The Singapore Grip (TV series)

The Singapore Grip[1] is an ITV six-part television drama series.[2][3] It is an adaptation of Booker Prize winner J.G. Farrell's 1978 novel, The Singapore Grip.[4][5] The story tells of a love affair taking place around the time of the Japanese invasion of Singapore. It stars Luke Treadaway, David Morrissey and Elizabeth Tan.

The Singapore Grip
GenreDrama
Written byChristopher Hampton
Directed byTom Vaughan
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producerDamien Timmer
ProducerFarah Abushwesha
Running time55 minutes
Production companyMammoth Screen
Release
Original networkITV
Original release13 September (2020-09-13) –
18 October 2020 (2020-10-18)

The series debut was on BBC First in Australia on 26 July 2020, followed by 13 September on UK's ITV.[6]

Synopsis

The story focuses on a British family, the Blacketts, who control one of the leading trading companies in colonial-era Singapore, and the son of his business partner, Matthew Webb. Walter Blackett is keen that Matthew Webb should marry his daughter Joan, but Matthew is interested instead in a mysterious Chinese woman, Vera Chiang. When the Japanese invaded and occupied Singapore, the couple is forced apart.[7] A running joke in the story is Matthew trying to find out what "the Singapore Grip" means, and getting different answers from different people he talks to.[8]

Cast

Production
Carcosa Seri Negara, a film location

ITV commissioned the production of an adaptation of the J. G. Farrell book, The Singapore Grip, in February 2018.[12] The production company Mammoth Screen approached Christopher Hampton to write the screenplay. Hampton, who knew Farrell very well before he died in 1979, readily agreed.[13] The series was executive produced by Damien Timmer, and filming began in early 2019.[14][15]

The series was filmed in various locations in and around Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia rather than in Singapore which has become too well-developed to reflect the look and feel of the colonial era.[16] The mansions of Carcosa Seri Negara in Perdana Botanical Gardens in Kuala Lumpur served as the residences of the Blacketts and Mr Webb. A vintage plane from a museum in a military airbase was used for the arrival of Matthew Webb, and an abandoned town near Kuala Lumpur airport was used for the firefighting scene.[17] The Battle of Slim River was also filmed near Kuala Lumpur, as was the plantation scene filmed at Broga Plantation. Other locations that doubled for old Singapore included the Royal Selangor Club and Wisma Ekran (Anglo-Oriental Building) in Kuala Lumpur, Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang, as well as Georgetown's Chinatown, City Hall, cricket ground and Esplanade, Swettenham Pier, the Lebuh Aceh Mosque Compound, the Thai Pak Koong Temple, and Balik Pulau Rice Field in Penang.[18][16]

Episodes

STV Player uploaded all six episodes at once as a boxset on 13 September 2020, whereas the ITV Hub is only uploading one episode at a time after broadcast every Sunday, from 13 September-18 October 2020

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions) [19]
11"Singapore for Beginners"Tom VaughanChristopher Hampton13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)3.52
For Walter Blackett and his family, 1941 Singapore provides a world of wealth and privilege. However, when the family's position is undermined, Walter is forced to think on his feet.
22"The Great World"Tom VaughanChristopher Hampton20 September 2020 (2020-09-20)2.76
Matthew is adjusting to life in Singapore, but finds himself troubled by dubious practices in his father's business. Following an evening of entertainment with the Blacketts, he finds himself torn between two women.
33"Engagement"Tom VaughanChristopher Hampton27 September 2020 (2020-09-27)2.65
Singapore's residents are given a stark awakening to the realities of war when tragedy strikes the city. Walter confides in Joan, but is forced to make a confession. Dupigny has a narrow escape in George Town. Matthew has a decision to make.
44"The Singapore Grip"Tom VaughanChristopher Hampton4 October 2020 (2020-10-04)2.60
Ehrendorf arrives at Slim River as an officer under British secondment where he has news for Sylvia's brother, Charlie, and the underprepared defenders. Walter and his rival Solomon come to an agreement. Matthew declares his intentions to Vera.
55"The Human Condition"Tom VaughanChristopher Hampton11 October 2020 (2020-10-11)2.52
When tragedy strikes, Walter spots an opportunity to turn the situation to his advantage. As bombs rain down on Singapore, Ehrendorf treads on new ground. After Matthew resolves to help Vera escape, the duo face a race against time.
66"Survival Instinct"Tom VaughanChristopher Hampton18 October 2020 (2020-10-18)N/A
Walter, still reeling from recent news, struggles to face the harsh truth. Matthew hears devastating news about Vera and races to save her from danger. Unprepared for the challenge to their way out of Singapore, tragedy strikes for all involved.

