I think it's fair to say that the BBC made some incredibly good dramas during the 1980's, and for my money The lives and loves of a She Devil rates as possibly the best of the lot. It is the ultimate black tale of lust, betrayal, jealousy, and absolute wrathful revenge.
The first thing I was struck by was the intoxicating femininity of Patricia Hodge, never before have I seen her look so glamorous, delicate and beautiful, she was exquisitely cast as Mary Fisher. Julie T Wallace made a fantastic counter to her, her performance from start to finish was nothing short of incredible, she owned that character and made her her own. Dennis Waterman has been around for ages, for me this ranks as his best ever performance.
Brilliant supporting cast, Liz Smith adds a touch of magic that only she knows how to, she is hilarious. Tom Baker was expertly cast and is allowed to be as zany as possible, Bernard Hepton delivers a fantastic performance as the judge, and the seriously handsome Paul Herzberg is excellent as Garcia.
Ruth's transformation is wonderfully done, you believe the hatred and venom is there behind the character. At times you wonder why two such charismatic women are so obsessed with Bobo. The music is first rate, it fits the show perfectly, it's never over the top, and those opening credits are so memorable.
I will never forget those words 'Mary Fisher....'
It doesn't really get any better then this. 10/10
The first thing I was struck by was the intoxicating femininity of Patricia Hodge, never before have I seen her look so glamorous, delicate and beautiful, she was exquisitely cast as Mary Fisher. Julie T Wallace made a fantastic counter to her, her performance from start to finish was nothing short of incredible, she owned that character and made her her own. Dennis Waterman has been around for ages, for me this ranks as his best ever performance.
Brilliant supporting cast, Liz Smith adds a touch of magic that only she knows how to, she is hilarious. Tom Baker was expertly cast and is allowed to be as zany as possible, Bernard Hepton delivers a fantastic performance as the judge, and the seriously handsome Paul Herzberg is excellent as Garcia.
Ruth's transformation is wonderfully done, you believe the hatred and venom is there behind the character. At times you wonder why two such charismatic women are so obsessed with Bobo. The music is first rate, it fits the show perfectly, it's never over the top, and those opening credits are so memorable.
I will never forget those words 'Mary Fisher....'
It doesn't really get any better then this. 10/10