Anyone else planning to watch? The HBO series premieres on Sunday, March 29.
I like the books well enough, but they are such quiet little dramas that I’m not sure what kind of TV show can be made out of them. They have picked an actress with a “traditional build” to play Mma Ramotswe, although it seems that they had to add padding to make her even more traditional.
But her tiny white van looks more like a tiny white truck, in the preview clip.
They filmed in Botswana and it seems that they tried to stay true to the stories. I am excited about it and will be watching.
The 2-hour pilot was broadcast here in the UK last Easter. I’ve never read the books, so I can’t say how it compares, but I’ll certainly be watching the rest of the series. They’ve managed to capture that most ephemeral of qualities – charm.
The follow-on six part series starts here in the UK on Sunday evening.
I am very much looking forward to this. I enjoyed the books, and the glimpse I saw of the show while watching Conchords seemed charming.
The lovely woman they cast as Mma Ramotswe (Jill Scott) fits the image I had in my head almost perfectly, and Botswana looks beautiful, too. I can’t wait!
I’ve been looking forward to this for a year, as I adore Jill Scott who is playing Precious Ramotswe. (Yes, the singer Jill Scott, only recently styled as an actor.)
I just read an article about the follow-on series. In it, she’s not padded in order to have a “traditional build” because it was filmed during her pregnancy. She’s due to have a son next month.
This was one of the two last projects by Anthony Minghella, who really never made a misstep in his choices. I think it’s a great legacy for him, along with Kate Winslet’s Oscar win for The Reader.
My wife is addicted to the “Detective” series and to most anything Alexander McCall Smith writes. They’re a bit tame for me, but I’ll watch it nonetheless. Botswana is beautiful, especially out in the wilds, so I hope they show lots of scenery.
I liked the books, well, most of them. and I can see them working on PBS, but I rather worry about HBO. I hope they are not too screwed up.
They should be OK as the BBC were co-producers and had a lot of input on the project.
Bumping this as a reminder that the 2-hour premiere is Sunday night. HBO has a little more content on their website now.