This tale of a London hotel beset by the blitz in 1940 does not have much originality - all of the characters are pretty much stock figures, although they naturally have their little secrets. There is plenty of sentiment, and tension wound up by dramatic devices you can see coming a mile off. On the whole it is saved mostly by the cast, whose performances are pretty good, especially Steven Mackintosh as the manager, Hermione Corfield as his daughter/assistant, and Kara Tointon as the flighty singer with a heart of gold. Not filmed in London, and some of the trappings of war are a bit feeble. But worth watching even though the last episode is unsatisfactory because a second series was anticipated but never materialised.
Review of The Halcyon
