When this mockumentary-cum-sitcom-cum-soap was first announced by ITV "1", I was by turns enthused, intrigued and worried. The central conceit - a half-hour behind-the-scenes sitcom about the making of a new soap, followed by the soap itself, seemed dizzyingly high-concept for Britain's Cheapest Channel. But there have been moves recently to make the network more All Bar One than Yate's Wine Lodge, with actual costume dramas and everything.
Brought to us by Life On Mars creator and Eastenders alum Tony Jordan, the aim of this show is to shine a light into the murky world of TV production. TV of late has turned into something of a navel-gazing teenager, with a glut of programmes set behind-the-scenes of fictional programs. But where some of these have perhaps failed (notably Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60, where characters repeatedly told you how funny the show within was, but never actually demonstrated it), Jordan attempts to provide viewers with a satisfying end product to enjoy on its own merits. Taken solely as a soap opera, Echo Beach is pretty terrible. But watched after Moving Wallpaper, it becomes a kind of TV bingo - how many plot-points can you spot from the previous show? In fact, ITV should provide a card so you can tick them off as they happen. So in episode one the viewer notes that the surf shop has no furniture because the producer spent the budget on a wetroom for his office.
It's an incredibly brave move from a network which relies on formulaic reality and dramas which are essentially a 2hr Hovis ad. Initial reviews were a little on the tepid side, but there seems to be a genuine wish for this clever idea to translate into an entertaining hour's viewing. Soap opera's are notoriously slow to get off the mark. But the promise of high-drama and buried secrets are enough to make it worth watching for the rest of the 12-week run. These programs will succeed or fail entirely on their strength as a double act. While it would be possible to watch each separately, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun.
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