Judy Mac – Google

I can't understand how this totally brilliant drama passed me by earlier. I'm in awe of Lenny James' performance not only as an actor, but also the screenwriting and direction (Jim Loach - also extremely talented - directs Save Me Too). The plot is intriguing and the characters are superbly crafted and portrayed. It never goes where you expect, keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout. But it's the off-scene action - kids playing on the estate, people nattering outside their flats, skateboarders rattling along the underpasses - that makes the drama all so real. Genius! I've binged on both series - can't wait for a third.

I can't agree with all the negative reviews. Yes, they do stretch reality a bit, e.g. there are a heck of lot police in such a small community, and the characters all seem to have some sort of link. The final 20 minutes are a bit far fetched, but the plot is gripping and the acting is excellent, especially Sophie Rundle. The producers were very clever to cast Sophie and her real life husband together during her real life pregnancy, giving the storyline an authenticity. I enjoyed it.

This could have been so good, but the writers have squeezed too much into what was a good basic plot. Unfortunately, it weaves backwards and forwards, weakly and messily, with some implausible characters and a hammy script that even the Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie can't bring to life. At times continuity is reminiscent of 'Acorn Antiques' - sadly, less funny - and the cavernous submarine should be renamed Tardis. Disappointing from the team behind Line of Duty.

It's almost good. Although the subject isn't a new one it tackles some different issues, making it interesting. The acting is good, although a bit laboured, and the two lead detectives are annoying and portrayed as unprofessional. Maybe that's just the heavy script. Jodie Comer is excellent, of course. Funny thing, I watched it over a rainy weekend because I'm into good crime dramas and like Jodie Comer. It wasn't until halfway through the second episode that I realised I'd seen it before. So it doesn't leave an impression.

Sensitive portrayal of William Shakespeare's final years and, of course, well acted by Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Ian Mckellen et al. It's also beautifully lit in lovely locations. But all the slow, poignant silences make it a turgid hour and forty minutes. And why the embarrassing mock Somerset/Gloucestershire accents? Surely Stratford on Avon was in the Warwickshre west midlands even in the 17th century.

It could be good but isn't. The storyline is certainly gripping and the character of 'The Serpent' is genuinely menacing. But the other characters are annoying, the dialogue is terrible and the actors are wooden, especially the young Dutch diplomat with the dyed wig. The locations are interesting enough, and they capture the hippy bacpacker lifestyle quite well, but it's all so slow and laboured, and I'm not sure why the characters are always lighting up and smoking cigarettes - we never smoked that much, even in the seventies. I'll probably watch to the end but only because we're in lockdown.

Following on from The Miniaturist and, even better, The Muse I was anticipating something equally crafted; something that would take me into another bold mysterious Jessie Burton world; somewhere that kept me wondering throughout. Sadly it didn't. Not unlike The Muse, The Confession moves between two modern periods, as two generations attempt to understand and make sense of themselves and their relationships. It should have been engrossing, but the plot didn't intrique - maybe it wasn't supposed to. Only one of the characters stood out and even she was difficult to relate to. The others were all strangely one dimensional. But maybe the most irritating was the writing style. The novel moves between third and first person, depending on the period - not normally a problem, but it felt clumsy this time. There is also quite a lot of dialogue, much of which is supposed to sound collequial but actually just jars. Indeed, it all seemed to go on a bit too long. Clearly Jessie Burton has a considerable talent, which The Confession doesn't display, so I'll look out for her next work,and hope she is back up to her former standards.