The Amazing Mrs Pritchard

I watched this show mainly because it was written by Sally Wainwright, creator of the excellent At Home With the Braithwaites and ITV's recent Jane Hall. She is a fantastic writer with a strong sense for creating 'real' people, especially those in the North and, in particular, women. There was also the added bonus of the great cast. Jane Horrocks is a fantastic actress, anyone who has seen Little Voice knows how versatile she is, and the supporting cast all bring their own strengths. I had never seen either Jodhi May or Carey Mulligan outside of a corset so it was great to see them do something contemporary.

I thoroughly enjoyed this programme. There was something so likable about Ros Pritchard that I found myself rooting for her from the start (although I can't say the same about her husband!). You could say that the two daughters, especially the youngest, were a little too similar to the daughters from The Braithwaites, but I really didn't mind. The characterisations and dialogue was spot on, I laughed out loud several times. As well as being funny and entertaining, Mrs Pritchard managed to make some very serious, and real, points about the state of modern politics and the problem of voter apathy. I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the series.