Joan Hannington is the latest in a line of delicious female on-screen criminals.
I’ve just binged the whole ITV series, Joan, where Sophie Turner does a marvellous turn in 1980s jumpsuits playing the jewel thief and conwoman.
Male crims just tend to look sleazy – even Jack Lowden couldn’t really make the bank robber Kenneth Noye, in The Gold, attractive.
But the female characters elevate their bad behaviour into a glamorous and manipulative skill, usually pulling the wool over the eyes of foolish men who can’t see further than the sexy character in front of them.
Pictured: Sophie Turner as Joan Hannington in the new ITV drama about the jewel thief
‘Joan Hannington is the latest in a line of delicious female on-screen criminals,’ says Alexandra Shulman
Hannington is a fiery and uncompromising woman in her 20s during the 1980s when the series is set
Was a liberal stance over teenage vices a good idea?
Research by the Social Mobility Commission suggests that children from better-off households are likely to have drunk alcohol, taken drugs and smoked at a younger age than less privileged peers.
Perhaps this is confirmed by the fact that one well-known treatment centre advertises in the Old Etonian Association’s journal.
But, even so, such a survey is unlikely to be too rigorous because children of any background are not known for accuracy when reporting their dodgy behaviour.
It’s a tricky moment for any parent when their offspring starts to experiment with various substances. Almost overnight, Haribos and lemonade are replaced by cans of Special Brew, tins of sickly cocktails and roll-ups.
Like many liberal-ish parents, my son’s father and I took a relatively relaxed attitude, hoping that a watchful eye from a distance would keep everything under control.
When our son was 15, we’d pour him a glass of wine at dinner and, although we didn’t encourage him to smoke, we were aware that he and almost all of his friends were lighting up when out of sight. Better, we thought, not to be too heavy-handed and end up encouraging him to regard us as the enemy of fun.
But teenage years are a rollercoaster for many parents, as their children discover the excitement of various vices.
Most of my friends followed a similarly lax attitude, but occasionally I would wonder if this was the best approach. Should I be stricter and hover around more? Should we all have come down harder when we knew the boys were buying six-packs from the corner shop before going to teen parties where, theoretically, there was to be no drinking?
And what about the girls who were necking vodka before they arrived? How much would my own and his father’s behaviour in the smoking and drinking arena be influencing him?
All these years later, I can’t say I think I got the balance right – but I have simply no idea what that would have been. What I do know is that most of my son’s generation, now in their 20s and 30s, smoke little and are adopting a far more modest approach to alcohol than we were doing at their age. Or, indeed, still do.
So perhaps it wasn’t such a bad idea to give them a free rein early and get over-indulgence out of their system.
Why Bridget’s really behind the times
Still on the subject of better-off children, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s remark that private schools’ use of embossed stationery is a definition of their inherent evil was one of the more extraordinary comments made in the State v Private debate.
Nowadays, almost all communications are digital. The days when heavy, embossed notepaper landed on the doorstep with the invoice for fees are long gone.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said, ‘our state schools need teachers more than private schools need embossed stationery’
Whine about wine that won the day
It’s the little things that count. Last week, I was at a hotel for a run-through for a speaking event. The dinner tables had been immaculately laid and we only needed to test the microphones.
As a last request, the event organiser told the representative from the hotel that she thought it would be best if bottles of wine were left on the table during dinner so that guests could serve themselves.
He was scandalised by this laissez-faire approach. It would look a mess. The wine should be poured by staff.
Of course, he said, the decision was up to her, but ‘we are a Rosewood,’ he pronounced proudly, ‘not a Marriott’. The wine, as he wished, was served by waiters.
When we’re reduced to mere numbers
En route to that talk, I was struck by the similarity between airports and hospitals. They both seize control of our destiny, depersonalising us as soon as we walk through the door. We are mere numbers on their computer systems.
In an airport, you are essentially in the hands of the airline. They can delay your flight, lose your luggage and leave you hanging around for hours without explanation.
There’s not much you can do at that heart-sinking moment when your suitcase fails to appear on the baggage carousel. Even the most powerful characters are reduced to helpless sheep.
And it’s the same with hospitals, where patients can so easily become similarly helpless and unable to get information.
Benedict Cumberbatch seen at London’s Frieze Art Fair on Friday
When I was in hospital a few months ago, I had exemplary treatment, but was struck by the difference between the doctors and nurses who took time to treat me as an individual rather than those who would whisk past, talking over my head and refusing to answer any of my questions.
The feeling was reminiscent of waiting in those queues at the departure gate unaware of what on earth is causing the delay and without any power to influence the outcome.
Benedict, master of the dark arts…
Benedict Cumberbatch and Bianca Jagger are no doubt art connoisseurs, but why were they photographed attending London’s Frieze Art Fair in dark glasses?
Although sunglasses are a stylish accessory, surely any serious art lover would ditch them when looking at paintings?
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