Rev.

I'm not up on British religion -- I'm not up on any religion once it left behind the teaching of tolerance, peace and love and took up the search for power through politics -- so if I say something offensive to someone who follows the Church of England, just let me say up front that I apologize. That said, I must say I adore this vicar. He's often unsure, terribly vulnerable and flawed, but he means well by his congregation, his friends, his wife. He just has trouble sometimes keeping his human-ness in check. And that is why I loved this show. I also loved the last episode with its poignancy and doubt. The Rev. remained true to his character, as much as he always tried to be what he thought he was supposed to be, he was in the end just a human being.

It is very funny . The amazing thing is my 7th. Great uncle was vicar of st Leonard's and is buried there in 1790 . I really hope the window was not smashed !

Really worth watching . But am sad if the church is like this now . In 1970's I worked opposite . It was lovely then . What a shame London is so bad now .

This meditation on how a a Good man might fare as a Priest in modern inner city London is so real that, as in life, it's often almost impossible to know whether you want to laugh or cry. Often I did both. And at the same time. The story arc leads to flirting with the old postulation on what would we do to Jesus if he walked among us today, but the deeper insight is into what it means for us mere mortals, just to try to be good, even Christian, in this world, surrounded by the selfish and the self involved, the deluded and the indifferent. As writing it isn't being bettered anywhere on TV. As a company, all the players are brilliant, as the protagonist, Tom Hollander stakes a claim of such star quality, warmth and truth, as should make every writer and director beg to have him work with them. Along the way to the denouement, guest stars Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neesons involvement points to the richly deserved recognition that this show has received. The end is almost too much to take...but by a God I'm grateful that it got made.

If only Olivia Coleman weren't in this. Basically, this should be the story of an inner city vicar who is not really sure if he's making a difference. So if Olivia Coleman's character didn't exist, everything would be fine.

He could lust after the beautiful principal of the school, he could question his vocation and he could get a chance to openly discuss religion in a modern sitcom and that might be really helpful.

But it's hard to understand how these two people would even meet, let alone have sex or get married. They don't seem to know each other and they don't seem to have anything in common. It's like they just added her in as an afterthought.

So she is dressing up like a prostitute in the local convenience store to enhance their sex life and he's questioning the nature of existence. Just doesn't make any sense.

You would think that someone in his situation who decided to marry would be really in love and pretty certain about what they want to do with their life. I almost think she forgets what his job is.

Anyway, they have wonderful actors and they are all wasted with an absurd plot line.

I am catching up with the this show on the Drama TV channel, as I missed it when it was originally broadcast, it's supposedly BAFTA nominated though I really can't imagine what self respecting individual would wish to recommend this.

It's choc full of cartoon characters thrown together into some form of social tombola, the main character the 'Rev' of the title is Reverend Adam Smallbone, is the ineffectual vicar in a London parish so overly keen, and eager to please absolutely everyone, that he actually manages to please virtually no one.

This includes his long suffering spouse Alex, who it would appear wants to start a family rather than be a vicars wife, is constantly frustrated by the seemingly perpetual demands of his vacation.

The Archdeacon Robert seems to me that he considers the church as a business endeavour, as he spends his entire time acting as a form of middle manager, nipping around in his subsidised motor being paid, to chivvy the Rev into "meeting church defined arbitrary 'Targets'"

A character Adoha Onyeka is someone that I really can't understand how she fits in around the church, I expect I haven't watched enough episodes to realise if she volunteers her time there, what really surprises me is her attitude towards the Rev.

The character Colin Lambert is an archetypal layabout, who appears to use the Revs church as a virtual doss house, who loves to scrounge on the Revs generosity, at every available opportunity.