I first read The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 when I was about 14 and decided to have another read 10 years on. When I discovered that a TV series had been made and that it was filmed in Leicester (where the author of the book is from, where the story is based and where I live) I decided to buy the VHS from Amazon.
I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation of the book! Gian Sammarco (who plays Adrian Mole) is spot on and I was very surprised to find that he hasn't done a lot else apart from this. And indeed I recognise bits of Leicester - The Sainsbury's Supermarket on Humberstone Gate and the City Centre Clock Tower to name a couple.
But the one thing that drove me absolutely crazy about this is the actor's putting on Birmingham accents! Why oh why were they made to do this? None of the characters are from Birmingham or even know anyone from Birmingham - they are Leicester born and bred (just like myself). HOW FRUSTRATING!
But apart from that I can't complain about the acting at all - they were very good and the casting is simply superb! A lot of the characters are exactly how I imagined them to be.
I don't think Adrian Mole fans will be disappointed by this at all. Very well done.
