Totally Dublin

During the great 2009 celebrity die-out, we were treated to some truly appalling cut and paste biopic jobs, as well as some blatant money grabbing from programme makers looking to capitalize on fan grief. The welly-sucking low point of this muck was Derek Acorah’s risible Live Séance, where Sky One allowed him to manipulate some emotionally vulnerable people into believing he could provide a direct line to the recently deceased Michael Jackson. The rapid turn around in producing these slipshod obituaries always left you wondering how much thought could really have gone into them, or if Jackson could really have even settled into his heavenly Hilton, before Acorah started maniacally jabbing at the celestial doorbell.

With these still fresh in our Telly Thursday memories, it was incredibly refreshing to sit down to Channel Four’s Mo at the weekend, a well considered, living, breathing remembrance of a much loved political personality on both sides of the Irish sea. Beginning with the diagnosis of her terminal brain tumor, the feature length drama follows ex-Northern Irish Secretary of State through her political success and later isolation, right up to her death in 2005.

The focus of Mo however isn’t on the political work that drove her life, but rather on the woman behind it. Indeed, anyone tuning in for  an in-depth account of the Northern peace process may feel shortchanged here, as the nuts and bolts of history are eschewed in favour of the personalities that shaped it. Though Mowlam is obviously the centre of attention here, it is how those around her interact with her outgoing personality that gives the drama its substance, particularly in a Northern Ireland unused to having a woman at the political table.

Julie Walters’ casting as Mowlam (though she had very publicly voiced her own personal concerns about her physical suitability) turns out to be an utter success, as she expertly embodies the willfulness, humour and bottom line humanity of her character. This humanity turns out to be one of the defining themes of the show, as well as a double-edged sword for Mowlam herself, as it is the cornerstone by which she endears herself to the public, but also the Achilles heel by which she flounders in the hard-nosed world of politics. It’s a poignantly drawn conflict, but also one that is perhaps overused in places, and too often reiterated.

That small gripe made however, it doesn’t take away from an excellent portrait, that is intelligent enough to challenge the viewer in their preconceptions of the woman. Early fears of a drama about ‘Saint Mo’ get quashed in the second half, as her illness begins to take hold and the viewer is confronted with the ugly reality of a hard fought death. As Mo lashes at those around her, we get a nuanced, 3D Mowlam, in a drama that is fearless and dignified in the portrayal of a proud woman facing oblivion.

For Irish viewers, Mo Mowlam should resonate as a familiar and well-liked figure, like a feisty aunt who lights up the house when she comes to visit. Going into this drama you feel as if you already know her a little, before you proceed to get to know her a lot through Walters’ excellent portrayal. When things get tough towards the end, and they do get tough, this familiarity just makes her decline even more difficult to watch.

While it is difficult to emphasize just how emotionally evocative this drama is, it’s also important to point out that this is by no means an utter dirge. There is humour aplenty here, in a script so peppered with under your breath one-liners that it bears endless re-watching. As an overall drama, it checks every box. A wonderful success, in other words. If by nothing else, this was evinced by the fact that its premier on Channel Four drew more viewers than any other drama since 2001. Almost five years on from her sad passing, it seems Mo Mowlam is still capable of drawing a crowd.

Mo aired onChannel Four on Sunday 31st January 2010, and will be available for a limited time on 4oD.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/mo