The Moorside

The true story behind this two-part drama is not really known in the U.S. so the reviews from the U.K. with spoilers or references to the real story won't mean much to those of us from elsewhere. I found it a very interesting story about rough living and choices for those in difficult situations with seeminly limited options. The directing, editing, and score bring to life a neighborhood and neighbors in the best and worst of circumstances, and the acting by all the female leads is absolutely tremendous.

I won't go into any details because you should watch it and make up your mind.

The acting is brilliant, you would hardly believe that Gemma Whelan was the same person that played Yara Greyjoy in "Game of Thrones".

The story was basically play by numbers, you didn't really learn anything new if you saw this on the news.

I do think this could have been a three parter. We didn't really see the aftermath other than a few shouty bits at the end. I really wanted to see the impact it had on the town at the end, but it seemed to end rather suddenly.

It would have been nice to see what happened when she came out of prison, but we saw nothing of this.

I will repeat however that the acting was top notch, but I was left a little disappointed with the story.

It's interesting. Different. More a character study than a crime thriller. What price friendship? Very good performances. Realistic family and community situations. Recommended.

A wonderful program and Sheridan Smith shines in this (she does in everything she is in). These are the kind of programs I love and the UK is easily the best at making them. I didn't know too many of the details before watching but looking back on old news stories refreshed my memory. If you like gritty UK dramas, you'll love this.

Found this disappointing. It told the story from mostly From Karen Matthews friend, Julie's viewpoint. It didn't tell us anything new from what was reported at the time. It didn't show much of the police investigation. The ending felt like an afterthought. Trying to make excuses for what she did and suggesting it was everyone else fault than her own.

I did agree that in all honesty she wasn't evil just misguided and was overwhelmed by what happened. While she wanted and enjoyed the attention, once the estate was involved it was hard to find a way out.

However it did not ever really show her in a bad light or confirm she was involved. It also didn't show how the estate felt about being lied too when they were so passionate about finding the girl.

It was acted well but it didn't tell us anything you can't read about on the internet. It also seemed to be saying that if you are poor then you can't be held responsible for your actions. The estate was also shown as all wonderful people. I have worked for Kirklees Council in Dewsbury on a number of occasions. While there are some lovely people there, some people are really awful. A shame this was so much of a lecture and waste of a decent cast.