AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Scotty Burke It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

wilsonstuart-32346 Paul McGann (later the mid Nineties Doctor Who) excels in the titular role of Percy Toplis, minor confidence artist, serial impersonator, military deserter, black marketeer, also a convicted rapist and alleged murderer, and a supposed ringleader behind the (long suppressed) First World War mutiny in Etaples, a notorious training centre used to acclimatise British and Commonwealth troops to front line conditions in Flanders.Whether Toplis was even there is open to debate; his regiment was abroad during the the mutiny's time frame, but give his habit of desertion and impersonation, it is just possible that he was there. Perhaps, like the sinister officer with the odd accent and uniform, his involvement was yet another Wartime myth that grew preverbial 'arms and legs'.Regardless of the contraversies, the series is well acted and directed, with a powerful message about the brutalisation of war on individuals and societies. Certainly, there is no mention of Toplis's pre-War conviction from rape; but was there any evidence of sexual violence during the mutiny? There was no conclusive proof that Toplis was involved in black marketeering, or at least the racket that would eventually lead to his own highly ironic (and irregular) death.A final point about Etaples - that happens all right, and was hushed up for over seventy years, barring a reference in a comic strip called 'Charley's War'!

maddogg666 Although some of the comments made on this BBC series are founded in fact, there are several which are completely false; Toplis did exist he was part of the "Mutiny" at "The Bull Ring" which was a brutal training ground for British soldiers during WWI in which troops were exposed to the effects of mustard gas at the hands of there own superior officers and, also in which counts of summary execution for Desertion number in the THOUSANDS!! The reason this adaptation of his story was received with such an extreme reaction from the British High Command was that it highlighted a situation which ultimately could have cost the Allies the war and which was totally caused by the Brutal nature shown by officers and military police to there own Conscripted soldiers. It is indeed true that the British Army files must be made available to the public in 2017, my only concern is that after 100 years of lies and deceit, how much of the truth remains unaltered and unabridged? This story, for me, highlights the view that any and all military powers have towards there own troops, one of complete contempt.

Ephraim Gadsby Whatever the conditions of "The Bull Ring" and whatever reasons the men had for mutiny, Percy Toplis of monocle fame, small-time crook and impostor (and, finally, convicted murderer) wasn't in Etaples at the time. Whatever the reason for the misidentification, whether it was another Percy Toplis in the mutiny or what, using a historical figure who played no part in the action as the hero of the show undercuts its credence. This is not to say a movie about the mutiny might not be valuable, or there shouldn't be a movie about the fascinating career of Percy Toplis, but combining the two is inaccurate. Some good actors (Timothy West, Cherie Lunghi, and Paul McGann bringing to life the flamboyant Toplis) help make it worth watching, but if you ever get a chance to see it, remember it's a work of fiction.

dunkah The reason this drama has not been repeated is that after the first broadcast the BBC came under fire from the government and were banned from screening it again. This was due to the sensitivity of the subject matter, i.e. Percy Toplis and the mutiny at "The Bull Ring", a harsh British Army training ground in Etaples, France. There is a lot of mist around Percy Toplis who was finally tracked down and killed some years after the end of the war. No one truly knows the events that transpired at the Bull Ring for certain and we won't know until 2017 when the files on the event will finally be released. Until then all we have is this drama and i think there should be a demand that it should be broadcast again, some 18 years on.