The Woman in the Wall

I've had the pleasure of visiting Ireland on several occasions. And have always received a warm welcome which is nice considering the past between the two countries. However it seems whenever the BBC make a program in Ireland it's either about Easter rising or the Irish Catholic Church in particular taking of children from women, Who had given birth out of wedlock.

Not only were these children taken away from the mother's, the women themselves would be sent to convent's run by the Catholic Church and nun's who give the gestapo a run for their money.

Ruth Wilson is excellent as always as the mentally disturbed woman who's life it seemed had been destroyed by her time in the convent.

I suppose it's an original twist on ground we have trodden on before.

7/10.

I could if I were permitted, write a review of this series in two words: Ruth Wilson. Ms Wison is simply exceptional as Lorna Brady giving one of the finest performances I have ever seen in a TV drama. It is hard and emotionally draining to watch at times and that is in large measure because of the superb performances of the whole cast. Incredibly powerful, superbly written and performed, the plot focuses on the suffering of young girls who were cruelly treated in the Laundries and other Catholic institutions, the pain of which continued into adulthood. The series could easily have become an aggressive polemic about the Catholic Church as a whole, but cleverly avoids that, concentrating instead on the victims and their fight for justice against a Church and State desperate to cover up their crimes. Along with a murder investigation and other mysterious events, it is gripping and heartbreaking in turns. Quite simply British drama at its best. A must watch.

This is one of the best things I have seen on TV in a long time.

How anybody could give this 1 star is beyond me.......unless of course your idea of entertainment is Love Island and Emmerdale.

Ruth Wilson is beyond fantastic. She gives the most spine chilling performance and should be commended for her skills, ability and brilliance. The story that is told is both heart breaking and spell binding. Sometimes the truth hurts but needs to be told.

Nothing more to be said.......this is a brilliant piece of TV. For some people it may be very hard to watch but if you leave personal feelings aside, there is no question this is quality.

This thoughtful and compelling drama gripped me from the very start. Superb writing (and it was no surprise to find out this comes from the same writer who wrote the wonderful Calm With Horses). This is a writer to et excited about and I'd love to see more from him instead of the same dull tried and tested writers the BBC and ITV usually lean on. Wonderful characterisation and excellent performances compliment this story, part historical, part thriller and succeeding at both.

My only criticism would be that there is a slight reliance on the 'maternity drives women mad trope' - in this case women whose children were taken by the catholic church's magdalen laundry system. They all seem to be severely damaged and while there is oaf course a truth to this for many, women are inherently resilient and there are plenty who survived these horrors and somehow didn't go mad.

But this is a tiny glitch in an otherwise perfect series which managed to be informative, thrilling and entertaining while treating the subject matter extremely sensitively.

After a bout of sleepless nights and mental exhaustion, Lorna Brady wakes up one morning to discover a dead woman in her house, believing she's killed her, she walls her up, and then tries to piece together what happened.

Thought provoking, dramatic and provocative, The Woman in the Wall is yet another cracking drama from The BBC, 2023 has been a fine year for the drama wing of The Beeb, this is among the best of them.

I enjoyed the opening episode, I was a bit mixed by the second and third parts, but from four onwards I was captivated. Parts five and six are truly brilliant.

It goes on a totally unexpected journey, you think it's about one thing, but it moves in an altogether darker, more sinister direction, I did not anticipate the outcome.

Ruth Wilson is magical from start to finish, it's a tremendous performance from the star, she sounds and looks so different, there is nothing she cannot do. The supporting cast are fantastic also, Daryl McCormack is brilliant as Akande, if you get a chance check out a film called The Lesson, in which he appears with Richard E. Grant, he's great in it.

Some stunning location work, it looks amazing too, and I loved that music.

9/10.