Band of Gold

Found this on Britbox and unexpectedly got hooked. A crime drama about prostitution in 90s Bradford, the perspective conveyed here is clear: we shouldn't be looking down on women who sell sex, but on the men who put them in that situation. The first few episodes are well acted, well written, and well cast. I can't comment on anything after that as I haven't got that far yet. Still, I'd recommend.

Okay, this show was not the sort of thing that I would go for straight away although I have seen a good few parts and I know that it is quite a strong drama which is not afraid to go into the gory details of prostitution, especially when their operations go wrong.

It made me sick to see a couple of women going into prostitution to provide for their children while not allowing the dads to help, but then again that's what some women do. Sadly this does reflect real life. Then again it feels a bit like male-bashing propaganda.

There is quite a bit of language and violence and a very small amount of scenes of a sexual nature. This is surprising as with a programme of this nature, you would expect to see a lot more. So the fact that the video release was given the 18 certificate must mean that the violence and language is enough to tip it over, and believe me it does.

Good gripping drama, if you can take it.

Band of Gold is a misleading title for a drama set amid the sordid world of street prostitution in the back streets of Bradford in the North of England. The series is up with the best of British drama with memorable characters achingly realistically portrayed. But there is one notable drawback. The first episode is so brilliantly written and involving with an ending sensational enough to leave me breathless that everything following is something of an anticlimax and the end of the series is certainly rather a let down.

But even at its worst Band of Gold is better than most of what passes for drama on TV today. See it if you get the chance.

Originally watched this in the mid 1990s, and then re-watched the series again on DVD. Series 1 of Band of Gold was excellent. Tense, interesting and realistic. Episode one especially was dark and dramatic. Unfortunately the show starts jumping a series of sharks in series 2. Becoming more and more ridiculous. Bodies being put in the back of cars that crash driver-less into shop windows. Moving from intense drama into dramedy. If they had been able to sustain the quality of series one, this would have become a classic. Series one can be watched without watching the rest of the series, and is very worthwhile and will be six hours well spent.

This show actually included three series, the last one called "Gold," with Geraldine James now a social outreach worker and Cathy Tyson having retired from the profession. All were very good, the second series particularly: excellent acting, believable characters, and shot in a way that called be called artistic (though much of the setting was back streets and bars). It was here that Samantha Morton first became really noticed as an actress.The first two series were written by Kay Mellors, and the fact that the last was not detracts from it a bit. It's still worthwhile, and would be nice to watch again. If only it, and the others, were more available.