U Be Dead

Another great drama by Gwyneth Hughes (Five Day, see my blog on it here) in the form of U Be Dead (ITV). The true story of stalker Maria Marchese in 2005 provided the foundations of a fantastic tale, but Hughes really made the most of it. The first forty minutes was nail-biting and atmospheric as the anonymous stalker haunted victims Jan Falkowski and Deborah Pemberton. Lines were pared down, giving just the right levels of information and emotion for the audience to really empathise with the victims.

At first I disliked the practice of printing the name of the place at the bottom of the screen. It seemed to be over-telling the story; I could tell they were in a police station and didn’t need ‘Poole Police Station’ printed starkly in front of me. However as the threatening messages and emails came rolling in this technique, printed in the same text, mimicked the constant tracking of their stalker. Canny 360 degree camera work and long range shots evoked the feeling of being watched. Crashing waves, squawking seagulls and loudly chugging trains interspersed with eerie silences heightened tension at every turn. By mid-way through the drama I was fully engrossed in a traditional cat and mouse game, which became a cacophony of ringing phones and car chases. I’ll admit, being home alone was not the most pleasant way of watching the first hour of this show.

Once the perpetrator was caught the programme became something else. The tables are turned on the whodunit when the stalker, Marchese, accuses Jan of raping her the year before. Hughes uses all the dramatic twists and turns of the original case to her advantage, creating an engrossing, exciting and ultimately fulfilling 90 minutes of television. Dramatic and with just the right injection of personal details and stolen moments.