Directed by David Tucker who made A Very Peculiar Practice.
The first episode has a similar vibe. Hans-Joachim Dorfmann (Christoph Waltz) travels to Brussel to become a Eurocrat. He hopes that his administrative role with the EU will help it to reach out with the developing world.
When he arrives, Dorfmann finds himself with the scheming British bureaucrat Michael Spearpoint (Ian Richardson) who eyes a power grab at the agriculture department.
A prize worth having. Agriculture receives the largest budget. With all that money sloshing around, Dorfmann ends up accompanying Spearpoint to his new post.
However it does not take Dorfmann long to notice some odd shipments of olives.
This was meant to be Richardson's gig. Although a respected veteran. His star was on the ascendancy, later in 1990 he would hit jackpot in the original screen version of House of Cards.
I wonder how the late actor would had felt. That Christoph Waltz, the Austrian who came to London to improve his English. He would become a two time Oscar winner as best supporting actor.
Waltz plays Dorfmann as idealistic and a little bit naive. He leaves Germany and says goodbye to his girlfriend. It doesn't take long for Dorfmann to be bedded in Brussels.
Then again Dorfmann is no pushover, he has experience in working for the UN.
This is a speedy first episode but the humour does not quiet take off. Written by Malcolm Bradbury, the farcical humour was a bit hit and miss for my liking. Alexei Sayle seemed to be miscast. I am not sure where his character ultimately turns out to be from, it sounds like Liverpool.
Looking back at it after Brexit. There is no doubt there is an element of British snobbery going on. There may have been a Gravy Train at the EU. The Covid Pandemic has shown, if you are a friend of a Tory minister, big government contracts could be had with little scrutiny. The British gravy boat is doing nicely for some.
The first episode has a similar vibe. Hans-Joachim Dorfmann (Christoph Waltz) travels to Brussel to become a Eurocrat. He hopes that his administrative role with the EU will help it to reach out with the developing world.
When he arrives, Dorfmann finds himself with the scheming British bureaucrat Michael Spearpoint (Ian Richardson) who eyes a power grab at the agriculture department.
A prize worth having. Agriculture receives the largest budget. With all that money sloshing around, Dorfmann ends up accompanying Spearpoint to his new post.
However it does not take Dorfmann long to notice some odd shipments of olives.
This was meant to be Richardson's gig. Although a respected veteran. His star was on the ascendancy, later in 1990 he would hit jackpot in the original screen version of House of Cards.
I wonder how the late actor would had felt. That Christoph Waltz, the Austrian who came to London to improve his English. He would become a two time Oscar winner as best supporting actor.
Waltz plays Dorfmann as idealistic and a little bit naive. He leaves Germany and says goodbye to his girlfriend. It doesn't take long for Dorfmann to be bedded in Brussels.
Then again Dorfmann is no pushover, he has experience in working for the UN.
This is a speedy first episode but the humour does not quiet take off. Written by Malcolm Bradbury, the farcical humour was a bit hit and miss for my liking. Alexei Sayle seemed to be miscast. I am not sure where his character ultimately turns out to be from, it sounds like Liverpool.
Looking back at it after Brexit. There is no doubt there is an element of British snobbery going on. There may have been a Gravy Train at the EU. The Covid Pandemic has shown, if you are a friend of a Tory minister, big government contracts could be had with little scrutiny. The British gravy boat is doing nicely for some.