The Body Farm: Blood, guts, and episodic gruesomenessness

You know, I’ll be frank, but it’s been a while since I’ve posted about a TV show, here on Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar.

As you’ve possibly guessed, by now, I’m something of a science fiction fan.

So the few show’s I’ve written about, just recently … ?

Have been Dr Who and Torchwood: Miracle Day.

And those … ?

Those I’ve happily opined about about, over on Nik Nak and Grub’s Who Peculiar, along with my co-author, Grub.

You’ve probably noticed the ensuing domestic incident, haven’t you … ?

At ANY rate, I’ve got to confess, I’ve just seen a show on BBC1 that I really felt couldn’t go on the Who Peculiar.

Because I’m talking, here about a police drama, rather than out and out SF.

The first episode of the Waking the Dead spin-off, that is The Body Farm.

The Body Farm opens with formerWaking the Dead forensic pathologist, Dr Eve Lockhart — reprised by series regular, Tara Fitzgerald — being offered an interesting little forensic job from DI Craig Hale: played with his usual mix of threatening aplomb and dark ambiguity by Keith Allen.

The job in question is a perfect one for Dr Lockhart’s team of forensic researchers: Mike, played by Mark Bazeby, Oggy, played by Finley Robertson*, and Rosa, played by Wunmi Mosaku, Lockhart’s team of assorted bodies and geeks at the Body Farmº in question.

I’ll let you read the footnoteº and Wikipedia entry, shall I … ?

At any rate … ?

Much like the original Star Wars^, this first episode of The Body Farm throws us into the deep end as Eve arrives at the crime scene: and, briefed by DI Hale, finds herself looking at the remains of two bodies, in a bathroom.

Well …

Smeared all over a bathroom, being accurate.

In a way that DI Hale needs confirming is an explosion …

››•‹‹

Now …

I’ll be frank, I’ve been listening to a lot of Radio 4, just recently.

I’ll be honest, there’s not much TV that’s caught my attention.

But The Body Farm … ?

But I’m happy to say The Body Farm did. I don’t know if it’s scientifically accurate — in fact, I’ve an old friend, Victoriaª, who felt it to be RATHER unrealistic … ! — but I know THIS much …

The Body Farm was gruesome: but bloody entertaining!

* Who I’d last seen in the Dr Who episode, Blink.

º I’m not too sure if there’s any of these in the UK: but there’s about half a dozen in the US. Debbi, bless ’er, will possibly be able to tell us a little more, if she’s come across them in her legal work: but if I’ve understood things correctly, a body farm is devoted to what happens to us once we die. Or, not to whether we ascend to a heaven, hell, purgatory or — as ZZTop claim — Huston. But what happens to our bodies. You know, how fast it takes for a corpse to decompose, what eats us when we ARE dead … and how long it takes for the vultures to start circling. Picky little theological details like that …

ª Who’s much more of a scientist that I could ever hope to be. My brief foray in collage, MANY moons ago, was in performing arts: what can I tell you … ?

^ From what I can remember from reading — believe it or not — the Star Wars Role-playing Game many years ago, the technique of starting a story in the middle of a significant scene is called In Media Res. Which translates as “in the middle of things” … …