Written to coincide with the Africa Lives series on the BBC and also the current Make Poverty History campaign, 'The Girl in the Cafe' is a superlative TV drama that makes its political points without resorting to grandstanding or heavy-handedness.
Played to absolute perfection by Bill Nighy and especially Kelly MacDonald, and written by Richard Curtis with his usual wry wit, this drama places a socially aware Everywoman in the same room as the world's most powerful politicians at a fictional G8 Summit in Reykjavik.
The blossoming romance of the two leads and the politics of the summit develop in perfect tandem, neither allowed to undermine the other. It is to Curtis's credit that he does not seek to provide an easy way out for any of the characters, nor does he wrap everything up in a neat bow at the climax.
This is one of the most accomplished TV dramas I have ever seen, and I can only hope that it achieves the profile elsewhere that its creative team and, more importantly, its message deserves.
Played to absolute perfection by Bill Nighy and especially Kelly MacDonald, and written by Richard Curtis with his usual wry wit, this drama places a socially aware Everywoman in the same room as the world's most powerful politicians at a fictional G8 Summit in Reykjavik.
The blossoming romance of the two leads and the politics of the summit develop in perfect tandem, neither allowed to undermine the other. It is to Curtis's credit that he does not seek to provide an easy way out for any of the characters, nor does he wrap everything up in a neat bow at the climax.
This is one of the most accomplished TV dramas I have ever seen, and I can only hope that it achieves the profile elsewhere that its creative team and, more importantly, its message deserves.