The Night Watch – the verdict
On Tuesday 12th July, the long awaited TV adaptation of Sarah Waters’ novel The Night Watch was broadcast across the country.
With only 90 minutes of screen time to portray a 480 page book, it was always going to be a tough job. But with an incredible cast, spectacular cinematography and an adapted screenplay by Paula Milne, the result was mesmerising, with Anna Maxwell Martin, Jodie Whittaker and Claire Foy all delivering memorable performances.
Moving back through the 1940s, through air raids, blacked out streets, illicit liaisons, sexual adventure, and ending back at the beginning in 1941, The Night Watch offered tantalising glimpses of clandestine worlds. And clearly, we weren’t the only ones that were impressed. The Night Watch received an array of incredible responses, some of which are below:
"Insanely tender… Maxwell Martin plays [Kay] brilliantly. Every performance was perfectly weighted – and it looked ravishing” The Times
“Fans of Sarah Waters’ novel will not be disappointed by this beautifully shot adaptation by Paula Milne” Observer
“An intriguing, atmospheric tale of forbidden love” Daily Mail
“Absorbing” The Telegraph
“Gorgeous adaptation of the Sarah Waters novel… the performances are involving and beautifully understated against the backdrop of the London blitz and its horrors” Guardian
“The cast is strong and its portrayal of 1940s sexual nonconformists as spy-like is vividly intact” Sunday Times, Pick of the Week
The Night Watch TV adaptation date confirmed
The BBC TV adaptation for The Night Watch will be shown on Tuesday 12th July at 9pm, on BBC2.
Starring Anna Maxwell Martin, Jodie Whittaker, Claire Foy and Harry Treadaway, the 90-minute adaptation is already shaping up to be one of the TV events of the year. There has already been a huge amount of coverage, including this set report from the Telegraph which features interviews with Sarah and some of the cast.
Hilary Salmon, Executive Producer, said: "We are very proud to be making this ambitious film for BBC Two, bringing to our audience the untold stories of ordinary people as they struggle to find love and tenderness during the uncertain nights of the London Blitz. Paula's beautiful script has vividly brought to life Sarah Waters' astonishing and revelatory novel. We are delighted with the outstanding cast we've assembled who represent some of the best young talent in the UK today."
The supporting cast includes: Julia Standing played by Anna Wilson-Jones (Hotel Babylon), Reggie played by Liam Garrigan (Holby City), Nancy played by Claudie Blakley (Lark Rise To Candleford) and Mr Mundy played by Kenneth Cranham (Tess Of The D'Urbervilles.)
The TV tie-in edition is out now.
Coming soon – The Night Watch on BBC TV
The long-awaited TV adaptation of Sarah Waters' The Night Watch will be broadcast in July, with the confirmed date for the first episode to be announced imminently.
Starring Jodie Whittaker, Claire Foy and Anna Maxwell Martin, the series is already generating a huge amount of coverage with interviews with the cast confirmed in Time Out, The Daily Mail, Express on Saturday, The Observer, Independent on Saturday, The Sun, The Mirror and almost all weekly TV listings magazines. Sarah herself will be interviewed by The Telegraph as well as writing a piece for the Radio Times.
The tie-in edition to the series is out now.
Sarah Waters at the International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Sarah Waters will be in Greece next month, at the Outview International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
As part of the festival programme, there will be a screening of the BBC TV adaptation of Tipping the Velvet on 1st June at 8.30pm which Sarah will be introducing , as well as taking part in a Q&A session afterwards.
And she will be doing the same for a screening of Fingersmith the following night, 2nd June also at 8.30pm.
For more information see here: www.outview.gr.
