At its core, “Project Ivy” is a slow-burn thriller about a clandestine botanist (a revelatory performance by Lydia West) who discovers that a rare, fast-growing ivy species isn't just killing ancient English woodlands—it is learning . But here is the Surprise : it is not an eco-horror. It is a romantic dramedy.
The entertainment content here is deceptively layered. One moment, you are watching a tense scene where a corporate lobbyist (David Morrissey, wonderfully slimy) tries to burn a contaminated hedge. The next, you are in a montage set to 90s trip-hop where the ivy writes poetry using vine patterns on a wall. The show understands popular media ’s current hunger for "cosy catastrophe"—think The Last of Us but with teacups and guerrilla gardening. BBCSurprise 23 11 11 Ivy Wow I Hope It Fits XXX...
In a streaming landscape bloated with grim Nordic noir and cynical reboots, the BBC has dropped a rare gem: It is a show that lives up to every word of its eccentric marketing tagline: Surprise. Ivy. Wow. Hope. At its core, “Project Ivy” is a slow-burn