Online viewings of Conclave increased threefold following the death of Pope Francis last month. At least some of the traffic was rumoured to have come from the Vatican itself. This raises many questions, but the most pertinent for me this week is, what did the cardinals think of the carpets? Do they really have coffee machines in their rooms like Tremblay? Minibars like Bellini? Their peace spoiled by the sounds of a lift shaft as in the case of long-suffering Lawrence?
If any of these details passed you by, it’s worth watching the film again. In fact, after listening to an interview with the production designer, to be broadcast on BBC World Service next week, you will feel positively compelled to do so. Suzie Davies, who also designed the sets for Mr Turner and Saltburn, clearly had fun. The idea behind giving Tremblay (John Lithgow) an espresso machine was apparently to rouse suspicions, ever so subtly, as to how he obtained such a luxury; he also has a larger room than the other cardinals. Bellini has a minibar because, well, he’s played by Stanley Tucci. And Lawrence is just so forbearing.
With 130 job cuts looming over the World Service – in spite of an unlikely injection of cash from the autumn budget – it’s a good time to sing the praises of its documentary department. The World Service is not always the obvious channel to flip to for gripping factual content, but its current listings are actually more enticing than those for Radio 4. Forthcoming programmes that caught my eye this week include Print and Shoot: The Rise of 3D-Printed Guns, How Does Heat Affect Our Health?, The Future of the Alawites and of course Designing Conclave.
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