Well-Acted, Eventful, Suspenseful, and Well Made
The 1995 six-part television series Black Hearts in Battersea is based on the novel of the same name by Joan Aiken published in 1964. In reviewing movies based on books I usually note important differences between them. The thing is, I read this book three years ago and it has a long and involved complex plot I don’t perfectly remember, nor can I find a full summary of it anywhere, only reviews, so I will just have to manage as best I can.
Two main differences I can note are that in the TV series, Simon, a boy of about fourteen who is the main character, played in the series by William Mannering, never leaves the poorhouse in which he was raised until he ventures to London. In the book, Simon left the poorhouse early on and lived as a virtual hermit on the estate of Willoughby Chase, so the way he meets Dr. Gabriel Field, played by Jay Villiers, is different than in the book. As in the book, Dr. Field discovers Simon has artistic talent and invites him to stay with him in London and study at an art institute. He gives Simon the address of his lodgings, but is murdered by his landlady and his body dumped by his landlord before Simon can arrive.
When Simon reaches the address he is met by Mr. and Mrs. Abednigo Twite, played by Stephen Moore and Tilly Vosburgh. They and their young daughter Dido, played by Jade Williams, deny any knowledge of Dr. Field. Simon finds a sketch made by Dr. Field, but it disappears as soon as he mentions it.
The plot is complicated, involving the Duke and Duchess of Battersea, played by Ronald Pickup and Celia Imrie, and a young lady in waiting named Sophie, played by Gemma Sealey, who Simon knew from the poorhouse. Simon and his fellow art students endear themselves to the Batterseas when they save their lives after their boat is deliberately sunk.
The story takes place in an alternate timeline of Britain, in which the Stuart kings never left and King James III is the ruler. James III appears in the book but is only spoken of in the miniseries. Likewise, in the book, Dido, the Twites’ daughter, has at least one older sister. In the miniseries she is either an only child or the last child left at home. A Hanoverian plot is hatched between the Twite parents and the Batterseas’ servants to eliminate the Batterseas and the king himself and Simon and Dido must work to defeat it.
William Mannering makes an appealing Simon and Jade Williams is excellent as the saucy street urchin Dido who starts out as an insufferable brat but proves a good friend to Simon. At one point Simon is, as Dido says, “scrobbled,” and she comes to his rescue. The only other time I have ever encountered this word is in The Box of Delights by John Masefield and I wonder if it is actual British slang for kidnapping.
The last episode includes an escapade in a hot air balloon which is fantastically well done. As far as I can recall the book, this is a pretty faithful adaptation and is entertaining. The only objectionable content is highwaymen chasing a carriage belonging to nobility, causing it to crash and orphan a baby, and the murder of Dr. Field and disposal of his body. There are some frightening moments but should be fine for children.