Stonemouth
BBC iPlayer
This came out quite a while ago (2015) but I was inspired to watch it after updating my review of the novel. And, yes it was really good! The location was really well done, just as I had pictured it in my head and Charlotte Spencer, playing Ellie is very striking (I see she is in an adaptation of ‘Sanditon’ too, which I’ve added to my watch list). And Peter Mullan dominated every scene he was in playing Don (a playful naming there) the local high class gangster.
There’s a lot of backstory that is gradually revealed in the novel but in this adaptation most of it is delivered in the first 20 minutes in a voice-over by Stuart himself while he wanders moodily around the town. This just avoids coming over as a major ‘information dump’ and I guess is really necessary when trying to condense quite a complex book into two one-hour episodes. But well done to all concerned, a worthy adaptation and good entertainment.