MADMEN

One of the best TV dramas to emerge in recent years is the Golden Globe winning Mad Men documenting the life of sixties ad man Don Draper, a paradoxical figure played by Joe Hamm. The show is set in the Sterling Cooper ad agency on Madison Square Avenue in the early sixties and explores the changing attitudes, trends and demographics of the time. Don, a ladies’ man, is torn between the conventions of family life, his secret past and the temptations that accompany his role as the golden boy of American advertising.

Beautifully filmed with stylised verisimilitude, the drama gives an authentic insight into a world where old values are being stripped away by a society in transition. As sophisticated as any Hollywood movie, the first series of thirteen episodes has just been released on DVD which makes up for the BBC missing the moment and giving the show a late slot on BBC2. Mad Men has had a significant influence on the men's fashion world too; sharp suits and pencil-thin ties have dominated the catwalks this season and I even noticed pointed collars in Reiss recently.

The final scene of the first series sees Don pitching to Kodak for the contract to advertise what became known as the 'carousel'. Don uses the pitch and product to confront the demons of his own life, and as pictures of his wife and children flicker on the screen, the personal decisions before him become crystal clear. It is a masterpiece of script writing and sets the scene for the next series which is scheduled to be screened in the States at the end of July.

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