The Walk-In

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

An Asian dentist is brutally attacked in a convenience store in Wales, hinting at a resurgence in far right violence. Michael Collins (Stephen Graham) is a reformed Neo Nazi, who now delivers anti-hate lectures at universities and lends his support to defeating the far right. Meanwhile, Robbie Mullen (Andrew Ellis), a disaffected young man drifting from job to job, becomes weary of Britain's Muslim population, and falls under the wing of National Action, a proscribed right wing organisation. In the build up to the Brexit referendum and the murder of Jo Cox MP, he becomes aware of a plot by NA member Jack Renshaw (Dean-Charles Chapman) to murder another MP. Robbie turns to Michael and the Searchlight organisation for help, but can he be called on to ultimately do the right thing?

Depicting a tale from fairly recent times and still so relevant it could have been torn from today's headlines, this hard hitting, unflinching dramatisation of this shattering true life tale certainly packs a powerful punch. With established director Paul Andrew Williams at the helm, it's reliably gritty and grimly believable, and carries an uncomfortable relevance, given the on-going threat from far right terrorism that lurks over our daily lives. Its themes allow it a natural edginess, and thankfully Williams and a solid cast pull it off with aplomb.

In yet another role that feels almost pre-written for him, Graham gives the role a natural dynamism and intensity that it requires and which, to be fair, no one could probably have done better. But it's his This is England co star Ellis, re-emerging in a supporting role that gives him space to shine as a deeply flawed, ignorant young man, reflecting his own failings on to different groups in society, without having the insight to look in on himself. There must be hundreds of others like him around the country, but this one has a glimmer of hope about him, and needs to do the right thing. Williams is careful not to leave his two central characters as limp caricatures, and invests an impressive amount of depth and backstory to them, delving deeply into what transformed each of them into the respective hateful figures each of them were in their own time, and the impactful connection they could have to each other in the present.

It's an uncomfortable, but compelling and fascinating tale, with reliably strong central performances, as well as sturdy support from the likes of Bobby Schofield, and together they deliver an impressive, unsettling true life drama relevant for our times. ****

This is TV drama at its best, well written, researched, directed and acted. I never usually watch anything on ITV as most of their output is made up of boring police series, but I'm glad I watched this compelling drama based on the book by Matthew Collins. Stephen Graham as always is excellent as is Andrew Ellis who plays Robbie. I found all of the performances realistic quite moving at times. The series is a warning to us all that we must stand up and fight the far right and their ideas wherever we come across them. My only complaint is the sheer number of adverts during each episode. In reality each episode is about 40 minutes long.

I absolutely adore Stephen Graham who chooses tough, hard hitting drama rather than any routine roles offered to him.

So it's personally disappointing to only give this a 7/10 because I think it could have been so much better.

The real life situations are hard enough to bear, but when dramatised then I just felt that they should have had more impact.

Acting was great, direction was a bit iffy and the editing was bearable.

But here was something missing which I can't quite put my finger on.

Maybe there was more of a story here regarding the conversion of Graham's character, or a deeper analysis of the different right wing factions and how they differed from each other and what drove them apart.

I could be alone in this, but I was disappointed.

The Walk-In sets out to tackle a serious issue: the growing threat of far-right extremism in the UK. Based on true events, it follows Matthew Collins, a former neo-Nazi who now works as an anti-racism activist, attempting to infiltrate and stop a white supremacist group from carrying out a violent plot. While the series' intentions are good, aiming to highlight the dangers of radicalization, its approach leaves much to be desired.

The first thing that stands out is the series' dramatization of neo-Nazi groups openly marching and demonstrating in public. While such groups undoubtedly exist, the portrayal of them as easily identifiable and brazenly active in the streets of the UK is, to put it bluntly, exaggerated. Most far-right groups today operate in the shadows, using online platforms and encrypted chats to spread their message-far removed from the kind of public Nazi marches shown in The Walk-In. The series risks inflating the threat by focusing on the spectacle rather than the more subtle, insidious methods of recruitment and radicalization that are far more common in today's climate.

For those who have lived in the UK and followed the political landscape closely, the portrayal of white supremacy as a visible, openly confrontational force feels out of touch. Instead of focusing on the quiet, dangerous ways extremist ideologies spread-through online echo chambers and hidden networks-the show leans into sensationalism for dramatic effect. This kind of exaggerated portrayal not only misrepresents the nature of the threat but also feels like a piece of politically charged content rather than a nuanced exploration of the issue.

While there is value in shedding light on the dark reality of far-right extremism, the series risks contributing to a narrative that may feel more like propaganda than a genuine attempt to inform. The danger here is that by making the threat of white supremacy seem like an obvious, easy-to-spot issue, The Walk-In distracts from the real, subtle ways these groups influence minds and shape society today.

Ultimately, The Walk-In serves as a reminder of the risks of sensationalizing complex issues. By pushing a narrative that plays into the fear-mongering of the far left, it feels disconnected from the reality that many of us live in. A more grounded, realistic portrayal would have been far more impactful, offering a clearer understanding of how extremism truly operates in modern Britain.

I thought Stephen Graham was truly fantastic in this gritty true to life turn of events that shows what actually happened in a real life case of an MP being murdered and all of the associated nonsense that went about prior to it happening.

It's a nonsensical and totally ridiculous murder that has the grounds for the entire story, but the way we get there is truly terrifying and very much an eye opener. As ever, Graham delivers an amazing performance and his supporting cast deliver a truly wonderful act of bringing us a masterpiece of British TV.

This is a hard watch but not because of brutal scenes, more that it requires a sane head to be able to compute it all.