“A loose-limbed, easygoing thing that attempts to separate Homeric myth from reality”
Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey, Channel 4
“This is not one of those awful celebrity things in which our noble hero arms himself with set squares and a scholastic scowl before setting sail on a “voyage” to uncover “the truth”. Nor is it an attempt to contribute to the seemingly interminable Odyssey discourse – the ongoing hoo-ha over the historical accuracy of the Christopher Nolan blockbuster that already feels as if it’s lasted longer than the Trojan war. Instead, it’s a loose-limbed, easygoing thing that attempts to separate Homeric myth from reality but appears equally “chill” with the fact that much of it remains fundamentally unknowable. “Essentially,” says Grant, grinning hugely, “we’re dealing with an act of the imagination.”
“In truth, the words “very modern” are a red herring: this is a show about the history of the Mediterranean, explored eclectically in relics and tourist hideaways. Grant isn’t on an Odyssey so much as a cushy European getaway. The enduring appeal to all of these Grant-fronted travel shows is Grant himself, a man who manages to be somehow shambling and urbane at once. There’s a gentleness to his voice and his manner; you believe he is sincere in his appreciation of history and ancient art. (And unlike Tom Hiddleston, he manages this without hand-flailing time travel.) But there’s not all that much more to it than gentleness and sincerity; sometimes, the crux of the scene is simply watching him look at something that seems like it must be very impressive in person, sort of a fusty, long-form equivalent of one of those dismal YouTube “reaction” videos.”
Louis Chilton, The Independent
“Welcome to a new edition of Celebrities Enjoy A Free Holiday, which this week is brought to you by the effusive actor Richard E Grant in Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey. He explains that he has always loved The Odyssey – Homer’s Odyssey, you understand, not the Christopher Nolan blockbuster, although that is obviously the peg for this jaunt. It’s your standard travelogue enhanced by occasional readings from the poem. Grant has a wonderful time. However, the links to Homer can be quite tenuous. Grant explains that he will be attempting to separate the myth from the reality, and to explore the places said to have inspired Homer’s epic. And so he visits… a Michelin-starred restaurant, an artisanal tile workshop, and the bar of a five-star hotel. Perhaps, when Odysseus was making his epic journey home, he wasn’t yearning for Penelope, but for a lime and ginger mocktail.”
Dictator: The Hitler Interviews, Channel 4
“Once again this is a serial that calls on the highest expertise. Where The Nazis consulted Hitler’s biographer Ian Kershaw, Dictator leans on Third Reich historian Richard J Evans. All witnesses now being dead, it draws instead on a remarkable trove of interviews, many done for ITV, with many who were in the room with Hitler. They range widely, from Hitler’s Linz classmate who recalled their history lessons in German exceptionalism, to the ghastly Diana Mosley who simpered that the Führer had “something very special thing within him”. The starry-eyed picture they all painted was of a mesmeric bulldozer who could reduce all in his presence to putty or puddles.”
Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey; Dictator: The Hitler Interviews
‘A loose-limbed, easygoing thing that attempts to separate Homeric myth from reality’
Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey, Channel 4
“This is not one of those awful celebrity things in which our noble hero arms himself with set squares and a scholastic scowl before setting sail on a “voyage” to uncover “the truth”.
“Nor is it an attempt to contribute to the seemingly interminable Odyssey discourse – the ongoing hoo-ha over the historical accuracy of the Christopher Nolan blockbuster that already feels as if it’s lasted longer than the Trojan war.
“Instead, it’s a loose-limbed, easygoing thing that attempts to separate Homeric myth from reality but appears equally “chill” with the fact that much of it remains fundamentally unknowable. “Essentially,” says Grant, grinning hugely, “we’re dealing with an act of the imagination.”
“In truth, the words “very modern” are a red herring: this is a show about the history of the Mediterranean, explored eclectically in relics and tourist hideaways. Grant isn’t on an Odyssey so much as a cushy European getaway.
“The enduring appeal to all of these Grant-fronted travel shows (past entries in the genre include Richard E Grant’s Hotel Secrets, The Riviera: A History in Pictures, and Write Around the World) is Grant himself, a man who manages to be somehow shambling and urbane at once. There’s a gentleness to his voice and his manner; you believe he is sincere in his appreciation of history and ancient art. (And unlike Tom Hiddleston, he manages this without hand-flailing time travel.)
“But there’s not all that much more to it than gentleness and sincerity; sometimes, the crux of the scene is simply watching him look at something that seems like it must be very impressive in person, sort of a fusty, long-form equivalent of one of those dismal YouTube “reaction” videos.”
Louis Chilton, The Independent
“Welcome to a new edition of Celebrities Enjoy A Free Holiday, which this week is brought to you by the effusive actor Richard E Grant in Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey.
“He explains that he has always loved The Odyssey – Homer’s Odyssey, you understand, not the Christopher Nolan blockbuster, although that is obviously the peg for this jaunt. It’s your standard travelogue enhanced by occasional readings from the poem. Grant has a wonderful time. However, the links to Homer can be quite tenuous.
“Grant explains that he will be attempting to separate the myth from the reality, and to explore the places said to have inspired Homer’s epic. And so he visits… a Michelin-starred restaurant, an artisanal tile workshop, and the bar of a five-star hotel. Perhaps, when Odysseus was making his epic journey home, he wasn’t yearning for Penelope, but for a lime and ginger mocktail.”
Dictator: The Hitler Interviews, Channel 4
“Nearly 30 years ago, The Nazis: A Warning from History told of the rise and fall of the Third Reich with the help of those who were there. An unimprovable six-part documentary, it can be found on BBC iPlayer. The homily enshrined in its title was that we must look to the past to avoid its mistakes. And yet a century on from the birth of Nazism, you can’t move for populist strong men selling the snake oil of nationalism. Hence the timeliness of Dictator: The Hitler Interviews (Channel 4).
“Once again this is a serial that calls on the highest expertise. Where The Nazis consulted Hitler’s biographer Ian Kershaw, Dictator leans on Third Reich historian Richard J Evans. All witnesses now being dead, it draws instead on a remarkable trove of interviews, many done for ITV, with many who were in the room with Hitler. They range widely, from Hitler’s Linz classmate who recalled their history lessons in German exceptionalism, to the ghastly Diana Mosley who simpered that the Führer had “something very special thing within him”.
“The starry-eyed picture they all painted was of a mesmeric bulldozer who could reduce all in his presence to putty or puddles. Reinhard Spitzy, Ribbentrop’s private secretary, “loved being in his aura”. But to be there meant to listen. “He was absolutely convinced about himself,” said Helene Hanfstaengl, with whom Hitler was infatuated. “He couldn’t stand anybody who wanted to talk.” Does such a leader sound familiar?”
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