Based on JG Farrell’s 1978 novel, this middling drama is far too frothy to portray the grim realities of the period of history it is set in. And besides – where are all the Singaporeans?
ITV’s Sunday-night slot is typically a haven of softly-softly cosiness, so the discussion, debate and criticism surrounding its adaptation of JG Farrell’s 1978 novel The Singapore Grip may have come as a surprise. From the moment the trailer appeared, the drama was mired in controversy. The British and south-east Asian advocacy organisation Beats issued a damning statement criticising the series’ “harmful non-representation” of Asian characters and its “breezy and inconsequential” approach to a traumatic period in country’s history.
The story takes place in the early 1940s, when Singapore is under colonial rule and the British are about to surrender to the Japanese army. It opens with a big, explosive combat scene, and the promise of a night-time escape for Matthew (Luke Treadaway), a softly-spoken Briton set up to be our hero, with space reserved for his girl, whoever his girl may be. The action then rewinds six months to tease us with the possibilities, and homes in on the lavish lifestyle of the Blackett family, who co-run a rubber business and live in a brightly coloured haze of opulence that isn’t so much a mockery of it as a glossy perfume ad.
