Until I Kill You

As a story, 'Before I Kill You' is rather depressing: a true tale of a psychopath who murdered two women, and nearly killed a third. In fact, what makes it more interesting is even more depressing: it shows us how abusers identify victims who are vulnerable and how badly those who survive can be damaged by their experience. What makes it worth watching is the excellent performance by Anna Maxwell-Martin, who plays a woman who is something of a misfit even before the murderer targets her. We're all to dramas where all sympathetic characters are cuddly and "nice"; the protagonist here is much harder to love, although of course she deserves none of what she has to go through. I hope that the real Delia Balmer has finally managed to rebuild her life, and is happy with her portrayal on screen (if it is accurate, I reckon she will be).

Top notch performances from everyone involved, made for uncomfortable viewing at times, but also gripping television. I often wince at real life dramas because they sweeten things for one side or the other. In this case you felt they gave a fair representation of both sides. I don't remember the original story so it felt quite fresh for me.

We binged the programme, and never intended to, so that says something. The fact it felt so underwhelming made it even more believable and the pacing as we moved through the key components of the story maintained the tension, I would recommend this as a quality piece of TV.

Agency nurse Delia Bulmer meets and falls for John Sweeney on a night out. Delia quickly falls for John, he moves in a relationship begins. It begins evident quickly that John is controlling and violent, and worse, confesses to a murder.

It's been a while since we've had a real life crime drama, the likes of Des and Pembrokeshire Murders, Until I kill you continues the remarkable standard, I wasn't aware of Delia's Incredible, but tragic story, it's fascinating.

It's very realistic, it shows John's horrendous cruelty and barbarity, and the way that poor Delia was failed by that criminal justice. It doesn't pull its punches, it shows what Delia suffered in graphic detail, appalling violence.

The production is great, I recognise so much of my birthplace Swansea, including the wonderful La Braseria restaurant in episode 3. The period detail is great, and you'll be rescuing for Spotify for the likes of The Charlatans.

The acting is remarkable, Shaun Evans and co are excellent, but Anna Maxwell Martin will surely win an award for her incredible performance as Delia, she has phenomenal talent.

9/10.

One of those shows where you hover between "Surely it couldn't have happened like that!" and "How on earth can people be so incompetent?" It's a true story, though, and from what we know of other cases, the failings of the police and the demands of the criminal justice system damage far too many victims - which was Delia case.

Anne Maxwell Martin plays Delia with an extraordinary intensity, rarely making it easy to like her: she is irrascible, mercurial and unpredictable.

Shaun Evans is truly scary, switching from the quiet and self-effacing shy man Deliameets in a pub, to a furious and violent narcissist with a dark, dark past.

A very well-written, cleverly-paced and carefully directed short series.

I dipped my reluctant toe in, thinking that, despite the content, this would be a poorly delivered presentation of a female's time of horrors.

So many of these programmes can turn to sentimentality or sensationalism and can make a viewer miss the point or worst still, be manipulated into anguished responses.

I was wrong, the performance from Anna Maxwell-Martin was so good, that it felt like listening to Delia. It is Delia, who kept me watching, it is Delia, who made this an exceptional programme.

Delia was hard work, even before the troubles, her intransigence in the face of what I guess she considered petty rules and conventions, does not endear her to others.

As an aside, I will add a further two comments.

The sheer frustration of watching, yet again, the keystone cops, metaphorically fumbling around in an unlit room, simply because they could not be bothered to switch the light on, was palpable.

The anger one felt at the judicial system that allows clearly vulnerable victims to be pilloried in the witness box was at a peak.

Enough said; I highly recommend the programme.