The Catch

You know that thing where you can't concentrate on what someone is saying because you're struggling to place their accent? This whole thing is like that. I don't just mean the actor's accents (real or imagined). The whole thing lacks a clear sense of place which I suspect will drive a lot of British viewers round the bend, while viewers from other countries might not notice anything strange. It starts off feeling like Cornwall - then you realise that's just your own assumption because it's a popular setting for films, and some of the accents certainly could be Cornish ... or maybe we're in Devon ... or is it Dorset? Ultimately, this made it difficult for me to suspend my disbelief and enjoy the ride.

Moving on - the main character Ed and his wife, daughter and mother in law were all well acted and believable. The boyfriend actor, with his confusingly Welsh accent (wait! Where are we?) not so much. He was seriously wooden and, I felt, poorly directed.

I personally liked the way the film looked and was constructed, with longish scenes (by today's standards) with significant dialogue. That's a win, in my book. The first couple of episodes were a lot of fun, as things got weirder and weirder, but the massive spoiler at the end of episode 2 was disappointing. It turned the final two episodes into a standard "pretty young woman in danger/desperate man falsely accused" piece of schlock, which I've seen enough of in the past twenty years. Can we please have something else? And an ordinance survey map?

This was most disappointing. The cast was unlikeable, the acting was awful, the whole thing was just pretty rubbish. The book I enjoyed but certainly wouldn't reccomend this! Was like some kind of mid afternoon made for tv film! The plot changes were either pointless or weren't as good as the original. The main characters didn't seem believable and wee all just a bit weird. Even the daughter didn't come across in any way that made you really care about her, it's quite a feat to make a cast all so I likeable but they managed it. That's all surprising considering the cast, I was expecting more!!

Still grieving for the death of his son, Ed takes an instant dislike to his naughtier Abbie's new boyfriend Ryan. Things are going wrong for Ed, but who is responsible.

I honestly have no idea what the ridiculously low ratings refer to, definitely not this four part series, without any doubt of Channel five's best offerings, and I'd argue one of the better dramas of 2023 so far.

I certainly missed Crompton's writing skills in the recent series of Silent Witness, he was missed, but his skills were out to good use, bringing this four part drama to life. Channel five dramas can be hit and miss, I'd argue this one was definitely a hit.

Four episodes worked well, it allowed it to nice up through the gears quite quickly, it never felt slow or laboured, and whilst the mystery may be a little obvious, the journey is a very good one.

It's a very well produced drama, it looks great, Dublin looking fantastic.

The acting was excellent, Jason Watkins did a great job, I thought Aneurin Barnard was fantastic, I'm so glad he's been cast in the next series of Doctor Who, what a talent.

8/10.

That is not a headline I ever expected to write. Channel 5 Have had a few attempts at making crime dramas in the past, but it's fair to say most haven't worked. In their defence they don't have the high financial backing of channels like Netflix or ITV but in the case of the catch, They have managed to pull off A really enjoyable four part drama based on the bestselling book by T. M. Lawrence.

It helps when you can get one of the countries current leading actors in Jason Watkins on board to play the lead role about a fisherman Who seemingly has a sinister past which he has kept hidden from his family for many years. This finally comes back to haunt him and this is the premise of the show.

The performances for all the cast are solid but it's a stunning glorious Cornwall coastline which is the real star of the show.

8/10.

This series passes the time, but is full of predictable, and implausible things. The last half hour, in particular, is a ticklist of bad film/TV cliches. It is set in Cornwall but filmed in Ireland, and the makers are careless with background detail and accents that betray that fact. Characterisation is mostly two dimensional, and acting mediocre. Actions taken by several characters are often some combination of stupid, implausible or self-contradictory as to their motives. Channel 5 have commissioned several series like this, and they all suffer from the same faults. For all this, it's watchable if your expectations are not high.