Robert Ross (1) (1970–)

Assassin in the Limelight totally fails to capitalise on its setting. I was not wildly impressed by either of Ross's earlier Six/Evelyn/Knox plays (the one in Edinburgh with David Tennant being a deranged Scotsman, or the one in Brighton with Roy Hudd as Max Miller), and, alas, this is a desperate attempt to fit a time-travel drama about the very real events of this day. My complaint about the villainous Robert Knox remains that his means and motivation are pretty obscure. One of my many complaints about Assassin in the Limelight is that The Talons of Weng Chiang did nineteenth century theatre better, twenty years before (and that too was, er, not without its problematic aspects). The cliff-hanger to an early episode - where a key character is apparently poisoned early on the afternoon of the assassination day - turns out not to matter, because the poisonee was only pretending. The character in question is John Wilkes Booth. Which gives you some idea of the contempt the author is expressing toward the audience.… (meer)

Pier Pressure brings the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe to Brighton in the 1930s where they encounter an alien presence and enlist the help of legendary entertainer Max Miller, played by the always excellent Roy Hudd, who I last heard as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream and who is in real life the president of the Max Miller society. As usual with Robert Ross, the story doen't make much sense but Hudd and the regulars carry it. (One of the other guest actors is appalling, but fortunately gets killed off half way through.)… (meer)