This article was originally published in The Courier on 20 May 2017.
THREE GIRLS: Tuesday to Thursday,
BBC One
A TIME TO LIVE: Wednesday, BBC Two
KAT AND ALFIE:
REDWATER: Thursday,
BBC One
Unflinching,
furious, despairing, THREE GIRLS
told the horrifying true story of the Rochdale child sex abuse ring.
Over
several years, a group of men, most of them British Pakistanis, groomed and
raped vulnerable working-class schoolgirls. The local police failed to
thoroughly investigate their crimes, allegedly due to fears of appearing
racist.
This
outstanding drama, shown over three consecutive nights, was a damning
indictment of a systematic failure to protect abused children.
Based
on extensive research, interviews and public accounts, it focused on three of
the victims – their names changed for obvious reasons – as well as the
whistleblowing NHS sexual health worker (Maxine Peake) and the sympathetic senior
police officer (Lesley Sharp) who treated them with the respect they deserved.
Their
ordeal didn’t end with the abuse; the trauma continued when they struggled to
defend themselves in court.
Their
abusers exploited the fact that working-class kids with chaotic lives tend to
be ignored and mistrusted by the authorities. As Peake’s character angrily
observed, these girls were repeatedly “raped, beaten, not believed.”
She
embodied the sense of righteous compassion which coursed through writer Nicole
Taylor’s sensitive screenplay. Her sterling work was bolstered by a superb
cast, including three extraordinary young actresses who never appeared to be
acting at all. The raw power of Three
Girls was largely drawn from their entirely natural performances.
Peake
and Sharp were typically great – their belief in this material was palpable –
but special mention must go to Paul Kaye as the father of one of the victims.
His quietly devastating performance proved just how far he’s come since his
Dennis Pennis days.
Inevitably,
this scandal played into the hands of Britain’s thriving bigot community.
Taylor tackled that unfortunate side-effect while reminding us that the crown
prosecutor who brought the case to trial was a British Pakistani.
The
BBC should be applauded for devoting three hours of primetime to such
uncomfortable territory.
It’s a drama to be spoken of in the same vital breath as Cathy Come Home.
How
would you cope if you were given a terminal diagnosis? Would you rail against
the cruel injustice of it all, or would you choose to make the most of the
limited time you had left?
These
difficult questions formed the basis of A
TIME TO LIVE, the latest film from one of TV’s finest documentarians, Sue
Bourne.
If
you’re familiar with Bourne’s work - and you should be – then you’ll appreciate
her talent for gently coaxing candid, eloquent testimonies from particularly
vulnerable people. No one is ever exploited in a Bourne documentary, she earns
their trust without manipulation.
This
tender essay was characteristically honest and moving.
Being
of sound, if jaded, mind, I assumed that EastEnders
spin-off KAT AND ALFIE: REDWATER would
be even less appetising than the dreary soap it sprang from.
Well,
imagine my vaguely pleasant surprise when it turned out to be a stylish,
intriguing drama wreathed in shades of Nordic Noir (the Danish director numbers
Borgen among his credits).
We’re
definitely not in Albert Square any more.
Written
by Matthew Graham of Life on Mars
repute (we won't mention Bonekickers), it follows the Moons as they relocate to a conspicuously lyrical Irish
coastal village in pursuit of Kat’s long-lost son. A somewhat unsettling, edgy
aura dominates; Ballykissangel with a
hint of Royston Vasey.
It’s
unexpectedly entertaining, and works because familiarity with EastEnders isn’t necessary. Despite the
Moon connection, it exists in a different universe.
Jessie
Wallace and Shane Richie are such likeable performers, they were always too
good for EastEnders. This is the
vehicle they deserve.
No comments:
Post a Comment