logo
Shame about the 'Scottish' accents: Lockerbie TV drama comes a cropper

Shame about the 'Scottish' accents: Lockerbie TV drama comes a cropper

***
Less than six months since Sky Atlantic's Lockerbie: A Search for Truth comes another drama, The Bombing of Pan Am 103, starting on BBC One this Sunday.
One can only speculate that the reason for both arriving so close together was the forthcoming - and now postponed - trial in the US of a Libyan man accused of making the bomb.
Sky's A Search for Truth was based on the book by Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora was among the 270 people murdered when Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie on December 21, 1988. While Colin Firth turned in a moving and nuanced performance as Swire, the story became lost in a fog of warring theories.
The BBC drama - to be released globally by Netflix at a later date - is a more straightforward police procedural.
The cast is international, but this is very much a Scottish affair. 'Scottish soil. Scottish evidence. Scottish procedure,' growls Peter Mullan's police chief to one of the FBI agents desperate to take over the investigation.
Read more
Mullan might as well have added, 'Scottish cast' to the list. From Mullan and Tony Curran to Phyllis Logan and Kevin McKidd, there can't have been many who did not answer the call to arms.
That Scottishness is reflected well in Jonathan Lee's plainspoken dialogue, as in the exchange between a grieving teenager and the police officer who takes the local lad under his wing. 'How's it going?' asks the copper. 'Fine, aye,' comes the reply.
Scotland in general and Lockerbie in particular come across well, with local people receiving their due for preserving the victims' effects and looking after grieving relatives.
Alas, there is a downside to all this 'putting a kilt on it', and yes, it's the accent thing. Again.
With so many actual Scots around, those acting the part have a tougher task than usual. Here's looking at you, Connor Swindells, playing DI Ed McCusker. At any other time, the star of SAS Rogue Heroes might have got away with what is to the untrained ear a perfectly honourable attempt at a Glaswegian detective. Here, however, it's the accent equivalent of Les Dawson playing the piano.
Swindells is not the only one to come a cropper, though this time it's not a Scottish accent to blame. Eddie Marsan, playing the American explosives expert Tom Thurman, has an accent that wanders from Texas to Tooting in the same sentence. Why put actors and viewers through such grief? Better to stick with your own accent than mangle someone else's.
Lockerbie: A Search for Truth was on earlier this year (Image: free) Clever location choices make up for the low budget (so much for those Netflix big bucks terrestrial broadcasters dream about). The lack of cash pays off in other ways, most notably in opening scenes that are less graphic, and not as intrusive, as those in the Swire drama.
Star of the piece is our man Mullan, a class act on any continent. Here, he comes with a bonus in the shape of Patrick J Adams playing FBI agent Dick Marquise. The star of Suits and the force of acting nature that is Mullan make a dream team.
The BBC drama is the superior piece of the two, but whether it adds anything to our understanding is a question that cannot be answered till the case is closed and everyone accepts the outcome. That, however, is not a date you will find on any calendar.
The Bombing of Pan Am 103 is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 9pm, Sunday 18 May

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US arrests another Chinese scientist for allegedly smuggling biological material
US arrests another Chinese scientist for allegedly smuggling biological material

The Guardian

time3 hours ago

  • The Guardian

US arrests another Chinese scientist for allegedly smuggling biological material

A Chinese scientist was arrested while arriving in the US at the Detroit airport, the second case in days involving the alleged smuggling of biological material, authorities said on Monday. The scientist is accused of shipping biological material months ago to staff at a laboratory at the University of Michigan. The FBI, in a court filing, described it as material related to certain worms and requires a government permit. 'The guidelines for importing biological materials into the US for research purposes are stringent, but clear, and actions like this undermine the legitimate work of other visiting scholars,' said John Nowak, who leads field operations at US Customs and Border Protection. The scientist was interviewed and arrested on Sunday after arriving on a flight from China, where she is pursuing an advanced degree at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. She planned to spend a year completing a project at the University of Michigan. Her shipments, including an envelope stuffed inside a book, were intercepted last year and earlier this year and opened by authorities, the FBI said. The court filing doesn't indicate whether the FBI believes the biological material was risky, though US attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr said smuggling 'threatens our security'. The scientist remains in custody awaiting a bond hearing on Wednesday. 'It doesn't strike me as something that is dangerous in any way. But there are rules to ship biological material,' said Michael Shapira, a biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who read the court filing and spoke to the Associated Press. The government last week charged two Chinese scientists who are accused of conspiring to smuggle a toxic fungus into the US. One was turned around at the Detroit airport and sent back to China last year, while the other, a researcher at the University of Michigan, was arrested. She remains in custody.

