Union of like minds

YEARS before he became a star, Kevin Costner teamed up with director Kevin Reynolds for a little movie called Fandango.

It was the sort of film you found in the video shop in the 1980s, took a gamble with and were blown away by the result.

They re-teamed for the far more highprofile Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991, which proved a big box office hit.

Then came their third collaboration Waterworld, which was regarded as a big budget flop.

Now 18 years later, they reunite for the epic mini-series Hatfields & McCoys, in which Costner plays the intriguingly named Devil Anse Hatfield.

During the American Civil War, he fought for the Confederates, but a tactical decision on the battlefield allowed him to escape from Union soldiers.

In the years since, Devil has become a successful timber merchant. His former brother-in-arms, Randall McCoy, however, was captured, and although now free, is struggling to make ends meet.

Randall also believes Devil has wrongfully taken over his land and, as a result, sparks a feud that looks set to run and run.

So, how much did Costner know about the story and how much did he have to investigate?

“I probably knew more than the average person,” he says, “simply because I do kind of look at history a lot and I have a tendency to look at American history a lot, and that particular era is something I’m familiar with and the participants, but certainly as I went into it, I learnt more.

“And I liked the script so much, but I basically started to involve myself in the socio-economic questions of the day, which really inform you why things were happening.”

Costner admits a certain amount of artistic licence has been used to adapt the tale.

“We’ve had to compress history. I know there’s some discrepancy, but a lot of the discrepancies exist between somebody saying that’s what they thought happened and somebody else saying ‘this is what I thought happened’ and somebody saying ‘well this is how I’m writing it’.”

“We did our best to be faithful to both stories, both families and try to go down the rabbit holes of other subplots.”

The solid supporting cast includes Bill Paxton and Brits Sarah Parish, Joe Absolom and Michael Greco.

FEEL free to boo and hiss as bean-counter Lorraine (Daniela Denby-Ashe) continues to ruffle feathers at Waterloo Road.

Michael (Alec Newman) is clearly emotionally torn with his dad at death’s door, and Sian (Jaye Jacobs) advises her to be a little easier on him under the circumstances, but the brash Londoner clearly has a lump of rock where her heart should be.

Meanwhile, Christine (Laurie Brett) and Audrey’s (Georgie Glen) feud shows little sign of abating, until the former’s alcohol addiction rears its ugly head, and Audrey expresses concern for her nemesis’ son, Connor (Shane O’Meara).

When the latter starts a fire in one of the classrooms, it’s Imogen (Kirstie Steele) who faces the consequences of his incendiary experiment.

WITHNAIL and I actor Richard E Grant is suffering for his art as he highlights some of the world’s most luxurious hotels in Richard E Grant’s Hotel Secrets.

Feel free to turn a little green with envy as he explores the many varied aspects of the hospitality industry.

For starters, he examines the roles power and money play in the business, and there’s plenty of that across the Pond. Marvel at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas.

Gasp at California’s Barkley Pet Hotel, and think of your mortgage as you witness the hedonism of the £27,500-a-night Ty Warner Penthouse at the Four Seasons in New York. The big question is: how much do you tip for room service?