BBC Wonderland strand starts tonight
Becca Frankel 16 January 2008, 5:15 PM
Starting tonight is the new BBC 2 documentary strand Wonderland, about eccentric British individuals and communities. It's a 6 part series Exec Produced by Nick Mirsky, who does most of the top end doc series, such as The Armstrongs and Louis Theroux, and works with very talented documentary directors, both established and emerging. This series includes films by directors Marc Isaacs (The Lift, Phillips and his Seven Wives, All White in Barking) and Fergus O'Brian (The Armstrongs, Nail Bar) and Daniel Vernon's first long form doc (he did 2 great 3MW series - including the one about men and their sheds).
Tonight's opening is The Secret Life of Norman Wisdom Aged 92 3/4. The comedian and actor lives on the Isle of Man with a career, who can't cope with his failing health, memory loss and eccentric daily habits anymore. His children, who live hundreds of miles away, wonder what they should do with their rapidly aging father. Director Lorraine Charker-Phillips has plenty of surreal material, especially because Norman like to re-creating scenes from his old films. Some reviews have suggested that the film makes for uncomfortable viewing because it's an intrusion on the twilight years of a cherished showbiz personality. I will watch to it tonight to decide for myself.
The Secret Life of Norman Wisdom Aged 92 3/4, BBC2 tonight, 9.50 - 10.30pm
Future films in the series are about forming emotional relationships with people on SecondLife, and about men living very isolated lives (2 separate films.)
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