The Singapore Grip

I have read reviews of this production with increasing dismay. I accept views of the quality of the acting whether or not I agree with them. I don't object if anyone finds the script writer's dialogue unappealing whether or not I agree with them. I find the level of sanctimonious, self righteous and woke criticism of the story, the content and the author depressing and wholly predictable in today's climate. This is a novel, and yes it is a single self contained book so I don't think anyone is angling for a "second series" God help us. It is part of J.G. Farrell's anti colonial trilogy. The characters are awful - they are meant to be. You are not meant to like them. What the production fails to convey is the subtle, wonderful all pervasive disgust that Matthew and the author felt about the damage of colonialism. I want to suggest people actually read the book but I expect many won't bother and some would find it too challenging.

I gave up on this series after two episodes, simply because there was nothing in it to keep my interest or attention. The characters are uniformly unlikeable - apart from the one played by Charles Dance, and he doesn't hang around long enough to be of much use to the story. Many of the other characters are either two-dimensional cardboard cutout villains to be booed and hissed, or bumbling morons to be mocked and ridiculed. All in all, an opportunity to tell the story of one of the biggest turning points in British and Southeast Asian history is reduced to little more than a predictable soap opera.

The book was satire. This interpretation gets it at times, but misses by a mile at others. This inconsistency exacerbates the overall enjoyment by frustrating the viewer. Could have been a great series, but isn't.

I don't know what genre this series is supposed to be. It could be satire but not really black enough for that. Historical genre it has some of that yet if it is even a little true then no wonder the British fell in Singapore. This does not have much going for it at all.

J.G. Ballard's satirical novel, 'The Singapore Grip', is set in the last days of British rule, and follows a group of corrupt, complacent colonials as the threat of Japanese invasion draws close. Logically, it should be both fun and angry; but this television adaptation falls flat, in spite of a starry cast (Charles Dance turns up only to die more or less in the first scene). Perhaps it would have been better had it solely followed the perspective of the young man who comes in from Britain and tries to make sense of the world he has found; instead, we see a lot of the action from the point of view of the ghastly character played by David Morrisey, who is somewhat amusing, but too shallow to carry the story. The focus on a small group of expats also means that Singapore fails to come alive as a living, breathing city, populated by millions of people who aren't British. The narrative arc makes good dramatic sense; nontheless, there's a sparkle that's missing.