Mrs Biggs

The great train robbery is one of the first news story's I remember from my childhood and there have been a number of documentaries and films about the crime since. This one concentrates on the events as they happen from the point of view of Charmian Biggs, the wife of Ronnie Biggs who famously escaped prison in 1965. Sheridon Smith gives a predictably fine performance ably assisted by Daniel Mays. The series takes us on an entertaining journey through the years up to the robbery and the aftermath. Charmian comes accross as a sympathetic character and Ronnie appears well meaning but weak, apparrently the real Charmian was an adviser to the show so that is probably to be expected. If you are aware of the original events it is well worth viewing to see the effect and behaviour of the innocent family after such incidents and if you know nothing about the robbery it is just a great series.

Sheridan Smith (playing love struck, naive Charmian) and Daniel Mays (playing cheeky, likeable Ronnie Biggs) are perfect for this mid-century drama chronicling their ill fated love affair from the very first meeting on a train. The recreation of the era is spot on giving us (if you are a child of the 60's like me) a nostalgic trip down memory lane (we had that cooker!). But seriously - it's hard not to like Ronnie and Charmian - despite the fact that he's an incorrigible crook and she's too love-struck to care.

I'd heard of the Great Train Robbery but didn't know much about it so (as all good historical dramas do) it's good to have a better grasp of its significance and people behind it. It's not a happy story and I guess at its most simplistic level it just shows (very painfully) how crime really doesn't pay. But there are also some powerful messages in this drama around sacrificial love, trust, reconciliation, and the true nature of freedom that make this much more than a simple retelling of a crime story. At just 5 episodes it's a very nicely paced, gritty and immersive drama that's well worth a watch.

When I started watching this 5-part true-life drama, I had little knowledge of the so-called Great Train Robbery of 1963, and not a great deal of curiosity to know more. But my, how this drama sucked me in!

This is the dramatized biography of the wife of one of those train robbers, beginning with her days as the bright but rebellious daughter of a clergyman who, for better or worse, finds herself drawn to a charming petty crook. At the outset, it's impossible to imagine where this journey will lead.

This show does not romanticize its subject; nor does it take a satirical view, or descend into sensationalism. At every turn, the motivations of all the characters seem absolutely authentic. You can believe this is how it really felt to live such a life. The acting and writing are so good, you simply never think about them; you just want to know more about these people, and to find out what happened next.

The evocation of times and places--England, Australia, and Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s and '70s--is wonderful.

I'm a very analytical viewer, and it's rare that a drama not only engages me intellectually, but sweeps me up emotionally. "Mrs. Biggs" accomplished that.