Boat Story

I really can't understand the low scores on here for this? They must have watched a different program than I did. This is one of the best things the BBC have done in a long time. It's gruesome, witty and totally clichéd, but you know what, it's brilliant. If you like Tarantino this is right up your alley. The story is set in a fictional Yorkshire coastal town, where a couple of dog walkers stumble upon a boat washed up on the beach. Inside they not only find a couple of dead bodies, but also millions of pounds of cocaine. For various reasons they decide to take the drugs. What ensues is a tale full of twists and turns as the true owners of the drugs want to get their stash back and will do anything to achieve it. The actors are all superb and the dialogue is sharp and witty. I was totally invested in it in within the first 10 minutes. Well done BBC for doing something other than another period drama.

Crime is rarely fun; and cocaine is not some wonder drug with no serious ill-effects; but the criminal caper, often focused on cocaine dealing and featuring some stylised ultraviolence, is a well established genre. And you'll rarely see it done with more panache than in 'Boat Story', with its ridiculous plot and arch presentation, playing self-consciously with the viewer but actually well assembled and acted. The cast have great fun while managing to keep straight faces; I did enjoy seeing a good role for Joanna Scanlon, a fine comic actress when given something to work with. What you can't do is really care who lives and who dies; but that isn't really the point.

This series was very good but I think it dragged on a little too long. It would have been better if it was about 4 episodes. For me, the strongest characters were Samuel, Janet, Guy and The Tailor. It was also great to see Craig Fairbrass again as he is absolutely brilliant as an actor and I always wondered why he wasn't on mainstream tv more often. A great series with lots of twists and turns....i can see why it scored highly and would have given it a 10 but for the duration...by the end of episode 5, I guessed the ending by. However, worth watching and making up your own mind. A dark and compelling story that has some comedic moments!!

Great show, really enjoyed watching this on iPlayer, binged it in a day! The cast is very strong, Daisy Haggard in particular, and she has fabulous chemistry with Paterson. A great mixture of a gritty crime story with comedy littered throughout and I particularly loved the addition of the narrator throughout. Also loved the use of the vintage placards. Although I am not a huge horror or crime fan, it was such a successful culmination of a variety of styles that helped to balance it out and make it exciting, fun, and nuanced. The Two Brothers (Jack and Harry) really did a fabulous job with this show.

Then it would more than likely be along the lines of Boat Story. Its all here drugs, money, greed and some of the most violent shot outs I've ever seen on the BBC. I binged the whole lot in two day's, Daisy Hoggard and Patterson Joseph make an unlikely double act as they take on a very angry French drug lord who's drugs they have stolen, played superbly by the Missing's Tcheky Karyo.

The storylines are of course utterly ridiculous and totally unbelievable but when you get a mixture of violence and very dark comedy it really does not matter.

Overall a really enjoyable six hours of television. 8/10.