Collateral, BBC2

[Pianoman]

At the risk of sounding obsessive, any insights into "pole vaulter"? Considering David Hare thought of her for the part, the petite Ms Mulligan (5'7") a most unlikely pole vaulter, the typical physique for which is tall and powerful. If this were Endeavour, it would be for a reason....

It’s even more implausible that she’d been a pole vaulter and then becomes a senior detective all by the age of 30 or so....c’mon, good as she is as an actor, I can see why Mulligan expressed initial concern about being cast. I simply couldn’t take it seriously from then on.

[Conchis]

A friend of mine commented that the Carey Mulligan role is basically meant to be 'David Hare in a dress.'

[Serial_Apologist]

It’s even more implausible that she’d been a pole vaulter and then becomes a senior detective all by the age of 30 or so....c’mon, good as she is as an actor, I can see why Mulligan expressed initial concern about being cast. I simply couldn’t take it seriously from then on.

Maybe she was really a Pole called Walter...

[LMcD]

Maybe she was really a Pole called Walter...

Maybe her father was a famous Italian scientist - Paolo Volta. None of which takes away from its success or otherwise as a TV drama, does it?

[Stanfordian]

But that's also a screenplay based on someone else's book.

I greatly enjoyed Collateral - rather sad that it was only four episodes.

I enjoyed Collateral too!

[Conchis]

Years ago, a few days after the downfall of Margaret Thatcher, David Hare came into the studio where I was working to record some comments for a documentary.
After all this time I can't remember the details, but I do remember how he and his buddies assured each other that she was deposed almost solely due to their efforts!

The trick with writing TV drama these days seems to be that all members of the cast must play deeply dislikable characters so that you really don't care what happens to any of them. Journalists love it though, so hence the good reviews.

I've been reading about him in Richard Eyre's Diaries recently. Eyre is his buddy but Hare comes across as the most up himself, entitled prig you could ever not wish to meet.

SO glad I don't admire his work.