No Tinkers, Sailors or Soldiers, But Spies Galore in BBC’s Riveting The Game

Oh. My. Goodness. I never, in my wildest dreams would have thought I would be SOOOO excited to see the 1970s splashed across my TV screen – the decade of drab browns, sludgy greens dodgy shoes and even dodgier haircuts (I know – I sported many of them)…

But this was before The Game.

I never really considered my formative years to be ‘period’, but – haha – they are, of course, knocking on the door of being 40 years ago… How it flies!

1972 is when The Game is set and yes, the fudges and slurries are all present and correct. If you put a gun to my head, I’d still swear there was some wallpaper in one scene that was also in my nanna’s house.

Interior decorating joining lines aside, the BBC’s latest addition to its drama canon, a twisting espionage story, is straight out of the top drawer. But then I’d expect nothing less from Being Human writer Toby Whithouse.

It follows a crack team of MI5 agents, which includes Anderson (Jonathan Aris) from Sherlock who seems to have kept his straggly beard but has moved from forensics and conspiracy theories to being Alan, a ‘nosey parker’; someone who plants listening devices in badly lit rooms where meetings of a dubious nature take place.

Then there’s Joe (Tom Hughes), a handsome slip of a thing with a tortured past (we get a glimpse of it in the opening sequence) and a wayward accent – but hey, that could be my ears again.

We meet Sarah (Victoria Hamilton), a cool drink of water with crisp diction, a nifty haircut and who also happens to be Alan’s wife, as well as Bobby (Paul Ritter), a complex mix of seething ambition, terrific tailoring and total mummy’s boy.

Meanwhile, giving us ordinary mortals a view on events normally played out in the shadows is copper James Fenchurch (Shaun Dooley), and overseeing them all is Daddy, whose glories are firmly behind him, and who – if the cruel whispers are to be believed – is past it…

They are all called in to act when Arkady, a defector, tells Joe about a deadly Russian plot that is set to rock the British establishment to its core (seriously – is there any other kind?).

However, their efforts to get to the bottom of ‘Operation Glass’ lead to tragedy, the opening of old wounds and potentially more damage being inflicted than they could have ever imagined.

I fervently hope and pray that the rest of The Game is every bit as good as its opening episode. I find myself intrigued by Hamilton, blown away by Ritter and thoroughly delighted that Brian Cox has, at long last, been given a role worthy of his immense talents.

The Game brilliantly treads a fine line: it oozes tension while at the same time paying out enough of the story and character background to keep me both glued and guessing.

In short: it is an instant classic. Miss it at your peril.

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN OF IT

WHAT’S IT CALLED?

The Game

WHEN IS IT ON?

Thursday 30 April, 9pm

WHAT CHANNEL?

BBC2

WHO IS IN IT?

Brian Cox, Victoria Hamilton, a scene-stealing Paul Ritter, Tom Hughes, Jonathan Aris and Shaun Dooley.

WHO SHOULD WATCH IT?

Everyone who likes intelligent, meaty telly – especially Le Carre fans.

WHO SHOULDN’T WATCH IT?

Anyone who can’t bear to see a heavily printed carpet.