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scriptwriter great dennis potter sadly passed away before this flawed but admirable big budget brit mini series was first aired on UK telly in 1996 (both this and it's sequel 'cold lazarus' were screened jointly on b.b.c. and channel 4 at his request). albert finney gives a customary superb central performance as a writer sufferring from terminal cancer who begins expierancing de ja 'vui when people around him start emulating lines and situations from his work. though not in the same calibre as 'pennies from heaven' or 'the singing detective'; it still remains an entertaining piece even though it could have benifetted by being tightened with a shorter length in certain scenes. it's little wonder that some scenes do meander slightly as potter was on a tight deadline due to his poor health so obviously was unable to supply rewrites. it's still well worth watching especially for it's high budget and impressive production values. with a top notch supporting cast featuring alison steadman, roy hudd, liz smith, ian mcdiarmid (looking amazingly like potter himself before he went 'star wars') and richard e. grant; watch out for two early walk ons from ewan macgregor and natasha mcelhone. only hywel bennett disappoints with an over the top ham turn as a dubious pub landlord. to date; this enjoyable series like potter's previous, critically mauled 'blackeyes'; is sadly unavailable on video/dvd.
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