Chris Finch in The Innocence Project

[Joanna]

AARRGGHHHHHH! I am one rather 'annoyed' Finchy bunny after seeing Chris in tonight's The Innocence Project. It's nothing to do with Chris's performance....very solid, as ever (great work, Chris )...but for the fact that the 'Adrian Gale' strand of the episode was so poorly dealt with.

I thought it was nice how we seemed to be getting a steady build-up to Chris's appearance, with Adrian Gale and his case being discussed as they were, but then a couple of short scenes later and that was it for what we were going to ever see of Adrian Gale.

Chris got a good few lines of dialogue, I had a lil giggle at how dog rough he looked...including the hair (sorry, Chris! )....and Chris, though there was very little 'judge' him on, played Adrian Gale convincingly, but his whole storyline felt so underdeveloped. I was just starting to get into Adrian's story in that second scene he was in, and then....and then no more Adrian Gale (and so Chris!), that's what!! He was talked about more than he was actually seen, and it just all felt like filler material to pad out the episode.

We only got a tiny glimpse into the character of Adrian Gale, and there was more shown on screen regarding his website than there was on him. It was a second-rate subplot, which only gave you hints into the insight of the characters (Adrian and his 'solicitor') it revolved around (the lead characters apart, of course!), and preferred to talk about them rather than spend any decent time drawing you into the story by showing any of its heart - and the heart was the characters that were its focus. How can you get truly involved in a particular story strand running through any drama, or indeed comedy, when you are given very little opportunity to make any sort of connection with those that are a part of it?

I know he was only part of the supporting cast, and so was never going to get the screen time very VERY liberally bestowed upon the lead cast, but I was expecting more than what we actually got....frankly, Adrian Gale, regardless of who was playing him, deserved more. I mean, we saw far more of Dominic Wells, who was one of the jurors in the case that the eppy was focusing on, than we did of the only defendant in the adult website case that the eppy was also going into.

And just how much was cut from Chris's role in this? Chris posted up a behind-the-scenes pic of him in 'costume' for TIP (well, I presume so...please correct me if I'm wrong, Chris! ), and we never saw even a fleeting glimpse of Chris wearing said 'costume' in the show. So, it seems that quite a lot was cut out from Chris's involvement in this.

So, to sum up what I thought of Chris's part in this....Chris was great, Adrian was, well, not so great , and TIP's treatment of the whole Adrian storyline was not great AT ALL! GRRRRRRRRRR!

Sorry I can't be more postive, folks, but, other than Chris's performance, there is little there, for me anyway, to find to be positive about.

xx Joanna xx

 

[Fran]

Not much I can add to all that Joanna, I think you said it all. To be honest, it's kind of a relief I don't have to sit through anymore episodes of TIP while I wait for Chris to appear Yes, I know I'm slightly biased, but all that apart, Adrian Gale was the only character that made me want to stay awake! I can't really say anymore except that I haven't warmed to TIP at all (sorry Chris, but obviously that's no reflection on you) and I'm bloomin mad that they didn't let us see more of the Adrian Gale story and, of course, Adrian Gale.

Oh well, now we start looking forward to the next time he's on telly and hope he gets a chance to show what he can do properly and gets the screen time he deserves.

 

[Rachel]

Well that's the last time I'm watching that show! Admittedly I only watched to catch Chris' performance, but what was built up to be an 'intellectual drama' failed to grip me, the rest of the cast (except Mr Finch of course! ) seemed to be a bit wooden - Is it now more a case of 'let me see how many legal terms I can cram into one sentence' rather than getting the audience to actually care about the characters or storylines????

They could have done so much more with the talent they had available - I'm pretty sure you catch my drift!

Anyway, roll on the next tv appearance

Rachel xx

P.S. - Please tell me the hair was for the part - I miss the spikes! :big

 

[LovelyLaura]

Ohhhhhhh buggeration, I completely and utterly forgot that was on tonight, AGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! What a wally

*goes to download it instead*

Joanna, you will still get your DVD, don't worry!

 

[Chris Finch]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all your comments and sticking with TIP to see my two scenes! I kinda feel a bit bad that you all get so excited and then its a blink or you'll miss me effort. (btw nothing was cut from TIP tonight!!) I'm afraid grange hill only amounts to 3 scenes over 2 eps but i think you will enjoy them more than the last couple of things. I am aware that the parts at the moment are only small but it really is about building up the cv (soaps dont really count for much!) Obviously Mersey TV have been good to me with ITC and Grange Hill and the casting director for TIP is probably the biggest in the north if not one of the biggest in the country! So I am making contacts and building up a network, it just takes time when there seems to be so little around.

