Heat

I watched this entire series on New Year's Day and at four episodes it's the perfect length. I like stories where a group of people find themselves in a situation they can't get out of which is the entire premise of the show, in this case an oncoming bushfire. Danny dyer gets top billing but it's an ensemble piece and he's not the strongest of leads given his habit of playing the same cockney type in everything he does. The real stand out is Darren McMullen who seems like a nice guy but turns out to be the opposite. I thought it had good twists and turns and it all builds to the final episode which is when the fire arrives and everything goes up in flames metaphorically.

I went into this with no expectations which is a good way to approach a channel 5 drama. I have to say it got me hooked and I happily bashed through this in one sitting (admittedly with a bottle of wine and cheese platter).

Its one of those disaster-is-coming shows and in this case a bushfire. Im not sure how accurate it would be in real like for all those people to get trapped but I'm not Australian so I'll go with it. Suffice to say all sorts of subplots begin to crossover, sometimes in a predictable way but there's also a really big creepy shock. The best episode is definitely the end and you know it's going to go badly for someone.

It seems like every second drama shot in Australia now features a lead British or American actor. In the case of Heat it's two Brits, though one (Darren McMullen) has a local career while the other (Danny Dyer) is imported. It makes sense to have them play two expats who married Aussie women and had kids. The problem is Danny feels like he just arrived from the London EastEnd a week earlier - which evidently the actor did, fresh from EastEnders.

If you can get past this you will find an enjoyable drama. It's a familiar scenario - friends trapped in a situation,with ensuing secrets unfolding - but the nasty secret lurking beneath all the pleasantries turns out to be darker than you'd expect.

Performances are good (well maybe less so the cockney guy) and the final episode is gripping to watch. A solid 7 out of 10.

To be fair, the story line is potentially a good one, and in my opinion the end result could have turned out much better, had they casted better actors (maybe the budget didn't stretch that far...). Sadly, it was really awful, the outcome is very disappointing.

It's basically Danny Dyer acting as cockney Mick Carter from East Enders, but instead of the Queen Vic he's now Down Under in Australia. How they came to the decision to pair Danny Dyer and Pia Miranda as a couple in this is beyond me, they are so poles apart, and it's just plain unrealistic!! I sooo wanted to enjoy this, but instead it was a bad joke on us, as it was a waste of time.

This is quite good for a binge watch. The story develops quite well as various secrets of the family members are revealed and their real personalites become visible. Most come out of it badly, as their superficial niceness is pared away to reveal an array of personality faults. The only real exception is the young man who comes in as a badboy but justifies himself to become the saviour.

The narrative is far-fetched beyond belief at times, with many unrealistic scenes.

The setting - in the Australian outback - is stunning.

The acting is patchy.

Nice to see Richie Morris (ex-Neighbours) showing off his impeccable pecs and abs again!