TV review: Margot
Lessons in how to melt away the years last night; do it surgically or, in the case of Dame Margot Fonteyn, get a foxy young thing to adore you. Knocks the years right off, dahling.
“He makes me feel 25 again,” she purrs about the Russian Rudolf “Rudi” Nureyev.
In real life, the pair never admitted the passionate fling which audiences dreamt of; but Margot (BBC 4, 9pm) was in no doubt.
It crackled with life, passion and the very real sense of a woman who thought she was over the hill suddenly finding she wasn’t.
Triumphant
After a triumphant performance, he falls at her feet to kiss her ballet shoes.
Next thing, they are snogging passionately behind the curtain on stage before beginning a full blown affair.
Dame Margot was in her 40s and fearing she was too old when she met Rudi, who swept her off her feet.
Introducing them, Ninette de Valois (Lindsay Duncan), the stern founder of the Royal Ballet, whispers thrillingly: “He has the nostrils, darling!”
Anne Marie Duff is tremendous as a woman caught between her fantasy world of love and passion and the truth of her unhappy marriage to playboy Tito.
During the ballet scenes, emotions were writ large over the prima ballerina’s face at such a rate they were jostling for space on her features.
The cast supported like a pair of dancer’s tights: especially Michiel Huisman as Rudi and a hugely enjoyable catty performance from Sir Derek Jacobi as acidly observant choreographer and confidante Sir Frederick Ashton.
A harsher and less fun option is the surgeon’s knife. Addicted to Beauty (Really, 9pm) is set in a Californian spa called Changes, in which the staff seem to be the main clients.
They all reel off what they have had done: nose jobs, neck tightening, botox, lip injections, and someone’s also had the balls of their feet injected.
Ronnie, who looks 12 but could be 50 for all you know, is the concierge and possibly the only person earning a wage for bringing people water; receptionist Gary couldn’t be more of a gay stereotype if he turned up for work dressed as the Village People.
Dianne the CEO of the spa, is the worst addict of the lot. Going through a contentious divorce, pain and emotion should be etched on her face, but she’s had so much work done, it doesn’t move.
She sobs but you can’t tell she’s upset. It’s slightly unnerving.
We follow her as she has a bit of Botox; goes shopping; has some fillers in her lips; has more Botox; picks out jewellery; and gets someone to paint her feet because they don’t match her fake tan legs.
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