Fortunately a couple of nice fellas by the name of Tim and Mike have given me an amazing opportunity. I really do think that Bar Stewards will be something very special. I am loving making it and the friends I have made out of it and the footage I have seen so far has been amazing. You all have something special to look forward to and it will be the best Finchy project so far. So all I can say is hang in there and watch this space!!!

goodnight.

 

[Joanna]

Ah, don't feel bad, Chris. You can't pass these sorts of things up just because they don't amount to much on screen. And you do make a good point: the ITC/GH/TIP parts may be pretty small, but there are all nice lil additions to your CV, are good experience, and are getting you noticed in the right circles, as it were - and that's no bad thing.

Btw, what was that 'costume' about in that shot you posted, since nothing was cut from your TIP appearance but you weren't seen in the clothes from the pic?

As for Bar Stewards, you are right: it really does look to be shaping up to be something very special indeed....and something very special that you have deservedly bagged the lead role in! I'm so looking forward to seeing it....so, yes, thank you, Mike and Tim.

Laura - Right you are! And "someone's" still a-dreaming of a lovely piece of pie....translation.....your PSF pet really needs feeding!

xx Joanna xx

 

[Fran]

You don't have to feel bad Chris! It's not your fault... sorry if I was sounding impatient, if I am, it's with the casting directors in TV Land who seem to be somewhat short sighted and keep missing the chance to give you a part you can really do something with. I AM grateful to Tim and Mike for recognising what I and others spotted a long time ago...and don't worry, we aint going anywhere...(or should that be..worry, we aint going anywhere?)

 

[Cop]

Hi guys,Obviously Mersey TV have been good to me with ITC and Grange Hill and the casting director for TIP is probably the biggest in the north if not one of the biggest in the country!

I was at a Q&A seminar last night, and I learned that Mersey TV is now LIME Television - I never knew that...

Sorry but I missed you last night Chris, hopefully I might catch a repeat... if Joanna knows of one - Nick Breakspear spotted you though!

 

[Angie 06]

Am I the only person who has actually been enjoying The Innocence Project as a series, then?

I haven't actually watched last night's episode yet, as I was out on a real ale mission last night, but as I've now read this thread, at least I'll be able to concentrate on the story instead of worrying how much (or apparently how little) screen time a certain person has!

Angie

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[Joanna]

Sorry but I missed you last night Chris, hopefully I might catch a repeat... if Joanna knows of one - Nick Breakspear spotted you though!

Care to clarify, Paul?!

And nah, I don't think there are any upcoming repeats of TIP. It'll no doubt get some sort of repeat in the future, though! I'll let you know if I spot one!

xx Joanna xx

 

[Rach]

*goes to download it instead*

I missed it to but because I had a parents evening at my school grrr.

I can't find it for download, could you point me in the right direction please

 

[angel clare]

Thanks Chris for your interesting insight into what it is like for a young actor. Of course we know. I did not get a sense that you were any more bothered about it than any other person still in the early stages of their career. This Bar Stewards has got serious big break potential. And as your fans have long noted you are very good indeed at what you do.

No soaps do not count. In fact they seem to be a real albatross, with Corrie's "Spider" today pictured in a paper working in a coffee shop. Well we have all done that. I think the acting profession is as unfair as any other profession, but if you are working, especially if you have the lead role in a film like BS, you jjust have to keep at it.

Kevin

 

[angel clare]

Apparently the Innocence Project is to be cancelled accoding to one of the papers.

Kev

 

[Joanna]

Cover your eyes NOW, Chris ...no, really.... .....

Well, the critics have been having their say, for the good and the bad, with DMC, and so it has inevitably been with The Innocence Project too. Interesting reading, I think ....

I've been reading Maggie Brown's column, entitled 'Weak scripts are damaging drama', in the latest issue of The Stage, and she doesn't have much time for The Innocence Project. Here is what she has to say about it (hope those eyes are still covered, Chris!)....

.....Yet none of these arguments [for instance, new drama being as risky a venture as sitcoms, there being no established benchmark anymore that defines a hit, younger audiences being very tough to appeal to, etc...] really apply to one disappointment, BBC1's The Innocence Project, about students investigating miscarriages of justice, placed at 8 pm on Thursdays but pulled mid-run.

