I love the escapism in Netflix’s ‘Rebecca’ – but we all know who the leading man should have been

The far too youthful Armie Hammer seems to have been cast to appeal to young Americans, writes Jenny Eclair, but I can think of the perfect replacement

Armie Hammer and Lily James in ‘Rebecca’ (Netflix)

So the reviews are out for the latest Netflix adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s much-loved novel Rebecca – and the results aren’t good. Comments range from the leads being described as “planks of wood” and “pallid” to “overdressed and underpowered”. Oh dear.  

Poor old Lily James, who plays the second Mrs De Winter, has already received a public kicking recently due to her hugely ill-advised dalliance with  Dominic West, a kiss that was flung all over the papers in good old fashioned News of The World fashion and culminated in a strange Eighties-style garden gate statement from Mr and Mrs West insisting their marriage is “strong”. David Mellor and Antonia De Sancha anyone?

Hmmm, I have no idea why I felt so personally disappointed in West and James, it’s not as if I know either of them, but I think the fact they took their masks off to snog on the plane (allegedly) really riled me up. Have your fun by all means, but surely pandemic rules should still apply in public?