Peter Bowles worked his way to stardom. He paid his dues and eventually became a household name in To the Manor Born and a bit of a sex symbol. He was even talked at one point about being a potential replacement to Roger Moore as James Bond.
As Bowles worked for Thames Television on Rumpole of the Bailey, he persuaded them of an idea he had of a gossip columnist for a national newspaper. A kind of a nicer and more charming Nigel Dempster, if such a thing is possible.
The trouble is that although the being a member of the national press sounds exciting it is difficult to recreate that energy on the screen.
So it proves in the opening episode of the series. There is plenty of outside shooting in Fleet Street as Lytton walks along a crowded street. He spends time chatting in a busy basement pub with a generous expense account as he probes an Australian business tycoon who plans to buy a Fleet Street rival.
Lytton is also under pressure. The Diary editor is retiring and a rival reckons he will get promoted instead of Lytton and chance to push Lytton out of the door. Although Bowles plays Lytton with such coolness, if he is under pressure you definitely do not see it.
The first episode lacked verve. It tried to be topical as at the time, most wealthy tycoons from Australia wanted to buy into British newspapers. Talking about Fleet Street, the show does feel like a relic of the past. A year after broadcast, Rupert Murdoch was the first one to abandon Fleet Street as he moved his news operations to Wapping.
As Bowles worked for Thames Television on Rumpole of the Bailey, he persuaded them of an idea he had of a gossip columnist for a national newspaper. A kind of a nicer and more charming Nigel Dempster, if such a thing is possible.
The trouble is that although the being a member of the national press sounds exciting it is difficult to recreate that energy on the screen.
So it proves in the opening episode of the series. There is plenty of outside shooting in Fleet Street as Lytton walks along a crowded street. He spends time chatting in a busy basement pub with a generous expense account as he probes an Australian business tycoon who plans to buy a Fleet Street rival.
Lytton is also under pressure. The Diary editor is retiring and a rival reckons he will get promoted instead of Lytton and chance to push Lytton out of the door. Although Bowles plays Lytton with such coolness, if he is under pressure you definitely do not see it.
The first episode lacked verve. It tried to be topical as at the time, most wealthy tycoons from Australia wanted to buy into British newspapers. Talking about Fleet Street, the show does feel like a relic of the past. A year after broadcast, Rupert Murdoch was the first one to abandon Fleet Street as he moved his news operations to Wapping.