A second, lesser, problem is that the big budget The State Within, starring Jason Isaacs, which followed it at 9 pm, is also failing to rise above three million. This co-production, at least, has been winning critical acclaim and picks of the day, as befits a tense Washington-based thriller. Yet both series, one from producer Tightrope, run by Paul Abbott and Hilary Bevan Jones, and the other from BBC America, were expected to be renewable.

I think the real problem is with the scripting. Watching the launch episode of The Innocence Project with the cast and producers, I felt embarrassed - had I dozed off? - because the plot was hard to follow. Other critics owned up to the problem too.

The weakness is that the original crime is not presented clearly at the start. So when the unlikely team of students pitch in, you're left to continually play catch-up with detailed points of evidence. It's an elementary mistake which could have been spotted early, which makes me wonder why the director and producer didn't.......

Can't comment on The State Within as I've not been following it, but I have to say I do agree with Maggie on TIP (sorry, Chris! ). I think those behind it have gone too deeply into looking at things from the points of view of the law students who make up the core characters of the show, and so haven't taken the time or care to appreciate the points of view of those who might be watching and who might want its focus to shift out occasionally into, for example, the characters in each case. As I was particularly reminded of with Chris's episode, the characters in each case were discussed more than they were sketched out as 3D individuals. There was just very little there for me, as a viewer, to connect with and care about.....unless vast amounts of 'legal 'speak is your thing, of course!!

HERE is a less-than-glowing review of it from The Stage (review by Henry Venning). Again....sorry, Chris....have to say I agree with the fundamental points made there....and yes, that title music is pretty bad!

And Kathryn Flett over at The Observer gives it a pretty damning review. She has written it in a very 'light' way, however, which did raise a couple of giggles!

There are a couple of none-too-positive viewer comments (who also seem to be having the same 'struggles' with Torchwood that I am! ) on it HERE - again, with mention of the 'awful' title music (referring back to Kathryn Flett's Observer review).

The one viewer quotes this line from Matt Baylis (Daily Express/Daily Star)...."It's a textbook, not a drama show, and the only people who could enjoy it are law students too idle to revise."

And this same viewer sums up my thoughts on the show.....

I admire the research and the stories are passable but there's nothing to make me CARE and the best way of doing that is through good characters.

Exactly. When a programme spends most of its time talking about certain characters (so, here, the defendants in each case) and hardly showing them to us, we don't get much of a chance to be drawn into their lives and possible motivations for whatever actions they take, etc., then I think you have a bit of a problem on your hands!

Anyway,the first part of the above quote is why I've been able to watch it each week and not feel as if I've completely wasted my time in the process. So, it does provide a level of enjoyment up to a point. For instance, the way the programme makers/writers have researched the programmes legal basings is indeed admirable and so brings with it at least some level of certain 'required' interest from the viewer, the acting is uniformly pretty solid, and the interaction between the lead characters occasionally produces some nice/'sparky' moments.

But I do think, regardless of its merits or lack thereof, that if it is indeed true that the series has been pulled mid-run, then this is the wrong decision to have been made. I've no doubt that a lot of hard work has gone into this series, and even though I'm not the hugest fan of the end result, it still deserves to be shown in its entirety - it's still a programme that amiably passes an hour, even if never to a truly satisfying degree. I've no idea what ratings have been for this but surely they can't have been that bad. If they have been poor, then the show should have been given a chance to let them pick up again. Also, maybe some of the show's 'flaws' get some sort of addressing in the remaining shows - maybe not, but it would have been nice to at least have been given the opportunity to find out.

I presume, though, that the shows that are still left to be aired will still get aired...it's just a matter of when and in what possible not-so-kindly timeslot!

As Chris has reminded us, there are still positives to come from his appearance in it...plus we got to see a programme with him it, regardless of the size of his role ....and so, it is just as well that his part in the show came in eppy 4, as otherwise he may have ended up in one of the axed eppies ...and who knows when they will air now. Although, does anybody know if TIP has definitely been axed, as I suppose it could just be returning after the Christmas programming!

And now for a few more positives. Here is a nice review of TIP from TV Scoop (review by 'annawaits'). And again, the Law Gazette (review by Rachel Rothwell) can see potential there from its first episode.

What are everybody else's thoughts on these first episode based reviews....agree, disagree.....?!

xx Joanna xx

 

[Strawbs]

For me it was the opposite. I was riveted by The State Within but didn't actually watch any of The Innocence Project. I was going to tune in for Chris's episode but was babysitting that night and so missed it. Sorry Chris!

