You may recall not too long ago that TV Today came in for some flak for daring to suggest that The Outsiders, based on about 5 seconds of footage of ITV’s Nigel Harman pilot, might not be much cop…
You may also recall that a few weeks later, ITV1’s controller of drama, Laura Mackie, suggested in a leaked email that The Outsiders was not quite what the channel had been expecting, describing it as “hokey”.
Well, the preview discs are out, the press launch is over, and the verdict is… well, that would be telling. There’s plenty of time for that. As a prelude to a more detailed preview, I just wanted to share a quote from actor Brian Cox that the great thesp uttered at the junket to the assembled hacksters.
Cox, the original Hannibal Lecter and well-established Brit actor in Hollywood, plays Gabriel, head of the secret organisation that Harman’s character works for. When quizzed on the background of his character, Cox murmured:
I absolutely can tell you nothing about the background of my character. I don’t know what it is. I don’t go into that kind of stuff. I don’t think there is any background. He’s just a mystery man, so I play mystery. He’s whatever you want him to be.
When pushed on this point, he elaborates:
I just said my lines and didn’t bump into the furniture! There wasn’t a lot of furniture. It was a nice set and a very nice two days in Liverpool. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s what I called a really nice job. I worked with a very great producer. I was very lucky, I had a very great producer, so it was a very happy experience. So, er, no. I don’t know. He’s just one of those guys. I don’t know. One of those mystery men. They’re all sort of … I find these people curiously … they’re like soldiers really. They’re curiously underdeveloped in certain areas. Living a certain lifestyle, with secrets and all that. But it’s interesting to play, because they have these amazing shortcomings. Does that answer your question?
Erm…
All I will say is that, in these statements, you have everything you will ever need to know about The Outsiders…
the outsiders was thouroughly entertaining and i think itv1 could raise its viewing figures by doing a series of the outsiders. i also think that people forget that the producers only had one episode to impress, not like on bbc1 when they have a whole series. so please producers give it another chance by doing a series. i would be enternally grateful.