Sparkhouse

Feel a bit guilty about not watching this properly - was tired after a hard day of landscape gardening and got some beers in, sat down next to the box, put it on indiscriminately and thought "this'll do" and then watched it like a vegetable. Didn't know anything about the show and hadn't seen the write ups, but watched both the episodes shown together thinking it was very realistically put together (the fight sequences in 'real time' for instance, and the was he/wasn't he really there images in the ruined old house. Yes, love CAN send you nuts!) Genuine tension and emotion, went to bed and woke up thinking I'd dreamt it! Thought it was a dream about Wuthering Heights, read the book 20 years ago. Haven't stopped thinking about it now for about 3 days so in my opinion at least it's good if it leaves a thoughtful/lasting impression on you. Which is a lot more than can be said about some of the complete rubbish that comes out of Hollywood! Well done, gave it 9/10.

So the whole thing kinda left me underwhelmed. I'm a massive 'At Home With The Braithwaites' fan and was very interested to see what the writer, director and star could produce over on the BBC.

It was sentimental and sensationalist. Her sister being her daughter? That was old way before Eastenders did it. Carol smashing up a car and hanging a dog but letting her dad hit her? A 12 year old being pregnant and no-one asking questions? My biggest problem was that Sally Wainwright was supposed to be writing this great passionate love story. A bit of rainy snogging on the moors does not make it passionate. If they were so massively in love with each other then why did they let anything stop them? They played psychological games and deliberately hurt each other. If Carol later picked up sticks with her sister/daughter and went off why couldn't she have done that earlier with Andrew? It was also directed by Robin Sheppard, who did first series work on 'the Braithwaites'.

Okay, enough about the writing. The acting was good. Celia Imrie was pretty classic, as was Nicholas Farrell, though he bore high both physical and character resemblance to David Braithwaite. They were fun. Joe McFadden, whatever. He annoyed my girlfriend almost to the point where she couldn't stand to watch it anymore. And why did he suddenly acquire glasses when he became a teacher? Are they part of the uniform or something? His wife, Becky, was played by Camilla Power. The aforesaid girlfriend occupied herself by persuading me that it was a grown up Jill Pole from the Narnia dramatisations. It was. She was cool. And then of course there was Sarah Smart.

I couldn't believe it when Carol turned up in the posh car with the smooth hair-do. It was certainly a double take moment. Wainwright is certainly very interested in this character. She took Virginia (Ms Smart's wonderful character in 'the Braithwaites'), changed the world around the character and wrote a story. She didn't even change how the character looked. Sarah Smart was good, but she showed us nothing that new. We know she can pull funny faces and swear and shout and be angry and lovely. And I'm ever so pleased she got the chance to play a romantic lead in a big production. I just hope her next role will be more interesting and different.

OK it's very melodramatic, but what acting by the two leads! Both of them are excellent in this. I've seen Sarah Smart do a similar 'act' in other things. Whatever it is, she does it very well.

Joe McF plays his passionate and emotional part very well here. I know he irritates some reviewers by his 'soppiness' in this, but that's the character.

I'm surprised that Sparkhouse did not catapult both of them into much greater prominence. Joe McF, in particular, seems almost to have disappeared from the screen.

By the way, I also think Camilla Power is good in her rather thankless role. To think she was once in Narnia! Richard Armitage also does well here, but doubt I'll ever understand the adulation he seems to attract.

What a completely fantastic production!

With a combination of superb writing from Sally Wainwright and passionate performances by Sarah Smart & Joe McFadden I was truly gripped by this production. I found myself overwhelmed by my own feelings of past loves, sadness and pain, Never have I felt so affected by a Drama and trust me I watch enough of them.

A truly magnificent piece of television, a must see but dont forget your tissues. Well done RED productions.

Sparkhouse is an update of the classic Wuthering Heights in which the roles of Cathy and Heathcliff are reversed i.e. it is the female character Carol who is the rebellious one in the relationship and is set in present day.

This is one of the most moving TV dramas that I have watched in a long time which owes both to the excellent script and the acting of the cast. Sarah Smart (Carol) and Joseph McFadden (Andrew) have such strong chemistry between them that you really believe in the intensity of heir relationship and are able to understand the motives for all of their actions. Beyond this, what really makes the story so is emotional is the supporting characters. Alun Armstrong plays Carols father with such sensitivity that although you know you should hate him as much as Carol does, you can't help feeling some of the pain he is going through.

On the other side Andrew's, parents add more depth to the story by their constant arguing and hate of each other yet their resilience to stay together both because of Andrew and because they do not know what to out outside of the marriage.

Sparkhouse emotionally illustrates differences between love and sex and shows that while some relationships are necessary for survival, others are so raw and uncontrolled that they can become a destructive power to all involved. There is a fine line between love and jealousy