Stonehouse review: a fun drama about the MP who faked his own death
Three-part ITV drama recounts the rise and fall of John Stonehouse, played by Matthew Macfadyen
![Matthew Macfadyen as John Stonehouse](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZyJ7MMkWjRv6H3XCFbovx7-415-80.png)
This “fun and funny” three-part ITV drama recounts the “brief rise and astonishing fall” of John Stonehouse, the Labour MP who famously faked his own death in 1974 and fled to Australia, said Rebecca Nicholson in The Guardian.
Matthew Macfadyen plays Stonehouse as a “heedless buffoon”: in the Commons, he parrots what Harold Wilson says; “at home, he parrots what his wife, Barbara (played by Macfadyen’s real-life wife, Keeley Hawes), says”. When he is recruited as a spy, he proves so useless, his Czech handler barks at one point: “You are the worst spy I have ever come across. Ever!”
Written by John Preston (The Dig; A Very English Scandal), the series canters along at a satisfying clip, and makes for “enormously entertaining”, high-spirited TV.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
I found Stonehouse “a joy, chiefly thanks to Macfadyen’s witty, light-on-its-feet performance”, said Carol Midgley in The Times. The drama’s “frisky vibe” recalls that of the “excellent” television adaptation of A Very English Scandal, about Jeremy Thorpe. To my mind, this is just the sort of “lifter” we need in January.
Stonehouse is “very funny”, agreed Hugo Rifkind in the same paper, but I can’t help feeling that its “camply satirical tone” rather drains it of meaning. Was Stonehouse really a “floundering tosspot, only unnoticed because he was living in a Westminster version of Abigail’s Party where everyone else was a floundering tosspot”? Or was the truth more nuanced? The series is “good fun. But I don’t think I understand the man any better.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Red Speedo: a 'darkly comic' doping drama
The Week Recommends Lucas Hnath's play stars Finn Cole as a 'reptilian' swimmer determined to win at all costs
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
One Aldwych: where London's creative spirit takes centre stage
The Week Recommends This five-star Covent Garden hotel is the epitome of elegant independence
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Charlotte Dujardin and equestrianism's dark side
In the Spotlight Olympic gold medallist and dressage star's suspension over horse whipping brings abuse in horse sports back into the spotlight
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
6 coastal homes in Cape Cod
Feature Featuring a wall of glass in Mashpee and an undulating roofline in Wellfleet
By The Week Staff Published
-
Peng Shepherd's 6 favorite works with themes of magical realism
Feature The author recommends works by Susanna Clarke, George Saunders, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Francis Alÿs: Ricochets – a 'heart-stopping' exhibition at London's Barbican
The Week Recommends 'Mesmerising' films of children at play around the world from Kharkiv to Mosul
By The Week UK Published
-
Mishal Husain: BBC journalist shares her six favourite books
The Week Recommends Newsreader and Radio 4 presenter picks works by Louisa May Alcott, Jamil Ahmad and more
By The Week UK Published
-
Eno: 'stimulating and cerebral' documentary that's never the same twice
The Week Recommends A 'fascinating' look at the mercurial British musician and activist Brian Eno
By The Week UK Published
-
Longlegs: 'nerve-jangling and devilishly bleak' horror film
The Week Recommends Nicolas Cage gives perhaps the most 'terrifying' performance of his career as the titular serial killer
By The Week UK Published
-
The CIA by Hugh Wilford: 'lively and original' history of America's spy agency
The Week Recommends The book has been dubbed a 'must-read' for those interested in intelligence and national-security affairs
By The Week UK Published
-
Laura van den Berg's 6 favorite books with hidden secrets
Feature The author recommends works by Patricia Lockwood, Gillian Flynn, and more
By The Week US Published