Undercover

Absolutely loved this and no idea why so many people hate it. Sophie Okendo and Adrian Lester made a compelling team and the drama built impressively. Above all it was different. The plot was intricate and actually believable considering the time-line. The 1990's were a time when the police were often out of control and cover ups were the norm. Full marks.

This is a fabulous piece of writing, acting and directing.

It is not "pants" or "not believable" as some people are saying- it is based on extensive research into the long history of the Met Police using undercover cops to spy on a huge number of campaigning groups e.g Greenpeace.

The plot line may have been dramatised- but this is a DRAMA, not claiming to be a total replica of the truth which clearly people have totally misinterpreted.

It is compelling viewing, very well written by Peter Moffat (Silk, Criminal Justice, The Village) and beautifully acted by Sophie Okonedo and Adrian Lester, in particular.

It is one of the only British TV shows to cast the two main characters as black, and I think people are forgetting this.

Don't let patriotic, uneducated reviews put you off people!

Having read the variety of opinions in the reviews I still found this worth a try. Very glad I did. Yes, perhaps it was difficult to follow in places with multiple flashbacks but the central character Maya Corbina played by Sophie Okonedo was for me absolutely mesmerizing. What an incredible talent! The rollercoaster of emotions she portrays draws you into her world and as Maya Corbina, you feel every moment of love, anger, determination,betrayal,loss, confusion, sadness,.......All I can say further is don't be put off by the poor reviews, give this show a chance and if nothing else enjoy her talent.

This is a comment on "Undercover", rather than a full-blown review. Sophie Okonedo is a very expressive actress and the range of emotions she displays as Maya are believable. She makes her real and at times extremely irritating with her relentless right-on, goody two-shoes behaviour. She loves her husband, she loves her kids, she is dedicated to her job, she has time for everyone and never snaps that she just wants to loll in the bath reading a book for some peace and quiet.

Every trendy box is ticked here - high-achieving black family, social conscience, human rights, epileptic heroine, autistic son, women's lib, house husband, fighting to save death row inmates - it's a full-frontal assault that dares us to disapprove or even have a fleeting selfish thought, because by golly Maya never does.

All this places a rather brittle and fake veneer on a storyline that does have its dark moments and dirty underbelly. The moral dilemmas are real and imaginable but what a shame the lead character is so upright and certain of her path that these dilemmas are not wrestled with in a realistic way. Nothing in life is clearly black and white, but that world view is not something Maya subscribes to. It must be nice to be so certain of everything.

For a long time now on television we have had flawed cops, private eyes, detectives, reluctant mediums, lead characters "battling their demons", all with messy private lives that are supposed to make them interesting as they react in unpredictable ways to all the various plot twists they are put through. In "Undercover" we have a lead character that acts in a totally predictable way to everything, apparently suffers no doubts or misgivings, and is firmly waving her righteous sword, never losing sight of the moral high ground or how to stay there.

This is a story of deceit and the sheer mountain of lies that can be constructed over a period of 20 years. What a pity it had to be wrapped in a politically correct blanket that suffocates any real exploration of the plausible grey areas in life. If it's not right then it's obviously wrong, and that's that.

Undercover offers an interesting premise, that is let down by an implausible story.

Without giving too much away, the notion that Undercover is built upon is interesting but its taken to such implausible extremes as to render the whole proposition unbelievable. Worse still and perhaps not surprisingly, the story simply doesn't hold together all that well as a tale of crime, politics and espionage (of a kind) gradually unfolds.The rather flat, abrupt ending, does not help matters either.

Its a shame too, as there is some genuine acting talent on offer, who hand in really excellent performances. Sophie Okonedo, in particular, is to be commended on her heartfelt, passionate performance, as criminal attorney, Maya Corbina.

In short, Undercover is a series I want to like. It has good production values and a quality cast. That said, its story is simply too weak to carry it. Five out of ten from me.