Excited to learn from Lindsay Marshall’s weblog that Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast novels have been adapted for the screen and just telecast on BBC. This was one of my favorite fantasies as I cast about after a J.R.R. Tolkien phase in early adolescence. Unique, very atmospheric; this darkly gothic fantasy world is an entire kingdom in a sprawling labyrinthine, uncharted castle. It’s something I can’t wait to read aloud to my children. “(The show) was very good, though there some rather OTT performances which were

weak (Warren Mitchell and Spike Milligan were the worst offenders). I don’t know why people are saying it was a failure

because it was anything but. Whatever else it is a fantastic snapshot of the state of British acting at this time.”