Storm Damage

It's been a while since I saw this on BBC2, and I think it didn't receive enough praise or attention upon its release. I've read about the writer's (Lennie James) background and this drama is written from the heart: a story about a teacher, Danny, from a children's home background, who goes back to his foster mother, Agnes, and assists her with her present charges including the young, confused teenager Stefan.

The story revolves around Danny's conflict over Stefan's soul with Bonaface, a local criminal, and ends realistically & tragically with a warning about the future. Excellently acted, particularly Ashley Walters as Stefan and a sensitive performance from Adrian Lester. The dialogue captures the urban street idiom of modern London.

Lennie James' is an interesting writer; I recently listened to a play of his on the radio called 'Scars'. Although strange in places, he is clearly a playwright/writer aware of the problems affecting young people.

This was a one-off drama, something the BBC used to excel at in the past, but seems to lost confidence in the format. This is a shame since such challenging dramas as 'Storm Damage' help reflect the times we live in.

The phrase BBC2 drama sums up this well-written, though preachy, slab of realism. Effectively up-to-date language sets off reasonable performances to a considerable, if missable, level. Young talent abounds along with a healthy amount of London cliche - lookout for the housing estate that is constantly playing jungle. Not all bad.

This is one of the best UK TV movies made in recent years - superb acting (especially from the young cast), excellent dialogue, great music, and Shakespearian character and plot reversals as a black teacher struggles to win over a charismatic but abandoned and angry black schoolboy living in a foster home. As the tragedy unfolds, the black community attempts to confront the damage wreaked by the storm of crime, drugs and gang warfare in a completely (although sadly) realistic London setting.