BBC1’s Esio Trot: like Fawlty Towers played at quarter speed

As a New Year’s Day treat for all the family, Esio Trot (BBC1) seemed to be taking no chances. It was based on a book by Roald Dahl, had a script by Richard Curtis and his Vicar of Dibley co-writer Paul Mayhew-Archer, and starred Judi Dench and Dustin Hoffman. So.

The appeal of the original story to Richard Curtis isn’t difficult to fathom. Not only is it one of Dahl’s late works with, according to his biographer Jeremy Treglown, ‘a new kindly tone’, but it also features a male protagonist who’s both lovelorn and tongue-tied. From the balcony of his London flat, Mr Hoppy (Hoffman) could gaze down on the unexpectedly vivid décolletage displayed by Dame Judi as the widowed Mrs Silver on the balcony below. He could chat with her every day. He could not, however, bring himself to declare his love.

But then came his big chance. Mrs S. became weirdly obsessed with her tortoise Alfie’s failure to grow, and announced she could never be happy until he was larger.