Cleaning Up

Not the worst series I've ever watched but completely ruined for me by the morally bankrupt, hateful protagonist played by Sheridan Smith (In fairness - actually played very well).

The combination of the complete lack of any sort of redeeming story arc fornthe main character & seemingly endless loyalty / forgiveness by her friends & family made me want to kick a hole through my telly.

Also whoever wrote the final act needs to go to a maths class - unless we're expected to believe that her best friend is willing to just write off substantial sums of money to help her gambling addict friend pay off her debt with the vague hope of a potential future pay off from a quite frankly idiotic business / scam.

The story follows a down and out, gambling addicted cleaner who accidentally overhears some illegal insider trading and decides to get in on the action. This throws her into a world she doesn't understand and where she is out of her depth - facing up to corporate types, petty debt collectors and dirty gangsters.

The main character is painted as sympathetic, but she's often obnoxious. She cheats, lies, steals, and often ruins every chance she creates herself. Her journey is frustrating to watch, as she regularly brings her friends and family down with her on the way. She is absolutely an antihero, and if you see her that way, I found her quite interesting. I wish her portrayal was more gritty, as it's clear the filmmakers want us to root for her - but often you don't want to.

She's also quite inconsistent - sometimes helpless and hapless, sometimes a strategic genius. From one scene to the next it can be hard to believe she's the same character.

Instead the side characters really are the heart of the show - her kids, estranged husband, friends, colleagues, and even her local shopkeeper show more heart than her, and it's those you mostly care about.

The whole thing is too long and stretched out - it could have been 3 episodes comfortably. The writers create drama to fill in the extra time, which was unnecessary. But I was interested enough in the central dilemma to not be bored.

The story gets increasingly implausible as it goes, but not more than most TV dramas. I still found it entertaining, even when I had to suspend disbelief. The "normal people vs the 1%" dynamic sometimes showed real promise and had interesting things to say, sometimes was a little shallow and patronising.

Overall, I wish it was shorter, and I wish they had embraced the moral ambiguity of the main character more. But I found the core idea compelling, and am glad I watched it. Still better than most things on ITV or Netflix.

The concept of this drama is brilliant. A bit different from the usual police drama or rom Com type drivel. My only issue and I will hold off a little until I have watched more is that it's just too slow and the characters are frustrating especially Sheridan Smith! Hopefully the coming episodes will be much better.

I watched the whole series but there's some severe flaws in the show's writing and concept-creation. Like how there is very little CCTV reference despite it being there in that office environment.

That ID checks are properly lapse. That would not happen. The fact that a relatively non-technical person got a usb stick and managed to copy x amount of information and print it on the printers which have a READ HISTORY will not actually happen. DNA is on the USB stick. Jeez!

The IT traders' desks aren't correct. Not enough screens/data. The boss with a heavy accent with a cleaning company not making enough money in CW is incorrect when contractors already run the floors and they are stable operations.

I don't understand how she opened a card in her daughters' names and her ex was able to check the information when it was protected in hers. Not possible.

I don't get how the £14k debt make sense and he kept coming over her house and the school. Like a pro would not waste that amount of time and he would be with other people.

The acting was ok and it was ok popcorn drama with a nice ending but it just so unrealistic. So much poetic license with omitting actual integritiy on trading life. Please ask traders for consultancy roles before writing these scripts. It costs £50 to register a new business not £2,000. I'm a bit confused as how the three of them thought they could cold-call trading companies who already have contracted cleaning firms installed.

Oh well. 4/10.

Watched it because of the original idea plot wise and Sheridan smith,she must be hard up for parts it is terrible,I know compulsive gamblers,this bares no resemblance to the lifestyle,the unbelievable moneylender and infantile writing makes it unwatchable added to the fact it's on itv avoid at all costs.