The Cuckoo

Claire Goose, Lee Ingleby and Jill Halfpenny are all well known and respected actors who I assume can pick and choose their parts so I am worried that they all decided this was the best work available. I'm not saying Cuckoo is rubbish, so far it's actually better than most crime/suspense dramas but it isn't going to become a classic that people talk about for years either.

As usual with Ch5 dramas the budget is tight and it shows, Half way through the 2nd episode I realised it was supposed to be set in the Lake District but it was obviously filmed elsewhere for tax reasons. Overall the plot is less predictable than some dramas and it passes the time pleasantly enough.

With C5 dramas you never quite know what you're going to get, they're sometimes surprising in ways you didn't hope for.

This one isn't the worst or the best, its OK-ish. Yes the script was cheesy and had many improbabilities. Like someone driving by who sees a room to let advertised, pops in and happens to have three grand cash in her purse to slap down as a deposit. I wish that was me...

But on the plus side it was reasonably well made and had a strong cast with the likes of Lee Ingleby and Jill Halfpenny.

It was well paced, (its just four episodes) and had some big twists, if you like psychological dramas it's worth checking out and a fun ride (if you can suspend your disbelief at some of the plotting).

If you're wondering where its filmed, we're in County Wicklow, Ireland, which really is as nice as it looks here.

The Cuckoo is an entertaining, albeit rather clichéd series, and although some big names star, it somehow just doesn't quite make it to be a top series.

I did enjoy the performances of Lee Ingleby and Claire Goose, and I thought that Freya Hannan-Mills was good as Alice Heynes, but, in my opinion, Jill Halfpenny was miscast in the role of Sian Gregson, and I didn't find her character all that convincing.

I also felt that the script occasionally veered towards the silly, and some scenarios left me shaking my head, particularly in the fourth and final episode, but all in all, it was pretty good, and worth a watch.

Because it kicked-off nicely, I stuck with it - but later reflected it might have been a waste of time. The cast is good, so too is the direction and screenplay - but the storyline becomes less and less believable and even a good cast with Ingelby, Halfpenny & Goose in the leads couldn't save it, regrettably. Just too many inconsistencies and weak interconnections. To imagine any mother would go to the lengths Halfpenny's character did to try to reconnect with her daughter (who turns out not to be, probably - even that appears obscure) and eventually abduct her whilst leaving her adoptive mother locked up in a stair cupboard, stretches one's imagination too far.

Conclusion: don't bother - and hope that these actors find better scripts soon. They deserve them!

Weak plot weak script been déjà vue except this time the acting has so many loose end How come after 24hr a lodger become so involved with the family out of nowhere Every scene every actor comes from the wing asking what's going on etc I am close to switch off however I want to see how bad it become as it is so predictable Every one deserve the worst as there is no compassion towards any of the characters As a drama it could have been done so much better but it is lacking of conviction, understanding and depth We know it is going to end in tears and somehow in a kind of happy ending for the family.