The great thing about being ill is that you finally get to catch up on all the things you taped last year!

Anyway. The Beeb commissioned four of these updatings of classic Shakespeare tales, and Macbeth was the only tragedy (as in, non-comedy): it shows. It’s darker, deeper and chilling.

The setting is moved to a Michelin-starred restaurant, where head chef Joe Macbeth pours heart and soul into the food only to see owner Duncan Docherty don bloody chef whites to take the bows in the dining rooms. When he drunkenly announces that, should he be hit by a bus tomorrow, neither of his sons would be ready to take over the restaurant, so isn’t it just as well Macbeth is there to look after it for them, ‘Lady’ Ella Macbeth starts to plot against the injustice of it all…

And thus follows the tale of bloody killings, prophecy (via three mystic bin men!) and guilt that will not wash out.

The performances are great: James McAvoy (aka “Mr Tumnus is hot!”) in particular capturing the manic beat of a man who cannot sleep for guilt. My one confession is that I’ve never read or studied the original work, and I think cropped to 90 minutes this adaptation probably benefitted from a little more background knowledge.