The Following Events Are Based on a Pack of Lies

A very topical drama about a conman extraordinaire, (Alistair Petrie) and two of his victims, his wife (Rebekkah Statton) who he left in the lurch and defrauded fifteen years ago and his new mark in the present (Marianne Jean-Baptiste).

The central trio were well cast and all three actors shone. I very much liked the story and thought the production values were very high. They adopted a very stylised look and tone for the series that some reviewers have compared to Wes Anderson.

Personally I wished protagonist Cheryl had a bit more get up and go and I didn't really understand why she and her family didn't go to the police at the time but its a small niggle I enjoyed it and got sucked in.

Overall an enjoyable well made show which is worth sticking with. Would have given it a higher rating if they'd packed the story into 4 episodes and made it a wee bit pacier.

When watching a TV drama, a certain amount of suspension of disbelief is often required. For example, in a detective drama like Morse or Vera, the police person usually goes in alone and unarmed to confront the murderer, rather than calling in armed backup and waiting.

But in this series suspension of disbelief is needed all the way through. I'm constantly thinking "that couldn't happen", "she wouldn't say that", "he couldn't do that". The premise of the story is that right at the start, a man turns up in Oxford claiming to be a top climate scientist. Well, no, anyone could look it up and see that he and his supposed research institute doesn't exist. All the way through, the characters have to behave in a ridiculously stupid way for the story to work. In the final episode, it descends to a kind of farcical pantomime.

There are some redeeming features. The acting is fairly good, considering the silly things that the actors have to say and do. The sets and costumes are quite lavish; plenty of licence fee payers' money has been spent producing this.

To be honest, I was hooked from the first episode. So much so that I watched the whole thing in one night.

It's funny, tackles some gritty issues in such relatable ways, and overall has a good message.

I'm hoping for a second series!

I was tempted to give it a nine because it could have maybe been wrapped up in three to four episodes, but I decided it was fun and pleasurable and well worth the time.

The subject it deals with is awful but it is also so normal. And I think that this gives a good, honest, peek into it. For those who think it's a fantasy, either lucky you or more likely you are one of the baddies!

Had high hopes for this and it started fairly well but quickly got just plan nonsensical. And downright irritating This person was supposed to have conned countless people, created endless false identities, yet none of his victims ever speak up. Worse, when he creates a fictional identity as a climate scientist heading a major climate action organisation based in Greenland, no one checks his credentials and Oxford University backs him. I was 50/50 till the last episode, hoping it would redeem itself with a good ending, but no - it was totally ludicrous. It was like they wanted a big finale, so just ignored anything that had happened in the previous episodes, all common sense or any interest in reality. Not a single character did what normal people would do at any stage in the five episodes. Just annoyed that I persisted with it, hoping it would get better.

The main female characters, Alice (the ex-wife) and Caroline (the author), both manage to come across as being intelligent and credible, as well as slightly gullible at the same time.

For various reasons, they are both fascinated by Rob, a celebrated Oxford PhD and eco-warrior who seems too good to be true. Is he really as good as he seems? Initially he comes across as respected, ethical, and caring, but cracks start to appear - the question is, are the cracks due to his behaviour or that of the two key women in his life?

It's not serious, although the subject matter obviously is. There's also a nice over the top ending for this black comedy.