Ian Johnson

Malachi Kirby I enjoyed this melodrama . However, the characters played by the brilliant Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty were so extreme the actors almost tipped over into being hammy but just pulled it off. At times I wondered if the series was either a comedy I just wasn’t getting or a story for young adults. That said the plot had enough twists and surprises to keep me interested. The set was fabulous. I think had the cast not try to ‘tell’ the viewer how scary they were but showed it more , the programme might have been even more successful. Sinister sometimes needs to be underplayed. Malachi Kirby played a perfect role as the ambitious Jamaican boxer. I was surprised by the lack of alarm when he went venues of high society. Perhaps racism was less prevalent in Victorian times than Windrush times.

Mamma Mia! What is this? Mother Thereresa gives the police ethical and detective lessons? I found the protagonists high minded preaching so annoying I just couldn’t empathise with her. The plot was so fractured too with flashbacks galore and so many unanswered questions that didn’t give the viewer at least a little answer. And why, if our heroine earned a wage and her husband paid for her sons private education did she live in near slum accommodation? Maybe all would be revealed in future episodes but while I’ve got thrillers like Code of Silence to watch, I can’t be bothered with this damp squid.

Such a heavily scripted programme. The ‘couple’ in the magicians act had to be conferstes in my view.

This was a character led story which was fortunate because Rose Ayling was stunning in the role. The plot, on the other hand was a bit weak at points with Alison ( Rose) escaping police protection from a safe house, clever Manc criminal putting a tracker on a police vehicle and convenient sightings of wanted suspects.

Michael Sheen’s connection with autistic and learning disabled people was brilliant and moving. He was non patronising, honest and humane. He set the bench mark for these sort of transactions and that’s why I felt Danny Dyer fell miles too short. One could praise him for being honest, I suppose , but he was actually disinhibited . This was embarrassing and couple with his excessive foul language ( it’s ok in moderation) made me squirm. I imagine David Tennant will raise the standard again.

I guess the script writer faced a dilemma with this series. He couldn’t glamourise violent drug dealers but at the same time he needed viewers to empathise with the main protagonist, Michael. He tried to do this by making him look vulnerable in having a low sperm count but desperately wanting to have a baby with his girl friend. He also tried to make Michael look like someone who cared greatly for his girl friend who was also painted as vulnerable. It didn’t work for me as there didn’t seem to be any real chemistry between Michael and Diana, I didn’t care about their IVF bids and I still saw Michael as a scum bag. The device that made you sort of root for him in the end was that his arch nemesis, Jamie, was a bigger scum bag than him. Jack McMullen is brilliant as the mendacious, unpredictable Jamie. At the other end of the spectrum, Ronnie the gang leader sounded more like someone from the Samaratind than a thug. I think Sean Bean, who is a brilliant character actor, was wrongly cast; there was nothing sinister about him. The plot, however, was fantastic with many exciting twists and turns. As the episodes went on the relationship between Michael and Diana became more believable but the former actor is the stronger of the two. The best actor of the series was Elaine , Ronnie’s wife, who was convincing throughout. There was some great music including a recurring and significant ‘Mac the Knife’. The urban criminal slang sounded very authentic and added to that feel of the criminal underbelly of Liverpool. This series has been called the Liverpool Sopranos but it could have usefully have imitated some of the features of the American Sopranos. For instance, amongst the violence and corruption of the Sopranos there is lots of warmth and humour. I felt cognitive dissonance because the characters I loved were then so violent. Liverpool people are known for their warmth and humour ; the writer would have done well to include this in this script. As it is, we are left with a stereotype of Liverpuddlians as ‘scallies’ which is incorrect. It was a thrilling series this, but I wouldn’t have shed any tears for the demise of any of them - except, perhaps, Cheryl who’s husband was murdered by Ronnie but no one had the backbone to tell her.

At best, this series is about friendship but it’s not funny, over long and there’s more sex in Songs of Praise.

I’ve been on quicker gridlocks on the M6 and I’ve had scarier library fines. If you’ve run out of Ovaltine then this morose film is for you.

Eddie Redmayne convincing as the Jackal, Lashana Lynch unconvincing as an MI6 officer to the point that it makes me squirm. I’ve hung onto the first chapter because of Redmayne performance but I’m not sure if I can suspend my disbelief much longer with Lynch’s acting- not helped by the cliched tropes of a demanding boss and a neglected teenage daughter ( who looks as old as her). Addendum- tried watching more but gave up. I’ve had scarier telephone bills and more exciting parties from Greggs.

Although series two has some great actors and is generally well written it is not as good as series one. Also, it has become a bit like BBC Bite size for adults. I know everyone is on social media and iPhones nowadays but they can manage more than scenes of thirty seconds. The short scenes were very noticeable and, in the end, distracted from the fictive dream. The other thing that distracted from the fictive dream was the rubbish special effects. The North African desert looked like it had been constructed by 1930s Hollywood film makers. The thing that really grated though was the BBC attempt to ‘ educate’ the public about the Second World War. It was patronising. We the viewers know it wasn’t fought entirely by white Christian and we know racism was rife across the world, never mind Germany, but the BBC laid it on like too much jam on a jam butty. Thankfully, the Robina character played artfully by Lesley Manville is a wonderful antidote to all the jam with her sardonic put downs. She’s not likeable but her use of language is brilliant. I liked the series enough to watch another series of it comes but let’s hope they don’t film the desert in Southport or use air fix models for planes.