Christopher And His Kind Review (3/5)

For all its faults, Christopher And His Kind has one thing going for it that prevents it from becoming a mish-mash of period drama and an attempt to deal with sensitive modern issues, and that is Matt Smith: currently known for his role as Doctor Who, Matt dominates the screen whenever he is present here, boasting superb chemistry with Lindsay Duncan, Toby Jones and a whole host of not-quite-famous yet perfectly chosen stars. Although at first his voice sounds a little uncanny for a role such as Christopher Isherwood, the actor soon comes into prowess as the conflicted yet ever eccentric novelist, even finding parallels with his science-fiction time traveller through the latter quality and using them to his advantage. Where the one-off 1930s romp faltered was often in its execution- viewers would see Christopher getting to grips (so to speak) with his homosexuality in the bedroom and the problems that came with this trait, only for the programme to then switch its focus almost in juxtaposition to the Nazis' rise to power. The historical segments like these are powerfully done, and certainly should have struck emotional chords for anyone watching in their 60s or 70s, but if the producers had hoped to create a compelling look at the past, they largely missed the mark in the choice to focus more on the sexual side of things, and even then those parts left much to be desired. By all means, watch Christopher And His Kind when it's next repeated on BBC for a great new performance by Matt Smith, yet be warned that the plot and execution aren't spectacular.