martincooper-24072

I'm at the edge of my seat because I'm this close to getting up and walking away. I've just watched episode 1-4 of series 6 and I've deleted the rest. I'm staggered by the amount of irrelevant back story in the series, especially that of the interpreter, Asif, but also Jessica's and the redhead's. Without the back stories (which were barely seen in taut dramas such as Morse, say, or Dalgliesh) it could be a tense drama in 4 gripping parts instead of 6 dreary ones.

I like Sanjeev, but his character is so dour that even when he's just chatting to someone it's as though he is interviewing under caution.

My expectations were low given the 4.8 that had already been decreed by previous reviews. However I think it's fair to say that it wasn't as bad as I expected and in fact probably better than I expected.

I disagree with other reviewers that Tom Courtney was miscast or wooden; he was a little over-dramatic perhaps but I thought he was pretty good in the part for what little he was given to say. It's true that Robert Carlyle probably was miscast and the dodgy London accent was, at the very least, unnecessary. On the whole it was quite satisfying given that it's unlikely that anyone could make a disaster movie with something fresh in it now.

Another 4 hour drama - actually a serial, not a series as some who don't know the difference would say - crammed into six hours. Excellent performances, good story with nice reveals, turns and dialogue. Camera work was good and not too much style (like talking while walking down noisy corridors) getting in the way of the telling.

I confess that the silliness of the two who held the family almost made me give up after 3 eps, but the quality of the hero and the others made me persist.

However I'd never have got that far, or gone on, without my Fast Forward button. Walking pensively, driving, looking round the house and so on is not dramatic or drama, it's padding and tiresome.

Enjoyed the reference to Doctor Who - nice touch!