Jeffrey Archer: The Truth

If Jeffrey Archer didn't exist, some clever scriptwriter would be sure to invent him. The trouble is, no-one would believe it! Here was a man whose lies eventually got him jailed, whereupon he reinvented himself as the victim of a terrible miscarriage of justice! The truth certainly is stranger than fiction. Damian Green looks and sounds nothing like the real Archer, which is what makes this film so funny, unlike 'A Very Social Secretary' which strove to depict its characters accurately. I understand why humourless Tories found it offensive, but I found it wonderful fun, a joyous romp in the manner of 'The New Statesman' T.V. series. Besides, Steven Pacey's 'Tony Blair' was hardly flattering to him either. Greta Scacchi's 'Margaret Thatcher' depicted the ex-P.M. as a Mae West-style vamp. The funniest bit was when Archer did to her what the real Thatcher did to Britain for ten years! The only wonder is why this has never been repeated. The B.B.C. bowing to 'internal pressure' yet again?