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Mid Winter of The Spirit

(41 Posts)
rosesarered Wed 23-Sept-15 17:40:53

Mid Winter of The Spirit tonight at nine on tv.For those not in the know, based on Phil Rickmans series of books about Merrily Watkins, female vicar who works for the Hereford Diocese on anything that may be supernatural.
all good books, as are all written by Rickman.Should be worth watching.

merlotgran Wed 23-Sept-15 17:50:30

It clashes with Dr Foster but I've already lost interest in that so I'm looking forward to it.

rosequartz Wed 23-Sept-15 17:52:03

I am going to record it (then skip the adverts)
Don't tell me the ending grin - although I have probably read that one anyway.

I hope they filmed in Herefordshire and didn't relocate.

Ana Wed 23-Sept-15 17:55:17

Apparently they did film it in Herefordshire rosequartz! Looking forward to it - couldn't care less about Dr Foster after two lacklustre episodes.

Anne58 Wed 23-Sept-15 18:03:22

I'll give it a go!

rosesarered Thu 24-Sept-15 16:34:01

Well, it wasn't bad, but being on ITV, so many ads spoilt the atmosphere, I will have to record it I think, to avoid that problem.

rosequartz Thu 24-Sept-15 16:42:20

If I have a grumble, it is the usual: most of the characters did not have local accents.

The social worker, vicar, ward sister, canon, bishop etc all had middle class or stereotypical accents (ward sister was Irish). The 'deliverance tutor' is reassuringly northern.
The police officers had northern accents.

Only the local 'yokels' spoke in 'Herefordshire' accents.

Does that portray RL in Herefordshire?
(oh, I forgot, this is not Real Life!)

rosesarered Thu 24-Sept-15 16:52:35

The ward sister in the book is Scottish, she appears in other books as well, as does the detective, who is from Liverpool ( and is meant to be) other characters may or may not be from the area. Gomer Parry is from the area and a few others, but not Lol Robinson, or Merrily and her daughter Jane.

rosesarered Thu 24-Sept-15 16:53:35

You will hear more local accents ( hopefully) as the series goes on.

merlotgran Thu 24-Sept-15 17:14:08

Bloomin' scary. Loved it!!

Lona Thu 24-Sept-15 17:27:01

Thanks for starting this thread roses as I'd missed this programme, yawned through Dr Foster!
I've just watched it, and I love it, it's right up my street! smile I love getting goosebumps!

tanith Thu 24-Sept-15 17:29:59

I watched it and loved it but a bit puzzled as I am half-way through the first book in the series and I'm assuming the first episode in the tv series is a story further along the line.. or is it all just in the writers interpretation?

chelseababy Thu 24-Sept-15 18:37:11

According to my tv mag. the first episode is based on the second book in the series!

Gracesgran Thu 24-Sept-15 19:18:07

It has been said that "Midwinter" is the start of the series even though it is the second book. I do think it means we miss a lot of the back story though.

The actress playing Merrily did not look like her, she is described as "very pretty" which although she is an excellent actress, is not how I would describe Anna Maxwell Martin and wonder if churchwardens would lust over her; maybe others see her differently. Jane seems to be playing the annoying 16 year old - who has recently lost her father and had to cope with her mother going into the church - very well but the Bishop was supposed to be one of the Blair type trendies so I wait to see if he fulfils this. Huw is just as saw him.

There are characters which will develop as we go along no doubt my one worry is something I may have misheard. Was the chap who seemed to be Rowenna's social worker addressed as Mr Robinson? No I must have misheard that.

rosequartz Thu 24-Sept-15 19:24:22

I put the subtitles on Gracesgran
(still not sure, um, er)

Yes, it may have been better if they had started with the first book, but perhaps this one is more scary. I think I missed this one, must have jumped from one to three in the series.

Ana Thu 24-Sept-15 19:32:55

For those of us who haven't read any of the books, it did seem rather as though we'd missed the first episode and were plunged into the storyline without any proper introduction to the characters!

confused

Anya Thu 24-Sept-15 19:33:41

Scared me to death as I was watching it alone in the house.

Can wait to be scared again next week.

rosequartz Thu 24-Sept-15 19:34:22

I really think it would have been better to have spent the first half of the first episode giving a bit more background.

Anya Thu 24-Sept-15 19:36:40

Are you stalking me RoseQ ? grin

rosequartz Thu 24-Sept-15 19:38:43

Be very afraid grin

(I hadn't noticed actually, am I?)

Ana Thu 24-Sept-15 19:41:18

I thought it was me she was stalking, Anya! grin

rosequartz Thu 24-Sept-15 19:46:38

I'm going.

Inocuous hobbies beckon
(and Frank Gardner later) smile

rosequartz Thu 24-Sept-15 19:50:24

ps It's because my family came from Herefordshire
hmm

Thee hast no call to take on that a way

Anya Thu 24-Sept-15 19:53:44

Go and get your own stalker Ana and stop pinching mine!!

rosesarered Thu 24-Sept-15 20:30:51

Lol Robinson becomes Merrily's 'squeeze' in later books, but is not a social worker but a musician ( guitarist) and is thin and white!So a bit of a change there.Who knows what other bits of poetic licence there are.hmm