David Farnor | On 29, Dec 2020

When Ronald met Beatrix? The coming together of two children’s literature icons isn’t exactly as well known as When Harry Met Sally and perhaps with good reason. This Sky original drama claims to be inspired by actual events, but the likelihood of us not hearing about the young Dahl trekking up to the Lake District to visit the middle-aged creator of Jemima Puddleduck suggests that this is more fantasy than history.

We’re introduced to Dahl (Harry Tayler) as a schoolboy struggling to come to terms with the death of his father. And so he persuades his mother (Jessica Hynes) to take him to find Potter. Beatrix (Dawn French), though, is hardly the welcoming type: we first meet her as she tries to attack the duck in her yard with a knife for Christmas dinner, which sets the tone for a woman who mostly spends her time grumbling about the pressure her publisher (Nina Sosanya) is placing upon her to write something upbeat and commercially friendly.

The actual meeting of the two is a rather underwhelming affair – and tellingly doesn’t make up a large part of the film’s runtime – but what Roald & Beatrix does well is delve into the individual lives and experiences of the duo. French is wonderfully spiky and abrupt as the no-nonsense author. Rob Brydon brings affection and patience to the part of Potter’s husband, while the ever-present Nick Mohammed brings comic relief to the part of her put-upon optometrist beating the bad news that her eyesight is worsening.

Hynes, meanwhile, brings warmth and concern to Dahl’s mum, and Tayler is excellent as the diminutive, vulnerable Dahl. He is joined intermittently by bits of animation – not just the mouse of the title but a fantastic fox too – and a cameo from Bill Bailey as an unusual fellow who may go on to inspire The BFG. What sticks with us, though, is the moment when we see him touch the face of his dead father and get some rouge on his fingers.

“Based on some real events,” the drama promises at the beginning, adding: “And some other entirely made up ones too.” While short and slight, this sweet drama captures the emphasis both writers placed on the former – a fantastical fable cut with a dash of unvarnished reality.

 

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