Late for Hogswatch.

Well, since I don’t post here for some months now, let’s go for an express review, shall we?

As may or may not know, around last Christmas the British television channel Sky One released the first real-life adaptation of a Discworld novel: Hogfather.

Being a huge fan of the series, and not living in the UK, I quickly arranged a “not quite legal” way of watching it. Here are my thoughts on it:

First I would like to say it is probably one of the most faithful adaptations I’ve ever watched. Most the dialogue and scenes were taken directly from the book, and although several scenes and characters had to be cut (notably the Librarian) or had its part reduced it brought the point along nicely.

The acting was quite good, and the characters were quite similar to the book. Both Susan and Teatime played quite well, and the only one I had some reservations was Albert which felt a bit too jolly.

However, while it is possible to enjoy the two episodes without reading the book, it is highly advised that you do so, since many scenes and characters work much better if you know details from the books.

Oh, and if you do see them, once you reach the “in next episode:” part, please turn off the monitor. They pretty much do tell the whole bloody thing in those few minutes.

So, in short: This is a great first adaptation from a Discworld book, and I hope they keep coming with this quality (hear that Sam Raimi?).