Broken

Broken was a gutsy series. It dramatised big themes—conscience, guilt, shame—and, with powerful writing and performances, told big stories about the Church, poverty and abuse. It's made for bitter viewing at times but even at its toughest, there's been a lit candle glowing determinedly at its centre.

Amen, Father Michael, you wonderful priest. And amen, Sean Bean, you wonderful actor.

Not a Catholic, but that matters not a whit. Everything in this series is just so absorbing that its direct spirituality (Catholicism) is, because of it, surprisingly inclusive: there is something for everyone. So impressed with Jimmy McGovern, the writing, the acting, and I assume all others who had a hand in this finished work. A BBC keeper.

This drama is amazing- the writing, the actors,the story line and interweaving of the the theme in the Communion and in the characters lives. So many dramas on T V lack originality and passion but this has both in full measure. It is intense and completely engaging.. The writing is exquisite and the theme music complements the script beautifully.

Sean Bean inhabits the character of the priest- his humanity and spirituality encourages a desire to reconnect with faith at its most meaningful level. He portrays a tortured but beautiful soul. He deserves an accolade for this part along with Jimmy MGovern- one of, if not the best writer and social commentators of our time.

I recorded this and forgot it for a few months. To be honest I was not expecting much. I recorded it because I find Anna Freil beautiful and she gets better with age. Having been born in a mining town and lived in the North of England all my life I always admire British dramas that 'tell it like it is'. What we have in the UK now is two separate countries and I have lived in both. One is the affluent UK where nobody dares to stray north and lives in a recession free capsule calling the working class lazy and continue to make use of cheap foreign labour to get their cars cleaned and their nails manicured. Then the other UK is what you see in this series. A UK where surviving is a battle as the state keep introducing penalties to drive you deeper into debt and to live on charity. A UK full of loan sharks, predators and pay day loan companies that are allowed to charge eye watering rates of interest. In one generation 'Nu Labour' & the tories have deskilled the British workforce and made us totally reliant on foreign labour. This series perfectly encapsulates both the physical and mental battles that challenge those at the bottom. The frightening thing is now the disabled, mentally ill and other needy sections of society are now being targeted and still the middle classes cheer on this destruction. I worked overseas for many years and did not recognise the place of my birth on my return. Sean Bean has always played good roles and should have had a lot more opportunities in film and TV. His portrayal of a man racked with guilt and shame perfectly reflects what a friend of mine went through when they were abused. There are beacons of hope throughout the series and allude to a once great community spirit where everybody once looked out for each other and helped each other, but as the series demonstrates these are now just glimpses in an industrial wasteland deliberately destroyed in the 80's. This kind of drama is what the UK does best and sits nicely with the likes of Boys from the Blackstuff, Kes & I, Daniel Blake.

I'm gonna be honest and shallow here. Then get deeper. Shallow bit. I started watching this, because Anna Friel was in it, and I fancy the pants off her. Always have. Always will. Even when she plays a hopeless down and out mother of three kids. The lack of a father figure doesn't belittle her situation, whatever some critics say. Deeper bit. This drama just gets better and better with every episode. It really shouldn't matter what your creed or colour or politics are, this drama encapsulates all that is so troubled with humanity right now, with right and wrong, justice and injustice, fairness and unfairness, and political correctness. I'm not anymore a Christian, far less a Catholic. But that doesn't mean that I don't respect those views. In his role, Sean Bean, IMHO, portrays our human and humane struggles to perfection, irrespective of our religious beliefs. And if you disagree, that is because you are religiously or politically biased. IMHO. # Tolerance