Playing Nice

This is a great story. Lots of times I found myself wondering what I'd do in their situation and it was worth the binge watch. Lots of moral questions asked throughout.

Well acted- I found all the main characters to be believable and they were well cast. Even the kids did well!

The scenery of Cornwall played a part here too, it was visually interesting too and gave a dramatic edge to it.

At various points there are twists and turns and obviously lots at the end. This is certainly one of the best UK TV dramas I've seen for a while (not big like Netflix etc) and makes a nice change from police dramas.

Give it a watch.

My Review- Playing Nice Streaming on SBS on Demand My Rating - 7.5/10 This interesting and emotionally charged four part one off mini series poses a question no parent would ever hopefully be faced with .

How would you react if you were called to a meeting by the Chief of a Hospital to tell you how sorry they were that the young child you had nurtured from birth was not actually yours ?

Due to a mix up of name tags accidental or otherwise each baby had in fact been handed over to the wrong parents which later was confirmed by DNA testing.

Now two couples face the horrifying dilemma of either keeping the sons they have raised and loved from birth or reclaiming their biological child.

James Norton and Niamh Algar star as a couple Pete Riley and Maddie Wilson the parents of Theo their young son.

The other couple Miles and Lucy Lambert are played by James McCardle and Jessica Brown Findlay are parents to David who has health some issues .

Miles when told that Theo the more active outgoing child is actually his son sets in place a devious set of legal challenges and investigations that threaten Pete and Maddies custody of their son .

Playing Nice is an excellent title for this series because The Lambert's appear to be playing nice in the beginning however as the excellent screenplay by Grace Ofori-Attah based on a global best seller by J. P. Delaney progresses the true colours of Miles Lambert are revealed.

I found this series very well produced , directed and I enjoyed the performances from all the cast ,especially James Norton.

The story really fits the bleak winter of Cornwall. The characters can be a little infuriating, but you're left to stew in your own emotions while you wait for the story to evolve.

Loved seeing Mevagissey as it's rarely seen in Cornish TV programs. Watergate, Truro and Saint Agnes, as well as a few south coast beaches also take a starring role.

But the scenery does it for me. It's the real deal.

In an age of fakery and cgi, this drama feels real and at a pace that you'll soon get used to, like the pace of life in Cornwall, UK.

I suggest you go find these places off season, you won't be disappointed.

Pete and Maddie receive a shock from the hospital, who explain that there was a mix up with their child, that baby Theo was the child of another couple, and their son David, was given to Miles and Lucy, the couples try to work to a solution.

I thoroughly enjoyed this four part series, and despite some of the less than favourable commentary in the press, I think this was an excellent series.

Ignore the negative reviews, I'm not sure some watched this the whole way through.

It's very well paced, emotionally charged and full of tension. It will make you feel angry and stressed, good drama is supposed to make to make you feel, this certainly does that.

Put yourself in the shoes of Pete and Maddie, can you imagine being in their situation, it's a parent's worst nightmare.

I'm not sure why, but this put me in mind of their slick 2 part ITV dramas from the early 2000's, it has that kind of vibe, a time where itv made some really great drama.

Great performances, and arguably it's James Norton who headlines it, but James McArdle perhaps steals it, I haven't disliked a character for such a long time, Miles is a monster. Credit to the two kids also, they do such a good job.

Quality viewing.

8/10.

High hopes for this mini-series, but these were quickly dashed within 10 minutes of the first episode.

Formulaic, predictable and entirely unbelievable. A waste of a promising premise and quality cast.

By the time you get to the end of the final episode, you know what is going to be the outcome, but will struggle to care either way. Pantomime villains and seems to borrow a lot of the main protagonist's characteristics from Sleeping with the Enemy, only not as well or as menacingly.

There are so many flaws in the plot you lose the ability to empathise with the characters despite the awful situation.

It could and should have been so much better!