The Ipcress File episode 2: Viewers are loving the 1960s aesthetic

Virgin Radio

14 Mar 2022, 10:29

The second episode of new ITV series The Ipcress File aired last night, and many fans are loving the 60s vibe that the show is delivering.

The series, which is based on Len Deighton's 1962 spy novel, focuses on Harry Palmer (played by Joe Cole), who is enrolled as a spy for British intelligence rather than serving a prison sentence.

Last night’s episode (March 13th) saw Harry continue with his undercover mission in search of a missing British nuclear scientist. When he got a tip-off from a key witness, it may have brought him and Jean (played by Lucy Boynton) closer to the truth but, in actuality, their they ended up embroiled in an even bigger mystery. 

Viewers took to social media to express how much they were enjoying the series, and also the 60s feel. One person wrote: “Isn't #theipcressfile fabulous? It's the London of my girlhood - not the spies so much as the streets.”

Another added: “A cracking adaptation of a great book. This is the quality drama we need. Stylish, great acting and 60s England swinging like a pendulum.”

Someone else wrote: “I mean I am obsessed with the 1960s aesthetic anyway so this is right up my street. Why can’t everyone dress like this anymore? Men, please start wearing bowler hats again.”

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the show looks good. When lead actor Joe Cole joined The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky recently, he said: “We filmed it in Croatia and Liverpool, and it’s transatlantic, it’s all over the world. It’s Berlin, Beirut, the Pacific Islands, it’s London, it’s Rome. We’re jumping all over the place, so it’s a real spectacle.”

Elsewhere on social media, some viewers are commenting on another aesthetic angle… literally.  

The camera angles are the cause of much discussion on Twitter. One person wrote: “They love dutch tilts in the The Ipcress File don't they?” 

The Dutch Tilt is a filmmaking technique that involves setting the camera at an angle and tilting the entire scene.

Another Twitter user commented on this, saying: “Dear #TheIpcressFile, your camera angles aren't helping my vertigo.”

Someone else, however, said: “I actually like the wonky camera angles. It's... different. #theipcressfile”

The Ipcress File continues on Sundays at 9pm on ITV, or you can binge the whole series on ITV Hub now.