The Gift, BBC1 - TV review: Mel Giedroyc and Matt Baker provide a more emotionally satisfying Surprise Surprise
Grace, 75, regretted the abrupt way a love affair had ended back in the summer of 1956 and felt she owed an apology to the man she’d been unable to track down
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.BBC1's new series, The Gift, is a cross between Long Lost Family and Surprise Surprise in which Mel Giedroyc and Matt Baker give people the opportunity to soothe long-standing heartaches.
It’s a more serious sort of show than Giedroyc’s usual, but any sense she was suppressing the urge to deliver Bake-Off-style puns was quickly dispelled by her handling of Grace’s tricky situation. Grace, 75, regretted the abrupt way a love affair had ended back in the summer of 1956 and, 58 years later, still felt she owed an apology to the man she’d been unable to track down. Giedroyc gently made sure that Grace faced up to an even more painful possibility – that this man had long-since forgotten her and moved on – before the reunion went ahead.
More emotionally satisfying was the story of ex-soldier Patrick and the mystery man who’d saved his life, 26 years ago, by facing extraordinary dangers to airlift an injured Patrick out of IRA territory. Patrick’s feelings about that day were complicated, but his desire to express gratitude was simple: "We don’t say thank you enough in this world," he observed. Or please. Or sorry.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments