There are times when there’s nothing better than watching a tightly wound upper-crust type dude lose his shit — this is one of those moments.
Taking on Edward St Aubyn’s Patrick Melrose series of novels (based on the author’s own upbringing) in this five part limited series — a joint Sky Atlantic and Showtime production — Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the titular Melrose, a “narcissistic, schizoid, suicidal alcoholic” raised by an abusive father and a miserable mother. The teaser is pure pomp and delight, with proven wordsmith, Cumberbatch letting his Sherlock persona utterly loose. And the cast … the cast is brilliant: Hugo Weaving, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Allison Williams, Pip Torrens, Jessica Raine, Prasanna Puwanarajah, Holliday Grainger, Indira Varma, Anna Madeley, Blythe Danner, and Celia Imrie, for a start. Have a look.
Love the Legion vibe in some of the shots
and aside from Cumberbatch, I can’t wait to see Weaving getting on his bad dad.
Each of the five Patrick Melrose episodes is written by David Nicholls (Far from the Maddening Crowd, Great Expectations, Tess of the D’Urbervilles), directed by Edward Berger (The Terror, Deutschland 83), and covers one of St Aubyn’s novels. The series premieres on Showtime and Sky Atlantic in 2018 (date TBA).
