The Woman in the Wall

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.

Set in 2015 this series plays out against the backdrop of the scandal of the Magdalene Nurseries in Ireland finally being exposed, seen through the experience of the protagonist. Ruth Wilson plays against type with a very convincing performance and accent in the lead role.

Its an interesting, moving and intriguing story which is part social history and part psychological and Gothic thriller - for me all the elements worked well together. Production values were excellent, it was well directed and photographed the music by David Holmes and Brian Irvine deserves mention as it added a lot to it and the script by Joe Murtagh (Writer of the beautiful film Calm with Horses) was assured.

All in all loved every episode and Ruth Wilson will surely get a Bafta nomination for best actress for her outstanding work here.

Highly recommended, its a quality piece of work in every department.

Not usually one to write reviews but felt I had to. It seems every negative review is because they didn't use exclusively Irish actors. To rate a show 1 star because you don't like the accent and isn't completely up to your liking is pretty petty. The overall rating for this is criminally low. Genuinely one of the best TV shows I've ever seen, if not the best.

The acting, the music, the overall feel, it's absolutely gripping. The performances from the lead actress and actor are 2 of the best I've ever seen.

Can't wait for episodes 5 and 6, just hope it has an ending worthy of the rest of the show.

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.