I despair when people suggest that TV isn’t as good as it used to be. I mean, these people have clearly never watched The Street (BBC One, Monday, 13 July, 9pm) which, as the words and numbers in the brackets show, returns to our screens next week with a new series. The Street is written by Jimmy McGovern. He’s the master of making emotionally powerful and beautifully written dramas. He won a Bafta for this show. They’re often difficult to watch, but always worth it in the end. So what will next week show us?
Related: The Street review
Of course, there’ll be more morality tales hidden in the Mancunian terrace. In the opener, we’ll be treated to a tense and engrossing story surrounding Bob Hoskins who stars as pub landlord Paddy.
Paddy catches a teenager smoking in the gents’ and bars him. However, the teen’s father is the local hood and that can only mean one thing surely? Pressure, confrontation and violence.
Through these everyday rituals and dances, we’ll invariably get to look at ourselves a little, which is always a good thing. Failing that, we can just get lost in another fine Bob Hoskins performance… not to mention a brief glimpse of Timothy Spall, who returns as cabbie, Eddie.
Miss this at your peril.
Join TVScoop on Facebook for exclusive competitions and gossip
Gritty drama? Emotionally powerful? Blah!
The BBC has lost out big time to masterful productions such as The Wire, Sopranos and Carnivale from HBO. Okay, so the budget may be a lot smaller but ‘The Street’ last night was badly acted, predictable, unrealistic, stereotypical, insensitive and a big fat waste of time. TV (British TV) is not as good as it used to be and is falling further and further behind the American productions.
There was no sense of brutal violence from the ‘local gangster’. There was no indication that this man was ‘insane’ enough to beat up a man he has respected for such a long time. There was no remorse when he did it and this shouldn’t be the sort of character that would back down when Bob Hoskins called his son a pansy, in a display of ‘bravery’.
I wish I was more eloquent to express my disdain for this show, but I am not and although I can’t prove my point well enough, believe me when I say that this was rubbish, shock TV, that provides no real inward looking perspective on life.
1/5 stars.
Who played Tony the guy who came to help but decided against it when he realised he was on his own!