U Be Dead

Superb in every way! Not yet aired (March 2010) on British television, even though it was filmed, done and dusted in 2008, it was shown on New Zealand television in 2009, and I have had a privileged view of a DVD of this. A sort-of docu-drama because it is based on the true story of the vicious stalking by Maria Marchese of Dr Jan Falkowski and his fiancee, Debra Pemberton, which certainly adds a definite edge to the action. For me, all the leads acted their socks off: a tour de force from David Morriseey as Falkowski, no lesser a performance from Tara Fritzgerald as Debra, and an amazing performance from Monica Dolan as Marchese, who was jailed for nine years in 2007 for her crime. A welcome appearance, too, from my favourite actress, Jan Francis, who plays Debra's mother, Irene. The mother and daughter scenes of anguish in the courtroom were wholly convincing. One can only imagine that budget cuts that afflicted ITV's drama output in 2009 must have been the reason for the delay in showing this thus far. I wholeheartedly recommend it. A feature article on Morrissey in the Sunday Express of 28 February 2010 suggests that the programme will, at last, be aired in the UK this year. Let's hope so.