Fall drama descends to misery beyond belief

OH joy. After innumerable trailers and the news that Gillian “Gorgon” Anderson had been secured (at no doubt huge expense) for the main role, the BBC broadcast the first episode of The Fall.

As I expected it is more of the dark, moody, dismal stuff which now passes for adult drama on TV. Anderson’s acting, and detecting technique is to be extremely curt to everyone she meets (especially fat cops in suits in grim offices) with the exception of a more presentable detective sergeant whom she propositioned with breathtaking arrogance at a crime scene; don’t go there lad.

Now and then she writes enigmatic notes, as does the man she is pursuing for the murder of a young female architect, though his are illustrated by drawings, of his victims I presume.

The whole thing is miserable beyond belief, a trawl through the sewers of Belfast following clues such as underwear, a dildo, and SOCO photos of semi-naked female corpses.

This, I’m afraid, is where my flippancy fails me. I find this self-styled “murder thriller” extremely repugnant and morally reprehensible in the extreme.

On the ensuing 10 o’clock news, a real sexual brute confessed to laying all human feelings aside in order to gratify his lust on the body of an innocent girl, cutting her life short and laying waste to many others. I think programmes like The Fall foster what they pretend to be exposing and make “entertainment” from people’s suffering.

Real women, and real men – husbands, partners, brothers, friends, lovers who really love and don’t want to degrade – should let the BBC know what they feel about programmes such as The Fall. Hasn’t that once respected and admired organisation fallen far enough?