TO MY shame, I have yet to read Alexandre Dumas’s masterpiece The Count of Monte Cristo. I have seen the excellent 2002 film version, starring Jim Caviezel (or, as I like to think of him, sexy Jesus) and the perma-baddie Guy Pearce. The most recent adaptation, starring Sam Claflin and Jeremy Irons, has just been shown in the US.
As we await a release date for it in the UK, the French-language version is currently on the BBC. The Count of Monte Cristo (BBC4, episodes one and two, 2 May; episodes three and four, 9 May) was originally a film, released at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, but it has been adapted for television as a four-part series.
Even without having read the book or seen the films, most of us are aware of this tale of betrayal and the ultimate long game of revenge. It is where the trope of the wrongfully convicted prisoner combined with elaborate prison escape originates: a 19th-century Shawshank Redemption, with a treasure island and some swashbuckling thrown in for good measure.
The plot is driven by the ugliest of human impulses: jealousy, hate, and the desire for vengeance. Edmond Dantès is just 22, and is about to realise all his dreams by becoming a ship’s captain and marrying the lovely Mercedes, when he is betrayed by his best friend. Framed, and wrongfully imprisoned in the ghastly Château d’If, Edmond has 15 years in which to ponder how to get revenge.
This is an epic drama, with vivid performances, gorgeous locations, a dark, ponderous score, and a timeless dilemma. It is true that “certain hurts leave a veil over the soul,” but the question posed still remains: what do we do with the treasure that we are given?
I found Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s greatest adventure (BBC1, 3 May) incredibly moving, and not just because of the fluffy mountain gorillas. No week passes without an Attenborough nature documentary on the BBC, and this is the programme that started it all. Filming began in 1976 and lasted for three years, taking in 40 countries and more than 600 different species. Sir David describes it as a “turning point” in his life.
The man who could be “charming but tough” turned down the job of Director-General of the BBC so that he could make this ambitious project, charting the evolutionary journey of life on earth. To date, it has been watched by a staggering 500 million people worldwide, and provided a huge boost to conservation efforts.
Including interviews with the people who made the series, from cameramen to producers, and a 2002 interview in which the late actor and film director Lord Attenborough talked about his brother “Dave”, this is the perfect tribute to celebrate the centenary of our longest-serving broadcaster.