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Storyline
Set in the 1930s, a black Jazz band rises in fame and popularity while becoming entangled in an intricate web of intrigue, mystery & suspense with the elite of London society.
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TV-MA
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Goofs
Louis Lester is shown as a Black musician leading a racially mixed band. Though Black musicians were sometimes featured as special guests with white bands in the 1930's (Coleman Hawkins with Jack Hylton and Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton with Benny Goodman), racially mixed bands didn't become common until the 1950's.
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Good points: Matthew Goode was excellent in his role as Stanley. His character was original and he carried the show, in my opinion. Most of the others were all right and did what they could with the material. The story kept me watching and interested to the end.
Bad points: It took place in a depopulated London (reminding me of 'Survivors' or 'Day of the Triffids') and never convinced me for a second that it was 1933. The tame music seemed very unlikely to offend anybody at that date, when much 'hotter' jazz had been available for at least a decade previously. Some of it sounded more like the swing music of the forties. Tom Hughes' character and acting was ho-hum. The hiding from the police became silly and unbelievable in the last episode.
Like others, I cannot understand why the BBC think this director is something special and throw money in his direction. But it's worth seeing.