ianlouisiana Review of Lovejoy

Lovejoy (1986–1994)

Unrivalled as a one - man - show until "Mr Selfridge"......

[10/10 · 17 February 2016]

Mr I.McShane in "Lovejoy" is the empirical example of the charismatic actor.With anyone else in the role it would be a mildly diverting series about an antique dealer scraping a living in the wilds of East Anglia one step ahead of the sheriff.But by sheer force of personality he drags it up several rungs,the result is a splendid example of mainstream English telly that you can now watch on "Drama" with the first series starting yesterday for what I hope will be a long run. One of the few perks of being old is the ability to watch daytime TV without feeling one ought to be doing something more meaningful. And with so many Freeview channels to choose from even this wet and miserable winter has become tolerable. Miss P.Logan,looking ridiculously young and carefree,co - stars as Lady Felsham,Lovejoy's partner in almost everything. Mister C.Jury,now in peaceful retirement in Norfolk,(at least from acting) has his one great TV moment as the prosaically named "Eric",McShane's gofer,and a typical man of the Fens so transparently honest and innocent that Lovejoy despairs of him. Mr D.Sutton is excellent as "Tinker",a genteel - poor ex army man who rescues Lovejoy from his own machinations. Some series are more consistent than others,new actors are drafted in that don't bring an awful lot to the party,but the first couple of years are a sheer pleasure to watch,and always,Mr McShane strides across the stage like a rather short Prospero,bringing everybody else to life whilst remaining a man apart. You would have to wait until the arrival of Jeremy Priven nearly 30 years later to see an actor so dominate the screen.