Press

Radio Times
February 2007
by Alison Graham

Writer Tony Basgallop’s jaunty account of the affair between Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and his diary secretary Tracey Temple could have fallen headfirst through the dramatic trapdoor marked “romp” (see A Very Social Secretary). But though it occasionally teeters on the brink, it’s saved from becoming a farce by two excellent central performances. Maxine Peake once again proves herself as an actress of stature and range (her last major role was Myra Hindley) as Temple, while John Henshaw seems born to play the saucy DPM. Though Basgallop’s script is episodic, it still manages to be thoughtful. We see the unfolding scandal - from the first innuendo strewn conversations, to passionate nights, to eventual discovery and shame - through Temple’s eyes, with narration from her strangely flat diary entries. The result is an absorbing journey that’s both funny and revealing.