The Runaway

Although Martina Cole always spins a good tale, this series was somehow still a surprise package for me - so many things can and often do go wrong with an adaptation from a good novel, so I avoided watching The Runaway for some time.

After a fairly tentative start, it remains absorbing to the end. The characters are raw and flawed, in a violent and unforgiving environment, but most nevertheless manage to invoke a big measure of empathy and/or sympathy from the viewer. I was left wondering whether people like those in the story really did rule the London underworld in the 60s.

Outstanding acting from everyone in the cast - notably Jack O'Connell whose charm and menace are totally convincing in equal parts. Alan Cumming is brilliant as Desiree, while Joanna Vanderham moves through the age changes and develops beautifully as the series progresses.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys quality British drama.

I saw the same authors The Take and it was worth watching. But this really not very good. I recommend The Long Firm,He Kills Coppers or Our Friends In The North if you want to see a 1960 London set tv drama. The writer sells millions of books and good luck to her but the story is cliched and fairly predictable. It was filmed in South Africa and that explains the fake feeling of the whole thing. Cheaper to film in places like that but they just don't have the experience. I get no feeling that anybody involved has a feel for the period,unlike the series I already mention and the more recent Endeavour. Alan Cummings performance is the best thing in this,I say that as somebody who does not like him usually.

A must for fans of the work of author Martina Cole, and with plenty in the tank to entertain those who simply enjoy gritty crime drama, The Runaway is a story that pulls very few punches. Spread across six episodes, it's set in the late 1960s, and follows two youngsters, Cathy and Eamonn, as they're brought up in the East End of London.

As you might expect, things aren't easy for the characters in The Runaway. Cathy is the daughter of a prostitute, while Eamonn is lured into a life of crime. Yet what bonds them together is what they both have to do when the chips are down. And one event, as is often the way, has ramifications.

The Runaway is about as far away from a glossy television thriller as it's really possible to get. And there's little doubt that the programme earns that 18 certificate that adorns the box. Yet there's a strong, grown-up drama here, and it's livened by some terrific performances.

The two leads, for instance, are excellent. Jack O'Connell, best known from Skins, and Joanna Vanderham, who has a bright future ahead of her, take the main roles, and handle them well. Meanwhile, there's compelling work too from Keith Allen and Alan Cumming. Between them all, there's a constant compulsion to see what happens next.

The Runaway punches above what you might expect of television values,the downbeat world of the drama comes across strongly .

A gritty period drama, well made, and if you can stomach it, it's well worth your time.

Sky TV isn't exactly the first name that springs to mind when you think of quality British period dramas. In fact, if you answered anything other than "The BBC" then you'd be considered mad. And yet, even as Aunty's star seems to be waning, so Sky is stepping up its game - and productions like this can only do it the power of good.

As I write this, the third episode of this 5-parter has just aired, and it just keeps on getting better. Despite the emphasis on the gangs/underworld in the plot synopsis, so far we've primarily followed Cathy's life (she, after all, being the title part). And, what a roller-coaster her life is... Sadly, the abuse she is subject to is entirely believable for that era - it probably still goes on to this day - goodness knows how many Cathys there are out there who never had the chance to run away.

If I were to level any criticisms at the programme, they would be these:

• Keith Allen is not 100% convincing as a ruthless underworld gangster. He looked daft with the syrup (wig), and after loosing that he looks more like a kindly uncle than a ruthless villain. - Joanna Vanderham - who looks absolutely stunning throughout, and what a find! She's got a long and brilliant career ahead of her - looks significantly older than the 14 she's supposed to be at the start of the series. In fact, none of the characters appear to have appreciably aged, despite the apparent passage of time.

And, that's about it really, for the complaints. There is some violence, but only enough to tell the story; and it's cracking along at a fair old pace.

If you enjoy good drama, in the style that the BBC used to do so well, then The Runaway will appeal to you. I think it's an excellent miniseries, and I hope it can find a larger audience than just Sky 1 viewers.

After reading the book and hearing great things from friends about this series I was very excited to watch it. Unfortunately, after the first episode I felt that the story went way off field from the book, and although it is only "based" on the book, I was expecting it to at least stay true to the main points in the novel. I felt that the characters in the book have been betrayed by the way this series has shown them and rather than falling in love with all of them like I did in the book, I found myself loathing most of them. The book is absolutely fantastic and will keep any reader gripped until the very end. Whilst this, I'm afraid to say, left me actually quite frustrated that people find it so necessary to completely change such a brilliant story.