The Moth

Back to the Future or Forward to the Past? Watching this oldie on the Drama channel in 2016, the main thing that struck me was how totally gorgeous and drop dead sexy Jack Davenport was in 1997! So I'm shallow, so what. A typical Catherine Cookson story of love triumphing over adversity, and a great way to pass a winter Sunday afternoon.

In this era of fast cutting and flashy cinematography that makes your head spin and eyes hurt, it is a delight to watch a tale with a beginning a middle and an end, characters who seem real if a little stereotyped (it's Catherine Cookson after all), and a plot full of heroes and villains which is pure escapism and doesn't require a PhD in Mumble-Deciphering or asking what the heck is going on. It isn't too challenging, giving us plenty of time to admire Jack's dreamily expressive eyes and ...other attractions. Made me forget my troubles for a couple of hours and that's worth ten stars for me.

This is an adaptation of the Catherine Cookson novel and stars Jack Davenport ("The Talented Mr. Ripley") and Juliet Aubrey ("Middlemarch"). Jacks plays Robert Bradley, a poor carpenter who falls in love with the daughter (Aubrey) of his affluent employer. Class differences and family obligations stand in their way in this tale based in 1940s England. Will their love prevail? See for yourselves! It is a romantic story of class conflict, love, hatred, obsession and courage.

Being from Catherine Cookson land i am a bit biased to promote the television works of the great lady's novels...but this one surpassed any of the previous adaption i had seen.

The moth is a tale of love across the classes, featuring Robert Bradley(Jack Davenport), a working class carpenter working in the shipyards on the Tyne, (NOTE: The Shipyard used is no more than three miles from my house), Sarah Thorman(Juliet Aubrey), an upper class woman with a seemingly mad sister, who is in fact devastatingly vulnerable and a mere child in a woman's body.

The development of the separate stories which eventually culminate in Robert being accused of bedding his cousin and fathering her child, and Sarah's mother dieing, leaving her to cope with failing finances and keeping a household going under the constant glare of her father and then her brother.

When the two main characters finally end up in close contact with one another, there is a spark from the very beginning, but it is a spark Sarah tries hard to hide for the sake of her reputation and her sister, but eventually Robert making her see how badly the family home is failing brings her to her senses and makes her fall in love with him...

All in all...a beautiful piece...check it out.

Also Jack Davenport(a broad southerner) taking on a Geordie accent...hilarious.

******** (out of 10)

For the TV bods to reduce an entire Catherine Cookson novel to under 3 hours takes some doing. This one has a really good cast that fits together well. the "god fearing Church goer", who is as vile in private life as anyone, the equally vile "Thurman" (lives in a large house, never worked a day in his life) but can afford to strut around as though he owns millions. Enter then the young man with a skill in carpentry who works for both but ends up doing odd jobs at "the big house", saves the life of "the moth", her elder sister ultimately falls for him but given he owns nothing it cant go anywhere, can it? this really is well worth watching and unlike the TV of today, thankfully there is little swearing or blasphemy, theres no one of the LGBT brigade and a really interesting plot and storyline - catch this one, I dont think you will be disappointed

They don't make it like this anymore! Yes predictable storytelling maybe (as is most of Catherine Cookson's work), but performed and directed in the most heartwarming, passionate and beautiful ways. From the acting to the dialogues, this piece of drama truly feels like it captured a bygone era. Nothing fancy about the drama's cinematography, it's just pure rustic 90s perfection. Davenport was sublime in this, he was truly beautiful back then. He played a working class lad so well, much different to what he usually plays.