To get the answers they need, the Watch need to become… musicians?

The Watch is up and running. It continues to pile on the Discworld wit – this week’s includes (without spoilers), Gold!, guild membership, laughing inappropriately and an out of place accountant. For me it didn’t quite hit the high notes of episode 2, but that’s kind of irrelevant now – the show has found its feet and the story is moving nicely.

I continue to find the editing hard work. You can see where scenes are cut with ad breaks in mind and this is jarring when watching it without them because character developments cut to entirely new scenes with no segue at all. It’s a shame because three times in this episode were moments where I wanted more character work, where I felt the material was there but the pressure of the runtime and the need to cut to ads undermined what otherwise is a building attachment to these characters.

I’m going to tackle Vimes and Carrot at a later date. However, this week’s episode affords us the opportunity to talk Lady Ramkin, or to afford Sybil her full title: Her Grace, The Duchess of Ankh, Lady Sybil Deirdre Olgivanna Ramkin, Lady of the Ramkin Estates.

The major differences between the Sybil we see on screen and the character from the books is well remarked – she is younger, slimmer and not White.

However, Lara Rossi, the British actor bringing her to the screen is 34. So while she is younger she is not that much younger (Sybil is just about 40 in Guards! Guards!). You might complain about this gap but let’s not forget that Sirius Black was 35/6 in Prisoner of Azkaban but was played by a 45 year old Gary Oldman while a 35 year old Peter Pettigrew was played by 47 year old Tim Spall. If you’re having problems over the age thing… well I don’t have any sympathy.

Furthermore, the book makes it quite clear that Sybil is very active, quite the law unto herself and quite, quite ready to take up arms against those who might attack the things she finds precious. All of which are very present in this adaptation.

Now, there’s no doubt that Rossi is slender and beautiful. I’ve seen complaints about this too. I have more sympathy here because I would have loved to have seen different body shapes being represented here as normal – especially since people coming in different shapes and sizes is such a part of Discworld.

Fortunately Lara being slender and attractive is not currency in this show. She is not presented as sexualised. In a very real sense she is filmed simply as a character who cares about a bunch of things only some of which overlap with the rest of the Watch. This added depth – albeit hampered by the editing problems I’ve already outlined – is nevertheless very welcome. I’m not quite sure why they decided on changing Sybil’s body shape and that invisibility is regrettable but Sybil as written and played by Rossi is a good Sybil – not quite the upper class British matron of the books beloved of public school boys but that’s not a huge loss for comprehensive secondary me.

They have added to her background – for instance in how she got to be the last Ramkin – but we also have nods to her being a solid soprano, needing a wig and coming from wealth.

Perhaps the biggest difference here is that she’s not a bit part or secondary character sitting on the sidelines supporting Vimes. Here she is her own person, with an agenda and a life, and it’s lovely to watch.

A little final thought on this week’s episode – there are clear call backs to two other Watch novels Night Watch and Men At Arms. We see it’s not simply about Guards! Guards! and although we’re not replaying elements of the Night Watch or Men At Arms plots, the show is giving us a world which is deeply aware of the other material involving Ankh-Morpork’s city Watch.

Verdict: This production knows its source and the show is all the better for it.

Rating? 7 librarians out of 10.

Stewart Hotston