Hour Friends in the South.

So, finally some quality tv arrived on our screens last night in the shape of BBC's The Hour. A gorgeous piece of escapism, The Hour's look and feel is perfectly in keeping with the 1950's. Some clever person, somewhere, is saturating and mixing colours to make every scene and every colour a tone that is reminiscent of that decade. 

Last night's scene in the club was an absolute gift; an array of all the things we aren't supposed to like anymore; champagne, cigarette smoke and mink, HEAVEN! 

Newcomer (and recent customer-shhh!) Hannah Tointon, in her role as Kiki, the "Market Stall Marilyn", was fabulous, all cream satin, platinum blonde and rhinestones. Apparently the director even made her wear padded hips to give her that authentic 1950's hourglass shape. She had a very brief encounter with Man About Town Hector, played by Dominic West, and suffered the violent consequences.

Romola Garai and Oona Chaplin (yes, Granddaughter of Charlie) starred as Bel, Hector's boss and Marnie, his wife, the two other women caught up in Hector's path of destruction. Marnie is left at home at night baking cakes whilst her errant hubby cavorts with showgirls and Bel spends her time worrying whether her wayward anchorman will make it to the set in time for a live transmission.

Both ladies go some way to encapsulating the style of the era in differing ways; Bel's red wool suit and gold brooch, is all business, but the cut of the outfit results in a strongly feminine silhouette. 

Marnie's traditional, but ultimately impractical, circle skirt and blouse in soft pink fit her role as the ideal 50's housewife to a tee. Pretty and flouncy, it is a sugary outfit that perfectly matches her Perfect Home and Perfect Hair. 

(all photo's courtesy of BBC)

In all, it was a beautiful opening to a series and I do hope the story lives up to the fashion and feel of the piece. One thing is for certain, The Hour has arrived back on our screens just when we needed a little reminder of why we pay our licence fee....

xx