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The Hand of God is the tenth of 12 episodes using the original Alan Bennett scripts but with new actors.
Kristin Scott Thomas takes the role of antique shop owner Celia, who’s not having the best of sales at the moment and not just down to the ongoing situation.
She’s visiting Mrs Ventriss, an old woman who she’d see about town, but who is now bed-bound. Whilst there, she’d been looking all around the Mrs Ventriss’ house, to see what might be worth having to sell on after she has died.
Amongst the bits of tat, there’s a picture of a smuged finger that’s not great, but it comes in a frame that could be worth £30. Has she worked that out correctly? You’ll find out.
However, I can tell you that the clock behind her always says 9.05am, we also learn that watching TV is good for you; and I like the way, at one point, she catches someone looking in through the window, trying to see the price on an item and craning their neck to do so, but noting to us that the ticket is set such a way, that if they want to see what the price is… they have to come into the shop.
The Hand of God is a very engaging episode, and one of the best for a while, following rather a lull.
The Hand of God: Talking Heads is on BBC1 on Thursday July 2nd at 7.30pm. The series is not yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD.
However, you can also the Original Talking Heads series on DVD.
The entire series is now available on the BBC iPlayer.
Score: 7/10
Director: Jonathan Kent
Writer: Alan Bennett
Celia: Kristin Scott Thomas
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.