Critical reception

The Guardian gave it two stars, and called the satire 'bite-free', saying the humour was 'oddly pitched' and 'cast between two poles, neither vicious nor silly enough to make sense of telling yet another colonial story from an almost entirely white perspective'.[20] The Independent also gave the series two stars, criticizing the tone and stating, 'It can’t decide how sharp to be, veering between a Catch-22-style black comedy about the horrors of war and a jolly-old-marriage farce, complete with a relentless big band soundtrack.'[21] Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph rated it better at three stars, but still considered it lacking the bite of the book. She thought the drama appeared rather "more akin to a cosy Jeeves and Wooster-style comedy"; the "cosiness is deliberate – the invasion will come as a rude awakening – but what worked on the page does not transfer easily to the screen. It ends up looking like any other jolly ITV drama."[22]

James Delingpole of The Spectator was more positive, describing the cast as "splendid, the colonial setting lavishly realised... This is the Sunday night TV many of us feared they’d never dare make any more.[23]

Controversy

The advocacy group British East and South East Asians working in the Theatre and Screen industries criticised the series as "colonial history told through a white gaze", whose "Asian characters are merely heavily accented ciphers, silent chauffeurs, exotic dancers, giggly prostitutes, monosyllabic grunts and half-naked Yogis". Screenwriter Christopher Hampton defended the books on which the series is based as "perhaps the most celebrated attack on colonialism by a British novelist in the 20th Century".[24]

References
  1. "What is the 'Singapore Grip'? The meaning behind the name of ITV's new period drama, 9 September 2020". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  2. "The Singapore Grip: ITV drama called 'harmful' and 'deeply upsetting'". BBC. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  3. "When is The Singapore Grip on TV?, 4 September 2020". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  4. "When is The Singapore Grip on TV?". Radio Times. 13 September 2019.
  5. "The Singapore Grip: ITV criticised for 'upsetting' drama about British colonialism, 8 September 2020". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  6. "The Singapore Grip: The ugliness of colonial snobbery laid bare, 25 July 2020". News.com.au. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  7. "Is The Singapore Grip based on a true story?". Heart. 13 September 2020.
  8. Polianskaya, Alina (20 September 2020). "What is the 'Singapore Grip'? How meaning becomes a running joke in satirical novel and ITV series". iNews.
  9. "Meet the cast of ITV period drama The Singapore Grip, 8 September 2020". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  10. "Backstage with... Star of controversial new drama The Singapore Grip, 12 September 2020". Sky News. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  11. "The Singapore Grip's Luke Treadaway explains why ITV empire drama is 'interesting, weird and dark', 13 September 2020". Radio Times.
  12. "ITV commissions The Singapore Grip, adapted by Christopher Hampton from J.G. Farrell's classic novel". Mammoth Screen. 12 February 2018.
  13. "Christopher Hampton on adapting his friend J.G. Farrell's novel The Singapore Grip for ITV: 'I never imagined I would do it'".
  14. Cordell, James (11 March 2019). "Christopher Hampton adapts The Singapore Grip for ITV". Royal Television Society.
  15. "'The Singapore Grip' pics gallery: First look at ITV's new World War 2 drama". British Period Dramas. 5 August 2020.
  16. Polianskaya, Alina (20 September 202o). "Where was The Singapore Grip filmed? The Malaysia filming locations for ITV series based on a JG Farrell book". iNews.
  17. Eleanor Bley Griffiths (10 September 2020). "Where was ITV's The Singapore Grip filmed?". Radio Times.
  18. "Where was The Singapore Grip filmed? Locations in Malaysia revealed". Heart. 13 September 2020.
  19. ""The Singapore Grip" viewing figures (ITV) - sourced from Thinkbox". Imgur. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  20. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/sep/13/the-singapore-grip-review-bite-free-satire-revels-in-colonial-cliche
  21. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/singapore-grip-review-itv-drama-controversy-cast-plot-b421966.html
  22. Singh, Anita (13 September 2020). "The Singapore Grip, episode 1 review: a cosy post-colonial story that lacks the bite of the book". The Telegraph.
  23. Delingpole, James. "The TV we feared they'd never dare make any more: The Singapore Grip reviewed". The Spectator.
  24. "ITV drama called 'harmful' and 'deeply upsetting'". BBC News. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
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