Despite my initial reservations, BBC1's reboot of Dracula turned out to be a corker. I was dubious about many of the changes to the original novel - Jonathan Harker not escaping Transylvania, Lord Holmwood's links to a secret society being the cause of Dracula actually coming to England, and Van Helsing not being the super demon-hunter he usually us - but they all worked beautifully and were necessary to condense Bram Stoker's weighty tome down to an hour and a half.
Marc Warren was brilliant as the Count, though Dan Stevens was excellent as the feckless interpretation of Holmwood, whose desire to find a cure for syphilis resulted in the bloodbath.
The night before, The Ruby in the Smoke offered similar chills to a more family-friendly audience. Having not read Philip Pullman's source novel, the story seemed confused with rather too much going on in too little time. A two-part adaptation would perhaps worked better, or would taking a few liberties with the plot as Dracula chose. Still, it was a rollicking story, not afraid to shy-away from death, full of adventure and intrigue. Billie Piper was, as ever, brilliant , Matt Smith was a great cockney clerk Jim, and Julie Walters aced as the murderous Mrs Holland I wasn't always entirely sure what was going on, but enjoyed it from start to finish.
The follow-up, The Shadow in the North, is due later in 2007 and I'll be looking forward to it. Though it may be a good idea to read the novel first...
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