TV Review - Joe Maddison's War (ITV 2010) - 10/10

After the somewhat disappointing World War II tribute drama – Albert’s Memorial, we finally have a new drama set in the period that fully lives up to its promise.

Joe Maddison’s War tells the fictional story (as written by the late Alan Plater) of Joe’s (Kevin Whately) eventful personal life during the Second World War years. His catholic wife seemingly fed up of him, leaves suddenly and without explanation, leaving Joe a lost and lonely man. Searching for purpose, Joe, a veteran of the First World War, joins the Home Guard, while his friends try to set him up with a new girlfriend – Selina Rutherford (Melanie Hill). Gradually, Joe’s life begins to turn around as he starts to fall in love again, and become happier than he’s ever been.

Joe Maddison’s War is a simple story, brilliantly told. Of course there’s more to the plot than that, such as Joe’s mutiny to help his friend Harry (Robson Green); and the twist of his wife’s sudden re-appearance, confessing to her affair, and the child she bore in secret. Overall though, it’s a tale of a world and war-weary man rediscovering himself, and learning to love again. The story also has many powerful touching moments, but by far the best is Joe’s reflected horror at seeing younger ignorant members of his Home Guard unit cheer at the demise of a German bomber pilot that they shot down. Joe knows from his experiences on the battlefields of World War I, that the pilot was probably an innocent teenager who knew nothing of the brutalities of war, and may not have even wanted to fight.

This moment also illustrates how well the characters are written and portrayed in the drama. Kevin Whately delivers an intricate and masterful performance, perfectly underplaying his subdued happiness, melancholic reflections and soul-searching. Although the rest of the cast don’t match his perfectly judged portrayal, they still put in a great effort, such as Derek Jacobi who solidly performs as a Home Guard Major, and Melanie Hill as Selina Rutherford.

I expect lazy commentators to just label it as Dad’s Army for ITV, and even though it shares the same warm nostalgia of both the period and the Home Guard as the charming sitcom, the more believable characters and powerful script make this drama so much more. Although Joe Maddison’s War starts off as a curiosity, by the end it is a touching representation of such an important time in our cultural history that succeeds in conveying the wider local history as well as the personal story of Joe superbly. Well worth a watch.

Score: 10/10