If you've ever wondered why billions of office peons worldwide dress in the same ridiculous outfit of dirt-attracting white shirt, pointless and suffocating tie and a suit which makes them look like their dead grandfathers and requires air conditioning in half of the world, then here's your culprit: an 18. century Englishman going by the wonderfully far-out name of Beau Brummel. Mind you, his dandy style was a great improvement over the earlier fops, which comprised cake makeup, sultry f*ck-me perfume, whigs and high heels, stuff that just goes a lot better with women.
Anyway, that's who this excellent BBC docudrama is about. It's set in a strange, dystopic world of not-so-long-ago and not-so-far-away, Regency England. It's just a joy to watch, it really takes you there. It's good on details too, such as the muted candle-lightning (Jupiter floodlights being thin on the ground in this era). It's superbly acted, teaches you a lot about the mood of the time, and entertains you all the while. It changed my image of Beau Brummel from caricature to flesh and blood.
Anyway, that's who this excellent BBC docudrama is about. It's set in a strange, dystopic world of not-so-long-ago and not-so-far-away, Regency England. It's just a joy to watch, it really takes you there. It's good on details too, such as the muted candle-lightning (Jupiter floodlights being thin on the ground in this era). It's superbly acted, teaches you a lot about the mood of the time, and entertains you all the while. It changed my image of Beau Brummel from caricature to flesh and blood.