TV REVIEW: Jon Hamm Shows Daniel Radcliffe How It's Done In 'The Young Doctor's Notebook'

TV REVIEW: Jon Hamm Shows Daniel Radcliffe How It's Done

So we know Daniel Radcliffe is the most successful child actor of his generation, and that he's already proved his horror chops in the UK's most successful-ever big screen chiller, scampering around on demand in crowd-pleasing 'The Woman in Black'.

Now he's moved to the small screen for Sky Arts' Playhouse Presents strand, in 'The Young Doctor's Notebook', a four-part drama adapted from a short story by Radcliffe's own favourite author, Mikhail Bulgakov (also the author of his favourite book The Master and Margarita).

Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe share a role in this comedy drama

This gave Radcliffe the chance to stretch his comedic narrative muscles, as a young surgeon forced to learn his trade in the pre-Revolution Russian wilderness, looked over beatifically by an older version of his earnest young self, a relaxed - and comically taller - Jon Hamm.

This meant sharing screen time with someone else able to demonstrate he's got more going on than one behemoth-sized blockbuster. The 'Mad Men' star was very relaxed, doing more with less, a reassuring presence as he wandered in and out.

Radcliffe showed a nice touch in comic timing, but he could learn a lot from his older screen incarnation. The tale was frantic enough, all tooth-pulling and tummy-poking, without his exaggerated posturings. Hopefully, he'll relax over the next three episodes, and bridge the distance between Hamm and ham.

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