If Jeffrey Archer didn't exist, some clever scriptwriter would be sure to invent him. The trouble is, no-one would believe it! Here was a man whose lies eventually got him jailed, whereupon he reinvented himself as the victim of a terrible miscarriage of justice! The truth certainly is stranger than fiction. Damian Green looks and sounds nothing like the real Archer, which is what makes this film so funny, unlike 'A Very Social Secretary' which strove to depict its characters accurately. I understand why humourless Tories found it offensive, but I found it wonderful fun, a joyous romp in the manner of 'The New Statesman' T.V. series. Besides, Steven Pacey's 'Tony Blair' was hardly flattering to him either. Greta Scacchi's 'Margaret Thatcher' depicted the ex-P.M. as a Mae West-style vamp. The funniest bit was when Archer did to her what the real Thatcher did to Britain for ten years! The only wonder is why this has never been repeated. The B.B.C. bowing to 'internal pressure' yet again?
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Bulleon26 March 2003I just watched a repeat of this programme on UK drama. Alright, it might not have been of the highest standard in the world but it was very funny and had several big laughs in it. I have never laughed so much as when the actress playing Princess Diana put two large crisps up to her ears pretending to be Prince Charles! Don't watch this expecting something of 'Lord of the Rings' or 'Green Mile' standard but if you have some spare time and just want a bit of a laugh, watch this and just enjoy it! Deserves 10/10 for originality and good humour!
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jamezzz8 November 2005This was a fantastic comedy/drama and the BBC were right to show it. The script was fast moving sharp and very clever. Every twist and turn of Jeffrey Archers rise and fall was charted, each episode more comic than the last. Damian Lewis (of Band of Brothers fame) plays Archer superbly. How every event in Archers life was turned from disaster into triumph was a work of art, it was almost as if Jeffrey had penned it himself (except that it was very good). I could not disagree more with Criketmans review, but each to his own as they say.
I think what I enjoyed most was the scene with Tony Blair dressed as a woman visiting Archer in Prison - if you've already seen it I'm sure you know what I mean. It's a great pity the BBC haven't released this on DVD I would snap it up straight away. In this time of political correctness it was a great throwback. If Archer fans are upset by the program they can always reach for the off switch and carry on deluding themselves. Whilst I cannot like the man, you almost have to admire his sheer cheek, a real rogue. If you get a chance to see this don't miss out, its hilarious. That's the truth ! -
bob the moo14 December 2002June 2009. Jeffrey Archer meets with a young woman who is to ghost write his story - the truth and nothing but the truth. Archer takes her from his university days through his affair with Margaret Thatcher and his imprisonment. However as she delves deeper into the past of this great man, is he telling her the whole truth and, if not, who is he protecting?
The BBC seem to be on a push to make politics popular or at least get more people into that side of the news. As such they commissioned a couple of programmes to be shown. The first was The Project which didn't really work because you needed to be into politics to commit to a 4 hour drama on New Labour! I had higher hopes for this as it was a comedy, shorter running time and making fun of the famous liar Jeffrey Archer - which can only be a good thing. The film was sold well - basically it is Archer's story as told by him to his ghost writer, and remember Archer was proven in court to be a liar, so everything revolves around him. He inspires the Beatles, he saves the PM from an IRA bomb, he is hugely influential in all political occurrences in the past 20 years and so on. The problem is that this is only one joke, albeit told different ways over 90 minutes. It is rarely very cleverly done and once we get that it's making fun of the liar Archer then there's not much else left.
It is still amusing but it isn't developed enough. Also some of the jokes are in bad taste - several people died in the IRA bomb I mentioned above (in real life) and perhaps a strand saying that Princess Diana was murdered by the Queen and Prince Philip was a little unnecessary. All it needed was to be a little sharper than it was and it would have been better but instead it gets caught in an one-joke story. The cast is good and full of well known British faces. Lewis is a really good choice for Archer - he is the sort of matinee idol actor that Archer would want to play him. Lewis is good despite the one dimensional character he plays and looks like he's having fun even if he's not nothing to do but send himself up. Greta Scacchi is funny as Thatcher and as usual feels compelled to get her bits out for the camera. Other names like Wilson, Ben Miller (Armstrong & Miller) and Griffiths all do well but again are only there to be overcome by the great Archer.
This was amusing but not great. The problem is that the story of Archer's life is funny enough without making fun of real events and his exaggerated role in them. He cheated in races, lied and got sent to jail. The press had a field day with him and most people loved every minute of him. His story is probably worth telling (warts and all) but this ignores it and goes for an easy target. It could have easily been 60 minutes rather than stretching the point to 90 but it was enjoyable if not very funny. To be honest - anything that makes a bigger mockery of Archer is worth watching, even if it is a one-joke affair.