wed 09/10/2024

Mo, Channel 4 | reviews, news & interviews

Mo, Channel 4

Mo, Channel 4

Human drama outshines political shenanigans in Mo Mowlam biopic

Julie Walters as Mo Mowlam, celebrating good news in the Irish peace process

It was a bit like the Ghost of Labour Past at Channel 4’s screening of this biopic of Mo Mowlam at BAFTA a couple of weeks ago. A cohort of party veterans turned out, including Charles Clarke, Neil Kinnock and Adam Ingram (a close ally of Mowlam’s and played by Gary Lewis in the film). There was even a brief introductory talk by "Batty" Hattie Harman, recalling how she first met Mowlam at Westminster. What a thrill that must have been for Mo.

It was a bit like the Ghost of Labour Past at Channel 4’s screening of this biopic of Mo Mowlam at BAFTA a couple of weeks ago. A cohort of party veterans turned out, including Charles Clarke, Neil Kinnock and Adam Ingram (a close ally of Mowlam’s and played by Gary Lewis in the film). There was even a brief introductory talk by "Batty" Hattie Harman, recalling how she first met Mowlam at Westminster. What a thrill that must have been for Mo.

Comments

I thought 'Mo' worked very well as a biopic - as you say, on the circumstances surrounding her illness, her personal relationshiops and so on (although I'd be interested to hear what her family made of the portrayal). Less so, the political angle - 'cartoonish' seems an apt word, save for Mandelson perhaps. Walters was excellent - unusually restrained (I didn't think of Mrs Overall once).

please are you going to repeat mo as we missed it and the recorder did not work, please please repeat it.

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