Neverwhere
Before Neil Gaiman’s vision of London Below became a hit novel it was a short made-for-TV series that had a limited airing way back in 1996. With a largely unknown cast of UK talent including Gary Bakewell, Laura Fraser and Peterson Joseph, it tells the story of how an innocent act of kindness on the part of office worker Richard Mayhew (Bakewell) throws him into a weird and world that is a fantastical mirror image of the nation’s capital.
For a more detailed breakdown of the story’s themes and characters, my review of the novel will suffice; with one or two minor alterations the two versions are strikingly similar. Granted, some details never made it to the screen but it is very much the same place with the same characters that fans of the book will instantly recognise. There are frightening and occasionally shocking moments but the whole affair is delivered with a sharp eye for detail and a dry wit that the writer has become renowned for.
Because Gaiman’s imagination is so mind boggling it is very hard to bring to life on-screen convincingly. The cast rise to the challenge admirably and any hamming up is done in the most inoffensive way in the age-old style of British TV and theatre; some other aspects, such as the ’story so far’ recaps, look a bit dated but the London of 1996 has hardly changed at all in the intervening decade (many scenes were shot on location on the streets and in buildings). The soundtrack is a pleasant surprise too: composed by Brian Eno (yes, that Brian Eno), it adds a very creepy, otherwordly and utterly appropriate atmosphere that matches the story’s quirky oddness; it is complimented perfectly by Dave McKean’s CG efforts on the opening and ending titles.
Sadly the technical side of things let the production values down in a big way. In the commentary Gaiman notes that it takes on a ‘Doctor Who’ kind of atmosphere, which I interpreted as having special effects that veer between the cheap and downright unconvincing. Credit must go to the production staff who made a brave and often inventive attempt at bringing a far-out tale to life on a made-for-TV budget but there’s no denying that this is light years away from mainstream feature-length fare. I suspect that this may actually hinder some viewers’ enjoyment, and as a result Neverwhere often has to to rely on its humble, retro charm to keep us entertained. But charming it is, and in its all-to-short six episodes, entertain it does, albeit in a very modest way.
In Summary
The DVD of Neverwhere has been a long time coming for UK fans (not that many have heard of it, that is). In the face of a short running time of only six episodes and painfully modest budget it is still a well-acted and captivating piece of television that keeps its tongue firmly in cheek to make it consistently, if never staggeringly, entertaining.
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