the episode I saw – I think he put’s it extremely well and perfectly encapsulates my response to it.

By: David Pascoe

David Pascoe — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:52:20 +0000

Approach these with caution. I read the quartet of books that make up this story (one of them is set in 1977) and while the period detail was a joy (particularly in “Nineteen Seventy Four”), all four books ended up as intensely frustrating reads as Peace wrote himself into the tortured mental states of the various protagonists and ended up disappearing up his own arse.
That said I’m looking forward to seeing “The Damned United” when it comes out to see if Michael Sheen will re-create the “Oh you are a bloody disgrace” in flashback wearing white shorts and a red tracksuit top. Also to see if they cast anyone as Barry Davies at the press conference announcing Brian Clough’s departure.

By: Jack Kibble-White

Jack Kibble-White — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:11:45 +0000

I think it might be as far back as Life on Mars when I was looking forward to a new drama series this much. I hope it’s going to be as great as all the pre-publicity suggests