Sleepin_Dragon

Susan and Ed are in a perilous position, still having to ensure the Katuma survey is completed and the RX44 launched, while someone continues to try and wreck the mission.

It's big and brash, wonderfully over the top, and it's definitely ventured into sci-fi territory - and I'm more than happy with that.

A bold move to kick off series two with a two-part story, but it works. The plot felt far too big to resolve in 45 minutes, and the extended run gives the story and characters room to breathe.

It's a very satisfying conclusion. Fast and tense, constantly shifting direction - just as the team seem to get ahead, the villains counter. Proper to-and-fro action.

We learn a little more about Beckett through his ex, with Birdsall great, though the focus leans more on Ed and Ros. Ros is once again racing around London like Sarah Jane Smith with sonic lipstick at the ready.

The visuals are very much of their time, but pretty decent. The space shots are a little raw, but if Doctor Who hadn't been axed in 1989, this is exactly how I imagine it would have looked. Every device bleeps and whirls with pure satisfaction.

I'm a fan of Lesley Vickerage, but she's getting money for old rope here - mostly sitting in an orange suit fawning over Craig McLachlan. Tough job.

Wonderful nostalgia and bags of fun.

8/10.

Colonel Stone is planning to launch a space program, the KC135, but someone is attempting to sabotage it. Ed is deep undercover, training as an astronaut, while forces conspire to block the mission.

Series one was a big hit, and happily it was recommissioned. This opener is a banger - a full-on Mission Control saga, leaning more into sci-fi than before.

The BBC clearly didn't cut the budget for series two; it still looks great, bigger and bolder if anything. Ros's cute Punto has been upgraded to a glorious yellow Escort cabriolet.

Ros remains a brilliant character - brave, sarcastic, and now at super-genius level.

If I had one small criticism, the Chinese island of Katuma felt a little throwback to the 70s, recalling The Champions or The Avengers, where random banana republics appeared weekly.

Craig McLachlan never misses an opportunity to show off his muscles - almost worth watching the episode for.

Perfect comfort TV: brash, over-the-top, and silly as ever. I love it.

8.5/10.

Joe Mitchell is released from a two-year prison sentence for sexually abusing his nephew. The family struggles to come to grips with his freedom; everyone is still trying to pick up the pieces.

The BBC still has the ability to deliver hard-hitting, powerful, and relevant drama. Unforgivable is unapologetic in dealing with such a serious topic - at times it's upsetting, and the dialogue and impact on Tom are quite harrowing.

It's a story that challenges the notion of things being simply black or white. You think you have all the answers, judge and jury, until you strip it back and learn a bit more.

I appreciated that Joe is complex. At the start, I felt only repulsion for him; by the end, I felt a loathing of a different volume.

If I were to be slightly critical, some elements feel underdeveloped. Anna Maxwell Martin's nun, for example, makes a significant admission, but her story doesn't go anywhere; some scenes are a little rushed. Brian's turnaround also left me unsure.

Bobby Schofield gave a terrific, layered performance, with Joe's character developing as the film went on. David Threlfall and Anna Friel were excellent in support.

While I'm often critical of one-off 90-minute dramas, this story arguably needed a longer run time to breathe and develop. Nevertheless, Jimmy McGovern has delivered a very good, powerful drama.

7.5/10.