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Riches is a new ITVX drama (the former ITV Hub), and begins with family company boss Stephen Richards (Hugh Quarshie – The Railway Children Return) bemoaning about how he’s had to struggle to make it in business because he’s black, only serving to come across as racist against white people in the process. Alas, for him, he dies early on in the opener (this is also in the trailer), and even a trip to Casualty isn’t going to bring him back… or is it Holby City? I forget. Either way, he was one of the Immortals – Sunda Kastagir – in Highlander, so quite frankly, he’s got no excuse to snuff it.
Before long, we’re introduced one of his daughters, Nina (Deborah Ayorinde), who heads her New York branch, and is told has a bright future by some slimy white guy.
Cliché follows cliché, as one of Stephen’s sons has his car stopped by a white policeman, who reminds me of a scene from The Young Ones, when a group of policeman refer to three white men as “black bastards“, because he may as well be holding a placard proclaiming, “I am a massive racist!”
I was half expecting a certain Father Ted situation to develop: “I hear you’re a racist now, policeman?”
Similarly stupid, people have sex, but women always keep their top half covered up…
Before too long, another son, Gus, is next in line, and is told he’s the man of the family, now, and has to step up! And when Nina is told her father is dead, she declares, “I don’t care!”, making this like a 2022 rip-off of Dynasty, but with added wokeism and racism against white people.
Everyone’s at odds with each other to the point where, when executor and best friend of Stephen, Gideon Havelock (Brendan Coyle – Mary Queen of Scots), is assigned the task of reading out the will, I was half expecting him to walk off with the lot… even though it’s illegal for that to be the case.
One thing that did confuse me, is how Gus asks for a bill in a posh nightclub, as if you can run up a tab in such a place? No, you pay for drinks as you go. What sorcery is this?!
A scene with a young Nina also gives us a clichéd lesson in racism, making this truly appalling writing at its depth… or, perhaps, it was written by a computer algorithm. If so, computer should’ve said no, and someone should’ve hit ‘delete’ instantly.
Plus, everyone walks around with a look on their face as if they’ve just smelled a fart under their nose.
As such, Riches stinks worse than a backed-up toilet.
Riches streams on ITVX from December 22nd, but isn’t yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD.
Series Directors: Darcia Martin, Sebastian Thiel, Abby Ajayi
Producer: Yvonne Francas
Creator: Abby Ajayi
Writers: Abby Ajayi, Tumi Belo
Music: Vince Pope
Cast:
Nina Richards: Deborah Ayorinde
Stephen Richards: Hugh Quarshie
Claudia Richards: Sarah Niles
Andre Scott-Clarke: CJ Beckford
Alesha Richards: Adeyinka Akinrinade
Gus Richards: Ola Orebiyi
Maureen Day: Hermione Norris
Simon Richards: Emmanuel Imani
Wanda Richards: Nneka Okoye
Gideon Havelock: Brendan Coyle
Sasha Banley: Saffron Hocking
Luke: Paul Forman
Davina Chase: Jourdan Dunn
Oyin Richards: Jumoke Fashola
Young Nina: Olivia Bart Plange
Flair & Glory Executive: Kenny-Lee Mbanefo
Rishi Mehta: Trevor Kaneswaran
Gavin Heaton: Craig Russell
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.