Gangsters ‘would be treated like terrorists' and face up to 14 years in jail under Tory plans
Gangsters ‘would be treated like terrorists' and face up to 14 years in jail under Tory plans

Scottish Sun

time4 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

Gangsters ‘would be treated like terrorists' and face up to 14 years in jail under Tory plans

Scotland's turf war shows no sign of slowing down GANG DEMAND Gangsters 'would be treated like terrorists' and face up to 14 years in jail under Tory plans Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CRIME gang members would be treated like terrorists and face up to 14 years in jail under crackdown plans from the Scottish Tories. It would see them behind bars if they are part of gangs identified by Police Scotland. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up 2 A hitman stormed a bar and assassinated Eddie Lyons Jr and Ross Monaghan And the Tories would rewrite the law to stop fraudsters and rich criminals getting away with paying back a fraction of their ill-gained wealth. Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: 'Organised crime gangs are causing misery in our communities, but the SNP still fail to act. Find out what's really going on Register now for our free weekly politics newsletter for an insightful and irreverent look at the (sometimes excruciating) world of Scottish Politics. Every Thursday our hotshot politics team goes behind the headlines to bring you a rundown of key events - plus insights and gossip from the corridors of power, including a 'Plonker' and 'Star' of the Week. Sign up now and make sure you don't miss a beat. The politicians would hate that. SIGN UP FOR FREE NOW 'We'll get tough on these individuals by making it a criminal offence to be a member of gangs. 'It will be in a similar vein to it being illegal to be a member of a terrorist organisation. 'It's also time to overhaul the SNP's Proceeds Of Crime laws which too often let criminals off repaying their debts.' Gang membership would lead to the same jail sentence as being part of a terrorist group such as Hamas. It would also see Police Scotland paid by criminals ordered to pay back their ill-gotten gains. The DOWNFALL of Scotland's biggest gangster - Jamie 'The Iceman' Stevenson Part Two The party says this will encourage cops to investigate organised crime gangs by giving them a cash incentive. John Swinney was last week blasted for failing to act on organised crime amid a raging underworld turf war in Scotland and the double murder of two Scots drug lords in Spain. We told last week how a hitman stormed a bar in Fuengirola on the Costa Del Sol and assassinated Lyons gang kingpins Eddie Lyons Jr, 46, and pub owner Ross Monaghan, 43. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: 'The Scottish Government made it an offence for an individual to be involved in serious organised crime in 2010. 'Since 2008 over £156 million of ill-gotten gains has been recovered through the UK-wide Proceeds Of Crime Act.'

Love is Blind UK stars announce pregnancy news with rap song
Love is Blind UK stars announce pregnancy news with rap song

Metro

time5 hours ago

  • Metro

Love is Blind UK stars announce pregnancy news with rap song

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Netflix stars Jasmine and Bobby Johnson have announced they are expecting their first child. Last year the couple met on the first UK season of the dating show Love is Blind, where they got engaged before even meeting in person. Bobby, 33, was a luxury shopping guide from Staffordshire, while Jasmine, 29, was a mental health nurse living in London. In the final episode, the couple were married, later sharing on the reunion that he'd moved to London, and they were still together. A year on, they've now shared the exciting news they are about to become parents. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. Posting a reel on Instagram, the couple said they'd been 'keeping a secret'. Writing a message to their unborn child, they wrote: 'I've pictured your tiny face a thousand times. 'I've dreamt of this moment long before I knew how good life could get. Then I met your dad and the rest was written in love 🤍 'Baby Johnson Coming Winter 2025!!' They also shared a video that showed them embracing while photos taken throughout their relationship were shown on a screen. It began with a sit-down interview with the couple, who were both wearing white shirts while Jasmine showed off her baby bump, speaking about how they might want to raise their future child. 'I ideally want to raise children in a household where our foundation is on 100,' she said. The video then zoomed out and showed Bobby performing a rap, which began: 'I'm happy that you're here with me, Because you be beautiful and that be clear to see, I can feel the love each time you're near to me. 'They said we might not make it here, After such a crazy year, But we just took a leap of faith and dived in with no safety gear. I love it when you're next to me, Connecting intellectually, I was lost but now I'm found, well ever since you rescued me. We sit and talk on rainy days, Just debating baby names, But our minds keep changing day to day they never stay the same. 'I'm looking at your baby bump… I guess we'll have to wait until the day you come, To know if your our daughter or our baby son. I'll be happy either way! Tears of joy I wipe away, Ever since i found out I can't sleep and I've been wide awake.' The rap concluded with the lines: 'I hope I'll be a better dad, And give you what we never had!. Turn the pain to purpose, You don't have to hurt the way we have!' The couple were quickly met with messages of support from family, friends and fans, as well as their former Love is Blind co-stars. 'So happy for you guys,' Sabrina commented. 'Yaaaay,' Maria shared. Meanwhile the official Netflix account shared a series of love heart face emojis. During Love is Blind, Bobby said that 'from the start Jasmine was the girl for me'. More Trending After rapping a poem sharing his feelings for her, Bobby proposed. Earlier this year they told Grazia UK they'd been struggling to conceive. 'In the beginning, we were very naive,' she said. 'I thought I was going to get pregnant as soon as we had sex. Obviously, that's not the case.' View More » Love is Blind is streaming on Netflix. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Netflix on verge of dropping all 8 episodes of dark TV drama 'compared to Ozark' MORE: 'Delightfully violent' action thriller starring 00s heartthrob coming to Netflix MORE: Netflix quietly adds 'superb under-the radar comedy' set in Victorian London

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store