The Little Drummer Girl

Sunday nights on British terrestrial television tend to be a mixed bag; you get a mix of period dramas, softly delivered murder mysteries, exotically-located dramas, and celebrity-driven drama miniseries. Little Drummer Girl is one of the last of these, and is looking to repeat the success of The Night Manager. It doesn't quite have the zing early on though, although it does have the class from the start. The first hour or so is slowly delivered, and not always clear where it is heading. The quality of the production and cast help carry it through, and it does get easier to enjoy after this.

Once Charlie's involvement is clear, and dovetails in with the other threads, the story improves. It has an urgency and relevance to it then, and more connected with me as a viewer. The story picked up a lot as a result, although it did still have that slightly "important" feel to it that I'm not sure it totally deserved, or that it committed to. The final half of the episodes are strong though, and make for balanced and engaging television. The cast have quality in depth, although I confess I was not a massive fan of Pugh - which is not ideal for the lead role, but she was better as the episodes settled in.

It has its tonal and pacing problems, but it picks up, and the quality of the production carries it in the meantime.