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. ****

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.

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.

Stephen Graham as always is amazing, being mixed race himself I love seeing him in these roles, similer to his work on This is England.

The story tracks showing how young, disenfranchised, confused lads can be sucked into the far right and for how some of the quickly see this isnt the violent world they want to be apart of.

The show trys to offer a fair representation of the modern far right, without the usual over the top portrayl of racist, drunk, dumb, working class louts. The show also quite rightly suggests that the rise in domestic islamic terrorism has pushed the far right to more aggressive retaliation and may be a reason alot of english lads sign up.

Worth a watch.

It goes without saying that if Stephen Graham's name is listed on a new drama series, then you know it is an excellent bet to watch.

And The Walk-In is just that. A hard-hitting and tough drama to watch. Based on real events, amidst the shocking murder of Jo Cox in 2016 - a week before the Brexit Referendum - this drama series is raw, gripping and highly disturbing throughout. The script was authentic and most sensitive to what really happened during this time. The direction was very intelligent balancing some very difficult scenes with humanity and sensitivity.

The acting was superior throughout but the stand-out performance for me was Robbie Mullen's character played by Andrew Ellis: he simply lived and breathed the role and it would not be unfair to say he gave Stephen Graham a run for his money. He has a bright TV future ahead.

This is yet another top-notch drama series to hit our screens and yet another which more than delivers.

I highly recommend.