Births, Marriages and Deaths

It is rare to see a series that looks fresh and original- one that catches the attention, and manages to sustain it. This is one of those rare gems. The series looks great- wonderfully dark, with imaginative filming; the acting is first class, and the bitter-sweet story is very memorable. One of those shows that manages to be just the right length. The final episode comes far to soon, which is the hallmark of a great series- the story is sustained over a small number of high quality, and the series ends before the story can ware thin. A great series.

I have heard Winstone referred to as the British DiNiro, but in this series his character Alan is more of a British Tony Soprano - if Tony's best friends were "civilians". Alan (Winstone) is a narcissist (and a lot of other bad stuff) but he is not as intentionally evil as Tony Soprano. One of his problems his that he seems to prefer socializing with his mates who are a lot less successful than him.

The result is a more believable character, and the unusual turns of this story are more believable than the Sopranos.

To this American (me) the British accents are hard to understand in this series. I am a New Yorker who watches a lot of UK films. This was extra hard to understand.

After a foolhardy prank goes wickedly awry during an especially bizarre, drunken stag do, the once amicable existence of long-time boyhood pals, Terry (Mark Strong), Graham (Phil Davis), and the shifty khunt Alan (Ray Winstone), very soon takes a vicious wrong turn into far murkier waters! Blacker than a Bishop's benighted ring! Edgier than a flint codpiece! Sharper than a butcher's hook, witty writer Terry Grounds blithely boozy, blissfully bellicose, deliciously unpredictable drama has a grip like a 10 bob Brass, and a filthy gob on it ta' match! Vivid, no guff performances from powerhouse performers Ray Winstone, Mark Strong, and Phil Davis make gifted director Adrian Shergold's well blahdy tasty 4-part, off-beat thriller 'Birth, Marriages, and Deaths' an engagingly triple-threat'd Thespian treat! Splendidly skewed, downwardly descending adult drama that's rawer than a docker's armpit... so, buckle up! As it's gunna get propah lairy, mayte!!!! Top notch, diamond bright, late-night entertainment from the Beeb!

Excellent series with brilliant performances. I originally caught the last two episodes on BBC2 in 1999 and I was always so desperate to see the first two episodes (I've just bought the Ray Winstone box set consisting of this, Scum and Last Orders). I fell in love with the imaginative 'out of this world storylines' mixed with the varied characters and in your face brutality of the lead actor Ray Winstone. Now playing a meany doesn't seem difficult for Ray but the extent to which he goes within 4 episodes is horrible. It conjures up a world of a very lonely and delusional man who has made it big doing patios (you know he many other fingers in many other pies though) and thinks he can rule shop by paying people to be his friends and even his wife. The penultimate scene round the dining table is one of the most difficult scenes I've watched. By having 4 episodes of 50 minutes you end up with a film well over 3 hours which I watched first time all the way through! With a top writer and cast this was still an ambitious project for Tiger Aspect.

I'm sure that this story exists somewhere in Greek mythology. It contains everything of life, with the rich and successful Ray Winstone character being made to pay for his wrongdoing in a beautifully suitable way. This series introduced me to Mark Strong and I was completely bewitched, his screen presence is masterful. Only the BBC could do justice to this slightly strange tale, and it is a masterpiece.