Nothing Like a Dame

With something like 30 BAFTA, 15 Oscar and twenty odd Golden Globe nominations between them, this congregation of British Dames was always going to be a good opportunity to mix together these four lively characters with a plethora of archive and the odd sup of champagne. What we get is a mess. There's loads of cross-talking, plenty of witty asides, dead air time, hearing aid malfunctions, aching limbs and reminiscences by the pound. It's the very meandering, unstructured, nature of this chat that quite engagingly illustrates just how extensively varied the careers of these women has been since they started treading the boards in the 1960s. There's also quite a degree of camaraderie between these actors that teases out some anecdotes from both the professional and the more personal aspects of their lives on stage and screen, and it's quite a testament to the researchers - and the standards and variety of British television across the years - that they have managed to track down such a vast array of supporting broadcasts. Thankfully this doesn't dwell so much on their more commercial big screen appearances, but rather emphasises the roles they've played from Cleopatra to "Sally Bowles" via an whole gamut of substantial Shakespearian (et al) portrayals that have ensured they earn their place at this entertaining table in the home of the late Lord Olivier. Sure, it could do with a bit more judicious use of the editor's razor blade, but left as it is - it's a natural and friendly opportunity for us to eavesdrop.