Tue 25 Mar 2014
DONOVAN. Granada TV, UK, 2004. 2 x 90 minute episodes. Samantha Bond, Ryan Cartwright, Tom Conti, Kara Wilson, Rhea Bailey, Jonathan Beswick, Anthony Edridge, Martin Scoles, David Fleeshman.
Donovan was a one-off story with Tom Conti as the titular forensic scientist. Ten years ago he had a breakdown and resigned after a convicted murderer was acquitted on appeal after Donovan had been fond to have suppressed some evidence.
Now a body is found with an identical method to the original crime. Donovan is pursuing a successful career writing about crimes he has investigated, but because of this connection is called in to do some forensics alongside the new scientist.
(I would have thought that because of this connection he would have been the last person called in to do the work — but this is typical of the way that the obvious is simply glossed over to allow the situation to develop.)
Some DNA is found at the scene and it turns out to be Donvan’s: he claims it is planted, but at first it is thought that he has carelessly left it while investigating.
Later, when the victim turns out to be one of his wife’s lovers, it is used as evidence of Donvan’s guilt. Worse, he is suffering memory losses, especially of items that are important to the plot. Could he have committed the murder and forgotten about it?
This had a strong cast, though Conti chose to play his part without any discernible emotions, and in truth I quite enjoyed it, but it just wasn’t plausible. It was done in all seriousness and presumably we were meant to take it seriously.
Editorial Comment: This two-parter story has been packaged with three additional episodes from 2005 and is available on DVD in the US as DNA. See the image above.
March 26th, 2014 at 10:50 am
Not exactly a comment on the project or review but a personal preference: I would never watch anything with Tom Conti in the lead.
March 26th, 2014 at 12:04 pm
As it so happened, I looked up Conti’s career on IMDb last night. He has a long list of credits, starting as far back as 1959, but I didn’t spot anything I remember seeing him in.
March 26th, 2014 at 7:16 pm
I thought Conti was very good in the film REUBEN REUBEN, a film where he was nominated for an Oscar as Best Actor. But the best thing I have seen him in was British TV movie BLADE ON A FEATHER.
March 27th, 2014 at 10:56 am
Reuben, Reuben is tops on my list of ‘wish I’d Never Seen’ pictures. TV mini series, Madame Bovary with the fabulous Francesca Annis shows Conti at his best — which is not good enough for me. What a boring twerp.
March 27th, 2014 at 7:27 pm
What I like about Conti is his ability to portray anti-heroes with a shade of likability. For a character I hated through nearly all of REUBEN REUBEN, I still felt sadness and regret with his fate at the end.
BLADE ON A FEATHER he played a character with a hidden dark side that kept me curious about his motives through the entire story.
But I can understand how his appeal is not universal.
September 19th, 2021 at 1:32 am
I would watch anything with Tom Conti in it. I fist saw him back in the 70s in The Glittering Prizes, a wonderful mini-series by Frederic Raphael. Later in Reuben, Reuben, where he played an unloveable character brilliantly. Best, perhaps, in the agonising WWII drama Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, which featured an outstanding performance by David Bowie. Lovely in Saving Grace as a Pope, and charming in Shirley Valentine. I loved Blade on the Feather and Donovan (DNA). I think he is one of the UK’s best actors.