There is no doubt that this is a fabulous idea - make a soap, and then record a fake and funny documentary about the making of that soap. It is the sort of innovative idea that we expect from one of the brains behind Life On Mars (Tony Jordan), and we have to applaud ITV for giving it a go - it really isn't the sort of thing we have come to expect ITV to come up with.
You can feel a 'but' coming on, can't you? Well you are astute and intelligent readers and I'm afraid as such you are absolutely right. Yes it was a great idea, but what's the point in a great idea if it totally fails to come off in the end? Very little, to be honest, and these two programmes added up to an hour's worth of television that just didn't deliver. On pretty much any level.
The hour started with Moving Wallpaper, the mockumentary showing us what goes on behind the scenes of ITV's new soap Echo Beach. Actually, the soap started off as a worthy, issues-based drama called 'Polnarren' - the name of the Cornish fishing village in which it is set. But the opening scene shows the producer getting sacked (and headbutting a photo of ITV boss Michael Grade - one of the few smile-inducing moments of the whole show) and hot-shot producer Jonathan Pope is brought in. Echo Beach, Hollyoakes-meets-Dynasty, is born.
At this point, it became terribly obvious that this really isn't a comedy mockumentary in the style of Spinal Tap or The Office at all; there is no attempt whatsoever to make this look or feel 'real'. It is scripted in a very obvious way - especially Jonathan Pope's self-aggrandising speeches - and it looks just like a traditional sit-com. And this just felt... weird. Ben Miller, who plays Pope, was clearly having loads of fun being as hammy as possible - but who can blame him? No-one else is making any attempt at reality so he may as well go as far as he can with it.
But because Moving Wallpaper felt so artificial, that just meant that Echo Beach felt completely artificial too. I just can't care about the characters in this soap because all I'm thinking is "It's not even a real soap!" It falls between two stools: it tries too hard to be a proper drama to be considered a parody, and it's too ridiculous and, well, '80s to be considered a proper drama. The fact that Martine McCutcheon and Jason Donovan are two of the most wooden actors I've seen in a long while is the least of its problems, but doesn't help either.
Moving Wallpaper was, I suppose, somewhat more enjoyable than Echo Beach, but it would probably work better if we could just accept it as a standalone sit-com. Nice idea, then, but one that totally fails in delivery.
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I half agree, Anna. I really enjoyed Moving Wallpaper, mainly because of Ben Miller, but I thought it was great fun.
Echo Beach though, wow, what a stinker. Bad script, bad acting, bad (very bad) accents.
I'll definitely watch MW again, but I won't be bothering with EB.
I have a lot of time for Ben Miller, and I did quite enjoy his performance. I didn't enjoy *anything else* though!
do u have a address of where i can write 2 the stars of echo beach?
definitely agree, if you want to see the same concept done properly, watch 'studio 60 on the sunset strip'
what a load of tosh...great idea but a total bomb!!!!the worse acting from mccutchen, and co i have ever seen...what is the point of dragging up actors from yester year and even mrs mclusky made an appearance!!! give us a break itv i am sure that most of the time they just buy a concept to give these actors another job...the show was boring, cliched and pointless...yawn yawn..MW was slightly better though.
I agree, the idea of Moving Wallpaper /Echo Beach sounded really interesting and ITV should be praised for taking the risk and doing something different; but they just didn't execute the idea right. It felt like Moving Wallpaper was trying copy The Office and Lead Balloon, but something wasn't quite right, I thought that it was trying too hard, but TV Scoop hit the nail on the head: it's too artificial, too obvious, too hammy. Maybe ITV thinks their demographic prefers the artificial approach but I don't. I will watch it some more though, just to see if it gets better.
I didn't bother watching the Echo Beach soap part though, seems like a pointless waste of time watching a pretend soap.
Thanks for all your comments! I will wait for a positive one, but I feel I may be waiting some time!
No, you won't be waiting for a long time, because I loved it. I know it's not the best thing on TV and it's badly acted in places, but I think it's all part of the plot in some way. The scripted "Moving wallpaper" gives you the setup and while it's most definitely in sitcom waters, it's very enjoyable. Then you have "Echo beach". Personally, I think that the rubbish accents and hammy acting is part of a secret that we've not been let into, but have to discover for ourselves. A sort of a serious cross between "Crossroads", "Eldorado" and those superbly tacky, over the top US dramas like "Dynasty" for pure escapism. I mean, Jason Donovan makes no real attempt at a Cornish accent, and Johnny Briggs still sounds like a cockney. In these days of sophisticated TV and the desire to chase ratings, you can't tell me that ITV - as dire as they often are - would make so much hullaballoo about this programme when it's so obviously flawed, without it being all one big in-joke?
I can see that Echo Beach could be seen as a spoof, but I just felt that it wasn't funny enough for that, and nor was it good enough to be considered a proper soap. To me it was just left in a no-mans-land somewhere between the two.
That's the point though Anna - Echo Beach isn't meant to be funny. It's meant to be serious. The "writers" in Moving Wallpaper are passionate about what they do and think they've created the best thing ever. What the soap actually does is subvert this idea and create something that's not totally unlike anything you've ever seen before.......and yet it's like everything you've ever seen before. Bad acting, bad accents, over the top plots, stereotypes, while all the time, trying so hard to be serious. It's a joke within a joke within a drama that's trying too hard to be serious. I think it's clever and original.
Fair enough Matt, I totally see what you're saying. Maybe I just need something less subtle... ;)
I really like Moving Wallpaper and thought Echo Beach wasn't that bad, it's only been two episodes and everyone is slagging it off, give it time and it may come good.
I really liked Moving Wallpaper, and thought Echo Beach wasn't that bad, it's only been two episodes and everyone is slagging it off already. It needs more time to develope then it might come good. The other soaps got a chance and so should this.
Anna - I see exactly what you're saying. With the greatest of respect - and I'm not aiming this at you but the TV execs out there who decide what we watch - we've gotten so used to TV being dumbed down for the masses, that we can't see subversive, almost postmodern stuff when it hits us between the eyes on primetime because we're not used to it. We've been conditioned to watch dross and we've decided we like it. X factor anyone???
I loved Moving WallPaper because it wasn't shot in a smug mockumentary style like The Office. It also wasn't a traditional sitcom which is very clear from it's non PC roots and it's shooting style ie No audience+. I found both Moving Wallpapers first two episodes to be very good and something TV has been crying out for... ie Laugh out loud character driven comedy.
Echo Beach on the other hand was awful and only lightened by the comedy that had been sewn in via Moving Wallpaper. Credible soap it is not. Poor writing and ( therefore) acting has seen to that. Shame really.
Echo beach isn't great but it's not too bad. Moving Wallpaper is fantastic.
We love Moving Wallpaper - its hilarious! Echo Beach is getting better every week too! Fab idea - probably wrong evening to screen it though. Sunday evening or early in the week would be better. We have to record the programme.
moving wallpaper is the crappest crap ive ever seen! its just copying 'Studio 60' on the sunset strip... people go buy studio 60!