I Watch TV: In The Long Run; also Idris Elba and James Bond

I have a theory about Bond films*. We begin with Connery and, although they are a little silly, and perhaps get funnier as they introduce the elements we recognise, they’re basically adventure thrillers, if a little light-hearted. Then comes Moore** and we get wackier and Bond becomes something of a comic parody of himself – in Live and Let Die we believe in Moore as a guy who will shag a woman then threaten to shoot her. When we get to Octopussy he dresses like a clown and no one believes him when he tells them there’s a nuclear weapon in the cannon. It’s become a bit of a farce.

[SPOILERS for Octopussy, and probably Live and Let Die I guess]

[I should probably say that I grew up with Moore as Bond, had a A View To A Kill poster and adored Octopussy when it came out, even though I can now see it’s mostly trash]

The Dalton films then react to that with their more serious and gritty version of Bond. Then we swing back with the more lighthearted mix with Pierce Brosnan, ending with the intertextual morass of Die Another Day. (I liked Die Another Day too, but it is far too in love with the Bond franchise rather than its own self, which mixes poorly with the eighteen months of torture at the start. Sorry about that.)

We reach our current Bond, Daniel Craig, which launched with a brutal, very straight faced thriller, almost straight from the book. The following films have allowed a little more humour, as well as some of the fluff from the series to coalesce yet we are clearly still on the gritty swing of the pendulum. It is my considered opinion that the next change of actor and chance to reimagine the franchise ought to be to take it back towards, if not completely humorous, light-hearted adventure.

It is for this reason that when his name came up I did not think Idris Elba a good candidate for being the next James Bond actor; I did not rate his comedy chops. However I am reconsidering this after watching some of In The Long Run, his 80s-set sitcom.

Elba plays Walter, a family man from Sierra Leone who is settled in London when his brother Valentine – former international footballer and DJ – arrives and unsettles things. Elba’s character is mostly the straight man to the antics of Valentine and Bagpipes (Bill Bailey, his upstairs neighbour) and the ridiculous nature of life – in general, in a council estate in the 80s, and as an immigrant.

Of course, like all good straight men, he gets the punchline one time in four or five, and also gets the ability to comment on the joke. And he’s good at it. In fact the whole thing is pretty funny. A particular highlight is Bagpipes indignantly asking two policemen questioning Valentine why they think that he, Bagpipes, does not look like a thief.

Watch This: For a mostly light, heartwarming comedy with engaging characters, not afraid to push a bit at real social issues, if not too hard and at a distance of thirty five years.
Don’t Watch This: If you don’t want quiet family drama looked at in a humorous way.
In Conclusion: I would be interested to see Elba as Bond, the serious spy consistently exasperated by the ridiculous nature of the world he finds himself in; Bond as straight man to MI6 and/or the villain.


* I also have a theory about the Bond books, sorry.
** I can’t fit Lazenby into this scheme, sorry man. Go and watch OHMSS which was a fine and promising Bond film with some rough spots that need attention.