But the point I want to make is that you can't lay expectation on a project - no pun intended - just because of one actor's appearence in it. Especially if it's quite brief. I mean, would you have such interest and facination in every review written about TIP if Chris were not in it? There are many factors as to why a film, TV show or play works or not and sometimes there can be a misbalance between the respect and interest shown to those in front of the camera and that shown to those behind it. Rarely do the two seem to come together. Sometimes adulation becomes slightly obsessive towards the actor and almost forgetful of the writer/director and so fans just want every appearence by their favourite actor to be perfect regardless of the writer or director behind the film/TV programme/play. Like I've said elsewhere about another actor, I find it a bit unfair to project such expectation onto someone just because of a previous job, even if they did it very well.

I do actually think Chris is a very good actor and deserves a long and fulfilling career and am always pleased to hear of a new job he may be working on but as Chris said (and I hope you don't mind me quoting)...

I kinda feel a bit bad that you all get so excited and then its a blink or you'll miss me effort.

I would hope that while I support him as a talent I wouldn't put that kind of percieved pressure on him, or any other actor I like, to get the greatest roles in the greatest projects every time or be disappointed if it's not. Though I will concede he's due at least a good couple of juicy roles to befit his abilities and if he doesn't then someone's missed a huge trick along the way.

For myself I prefer to wait and see a performance than build it up beforehand. And forgive me if I do the same with Bar Stewards. I wish everyone involved all the luck with it, but if I've been quiet on the subject so far it's only because I haven't actually seen it yet.

Strawbs

 

[angel clare]

I must say that I do not see any "obsession" on here towards any actor. Those of us who have signed up here are simply having fun in the virtual context of an internet forum. The purpose must be simply to give some uinternet publicity to this film that is being made. The fact that other CF roles (which are minor ones) have been built up is just a bit of a support for CF. People are just having fun, and a bit of a laugh, and no one was seriously playing up the Innocence Project just because CF was in it, although it may seem that way when people are having fun. These are fun forums and how great it would be to keep it that way. 8o() <B)

Kevin

 

[LovelyLaura]

I caught up with TIP last night and, again, Chris was great! In his two recent TV appearances- this and HITC- he hasn't reminded me of Karl at all, which is good! Cos sometimes you can watch an ex Corrie actor in something and they'll remind you of the character they have left behind, but Chris certainly hasn't!

I actually quite enjoyed the episode. It's not a series I would watch every week, but it was better than HITC and quite enjoyable I must admit that my expectations weren't high though after what I had read on here!

Of course, it would be nice to see more of Chris (and I don't mean another one of those photoshoots! ) but it looks like we'll be seeing loads of him in Bar Stewards, so that's good!

 

[Strawbs]

I must say that I do not see any "obsession" on here towards any actor. Those of us who have signed up here are simply having fun in the virtual context of an internet forum. The purpose must be simply to give some uinternet publicity to this film that is being made. The fact that other CF roles (which are minor ones) have been built up is just a bit of a support for CF. People are just having fun, and a bit of a laugh, and no one was seriously playing up the Innocence Project just because CF was in it, although it may seem that way when people are having fun. These are fun forums and how great it would be to keep it that way. 8o() <B) Kevin

Then we simply have a mere difference of opinion, Ralph.

*shrugs*

Strawbs

 

[angel clare]

Yup. C'est tout.

Kev

 

[Angie 06]

As someone who has watched both TIP and The State Within since their first episodes, I think the critics are rather harsh (no surprise, there, then!)

Sorry they can't keep up with the finer points of the law in TIP, but I've managed to, and I've never been anywhere near a GSCE in anything remotely legal! However, I do agree with Joanna that the series could have been helped by a little more interaction with the detainees. My favourite episode of the series so far has been the third one, where Beth actually spent some time with the defendant, getting personally involved and expanding her knowledge of the case that way. I think it's true to say for those of you who only watched Chris' episode that it had the least interaction with the prisoners so far, unfortunately for us!

Still good to see the brief scenes with Chris, of course!

As for The State Within, I have found it a superbly written and produced drama throughout, and I personally don't want to be given all the answers in a political thriller in the first episode. Part of the enjoyment is in trying to spot the clues as they unravel over the series.

If even the critics are stating that we need to dumb down our drama to make it more instantly accessible, I fear for the future of television. We'll end up with a choice between reality tv and "Where the Heart Is".

Angie

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