The Cuckoo

Where to start?

None of the 4 main characters are at all likeable.

The husband and wife are weak and ineffectual.

The daughter is spoilt and withdrawn. Sian is not convincing as the poorly dressed bunny boiler.

The script is predictable laid on top of a paper thin plot.

The acting seems pretty poor to me but it could be the script.

The police procedure allowing an alleged criminal To phone his wife (a witness) and other things are just not right. At the end episode 4 is really extra dire!

On some levels it's mildly watchable - the filming and sets and scenery are good!! The other critical reviews seem fair!

Weak plot weak script been déjà vue except this time the acting has so many loose end How come after 24hr a lodger become so involved with the family out of nowhere Every scene every actor comes from the wing asking what's going on etc I am close to switch off however I want to see how bad it become as it is so predictable Every one deserve the worst as there is no compassion towards any of the characters As a drama it could have been done so much better but it is lacking of conviction, understanding and depth We know it is going to end in tears and somehow in a kind of happy ending for the family.

Quite possibly the worst 'drama' I've ever seen. There are so many things going on that simply wouldn't happen in reality it makes a mockery of genuine drama. I've read that by the end we're supposed to empathise with 'Sian', (I'm writing after 3 episodes) but I can't think of any character I've ever disliked more. Whatever her backstory, there is no excuse for her actions. Whilst Lee Ingleby and Claire Goose are good actors who can usually be relied on to turn in an accomplished, believable performance, here they are hampered by a myriad plot holes and very clunky dialogue. Jill Halfpenny basically plays Jill Halfpenny, as she has done in anything I've seen her in. All told, very disappointing. (2 stars for the location).

Ok so ho hum with yet another low budget, low quality script , low quality acting and with the 'lead actor' JH not exactly acting but being JH yet again . I guess she can get away with this for a C5 production but I would like to see her given a decent high quality part where she has the opportunity to show her acting skills properly.

Lee Ingleby is a first rate actor and never fails to impress in everything I have seen him in so I suppose this 4 episode series is bread & butter work for him.

While this is in no way a bad production I found it bearable and watchable but nothing more. Not essentially viewing.

Because it kicked-off nicely, I stuck with it - but later reflected it might have been a waste of time. The cast is good, so too is the direction and screenplay - but the storyline becomes less and less believable and even a good cast with Ingelby, Halfpenny & Goose in the leads couldn't save it, regrettably. Just too many inconsistencies and weak interconnections. To imagine any mother would go to the lengths Halfpenny's character did to try to reconnect with her daughter (who turns out not to be, probably - even that appears obscure) and eventually abduct her whilst leaving her adoptive mother locked up in a stair cupboard, stretches one's imagination too far.

Conclusion: don't bother - and hope that these actors find better scripts soon. They deserve them!