I just had an epiphany of sorts. I’m cautiously awaiting the tv version of Colour of Magic / Light fantastic which Sky will be airing during Easter. In the mean time, I’m catcing up on Ashes to Ashes, the sequel to Life on Mars. I have a nagging suspicion that they revived it not for the concept, but to get more chances of displaying DCI Gene Hunt, as layed by Philip Glenister.
And that’s Sam Vimes.
Philip Glenister’s take on Gene Hunt is perfect, if you think of it transfered to the DW. World weary, cynical, brutally honest (for a given value of honest). An alcoholic in the BBC series, and a recovering alcohiloic in a DW series. A guy who sees life as a cop as a sort of realpolitik. With just a few changes to the Gene Hunt character, I’m pretty confident Glenister is the perfect choice for a tv series about the Night Watch on the Beeb.
I’m finding it hard to think of anyone who can play Vimes the way I see him - the combination of cynical world-weary policeman, suspicious of his own hidden depths (there’s nothing in there that he’d want to see floating to the surface), fist-fighting action hero, vulnerable family man and working-class product with nobility and wealth overlaid is a hard one to really pull off effectively, I think.
PTerry likes the idea of Pete Postlethwaite playing Vimes, but my personal vote would be for Robert Lindsey. I did a quick Google of Philip Glenister–I haven’t seen his performances, so I can’t say…
