The Woman in the Wall

This is one of the best things I have seen on TV in a long time.

How anybody could give this 1 star is beyond me.......unless of course your idea of entertainment is Love Island and Emmerdale.

Ruth Wilson is beyond fantastic. She gives the most spine chilling performance and should be commended for her skills, ability and brilliance. The story that is told is both heart breaking and spell binding. Sometimes the truth hurts but needs to be told.

Nothing more to be said.......this is a brilliant piece of TV. For some people it may be very hard to watch but if you leave personal feelings aside, there is no question this is quality.

My Review- The Woman in the Wall My Rating. 9/ 10 Will be streaming later this year on Paramount Plus

I was fortunate enough to get a preview of this series from a friend in the U. K.

Mark this one down on your future viewing diary it's such a compelling and disturbing fictional story written and created by British born Joe Murtagh .

And skilfully directed by Harry Wootliff and Rachna Suri .

Principle fuming took place on location in Northern Ireland and also the Republic of Ireland, namely, County Mayo.

Principle starring roles are Ruth Wilson and Daryl McCormack and they both give wonderful performances as Lorna Brady an Irish woman with severe psychological trauma due to the cruel events that occurred at the so called Magdalene laundries also known as Magdalene asylums which were institutions usually run by Roman Catholic orders of nuns that operated from the 18th to the late 20th centuries.

I highly recommend an excellent 2002 movie The Magdalene Sisters before watching The Woman in the Wall which for me was like a prequel to The Woman in the Wall .

It starred the wonderful Geraldine McEwan as Sister Bridget and tells the story of three young Irish women struggle to maintain their spirits while they endure dehumanizing abuse as inmates of a Magdalene Sisters Asylum.

The Woman in the Wall is a six-part BBC mystery drama created by Joe Murtagh and Margaret Perry it tells the story of the aftermath of the abuse that occurred in these sweat shops and the trauma and suffering of mothers whose babies were taken away from them at birth.

This was Ireland's stolen generation when babies were sold to foster parents for large so called donations to the Catholic Church.

Many of those mothers including Lorna Brady (Ruth Wilson) believed their babies had died and this forms a vital part of the investigation that young Detective Colman Akande played by Daryl McCormack who recently was so impressive in the 2022 movie Good Luck to You, Leo Grande opposite Emma Thompson.

He experiences suspicion and lack of cooperation in his interrogations from the local Garda Police Sargent who wants to keep the village secrets in the village .

In The Woman in the Wall Irish actor Daryl McCormack shows his versatility this time keeping his clothes on in a much more challenging role as his character becomes haunted and revisits his own childhood trauma that also arises from the crimes of The Magdalene Laundry.

This is definitely a mystery not a documentary that picks up pace after an initial slow but dramatic start taking the viewer on a journey that takes many twists and turns.

The mysterious first episode leads to a fascinating case involving The Magdalene Laundry when Lorna Brady who sleep walks wakes up to find an unknown dead woman in her home doubting her innocence becoming the prime suspect in a murder .

If this series was a movie I have no doubt that Ruth Wilson's performance would be considered Oscar worthy.

I hope when The Woman in the Wall does stream in Australia that it streams in its entirety as a week between the 6 episodes does interrupt the tension and mystery of this unique and fascinating story.

For acting skill and chemistry this is the best series since Happy Valley. Ruth Wilson and Daryl McCormack are absolutely top. They've both come a long way since girl assassin in Luther and boy gangster in Peaky Blinder. There isn't a weakness with any of the actors.

The script although like a spiders poisonous web and convoluted eventually clears the smoke and much dust.

Fine camerawork and scenery helps build a creepy tension. No jokes, just deadly dark. The RC Church doesn't come off too well and the local police especially Simon Delaney as Massey eventually redeem themselves. Recycling babies and hiding from Mr Cruelty isn't a happy subject so please take a deep breath. It's not nice but worth patience and concentration.

If I know a series has Ruth Wilson in it I am going to watch it. I am a big fan of Ruth, she got me absolutely hooked with her role in Luther and then again in her role in The Affair.

She is such a strong, talented actress.

When I saw the trailer for The Woman in the Wall I was immediately intrigued, it felt like it was going to be a series that had something to say, but also a layer of mystery to it.

It definitely has all of that and more. I am enjoying the ride so far and can't wait to continue on with the series. Ruth again is perfect in her role as Lorna Brady, a woman that when pregnant got sent to a convent (laundry) where she with other women/girls were mistreated by the establishment and had her child removed from her care. The trauma of her past has left her all screwed up and on top of that she is a sleepwalker.. Definitely give this series a shot. It is once again British television at its finest.

I've had the pleasure of visiting Ireland on several occasions. And have always received a warm welcome which is nice considering the past between the two countries. However it seems whenever the BBC make a program in Ireland it's either about Easter rising or the Irish Catholic Church in particular taking of children from women, Who had given birth out of wedlock.

Not only were these children taken away from the mother's, the women themselves would be sent to convent's run by the Catholic Church and nun's who give the gestapo a run for their money.

Ruth Wilson is excellent as always as the mentally disturbed woman who's life it seemed had been destroyed by her time in the convent.

I suppose it's an original twist on ground we have trodden on before.

7/10.