Paul Merton's Birth of Hollywood

To mark Hollywood's 100th anniversary, Paul Merton travels to America in a series that explores how the early pioneers there laid down the blueprint for today's cinema industry.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011k4vx#synopsis

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011ldh6

Worth watching, but nowhere near as good as his series on silent film comedians; in fact, the writing is a little cack-handed and the episodes seem to jump about at times in stream of consciousness fashion.  I'm also a little uneasy about the recreations. Doesn't the BBC credit its audience with the intelligence to listen?

The second episode, particularly the sections on Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle and the shameful way he was treated by the Hollywood establishment, is the best.

All three episodes are available to watch for another five days on BBC iPlayer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b011k4vx/Paul_Mertons_Birth_of_Hollywood_Episode_1/
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b011pr2s/Paul_Mertons_Birth_of_Hollywood_Episode_2/
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b011vmsd/Paul_Mertons_Birth_of_Hollywood_Episode_3/