Isolation Stories

the only surprise is that they’ve managed to do it so quickly. ITV has four Isolation Stories, 15-minute plays performed by actors (sometimes with members of their families) all about the pressures of lockdown. But here’s the thing. They’re rehearsed and recorded in lockdown. The actual results are OK but not gobsmacking - itis interesting to be working under pressure, but it’s not a guarantee of quality.

What is fascinating, though, is to watch the Behind the Scenes documentary about the process of making them. Tecchies arrive at the front door, and laboriously unpack kit on the pavement, giving detailed instructions about its use. Then off they go, and the family are left to make some kind of sense as to how they’re supposed to operate this stuff, with running commentaries on skype, zoom and anything else that comes to hand. Surprise, surprise (QU: To which gender do leaders of successful covid countries belong?) it’s often the wives who come out as the stars - producer, camera operator, tea lady - anything but actually appearing on the screen, that’s clearly the easy bit. But it’s an interesting experiment, well worth a look.