In Plain Sight

This is the Drama of the year for me from ITV (that are based on fact). Compston plays Manual great and Henshall plays Muncie great as well. This 3 part series tells the story of the murder spree of Peter Manual and IMO doe's a great job, each episode went by so fast for me and they did not drag it out like many other dramas have been before. I would say to anyone watch this mini series and the fact it is based on real events makes it more interesting. Manual was a cocky man but Muncie was going to get his man. Muncie investigated 50 murders during career and solved everyone but will be remembered for the Manual case. Manual was a twisted man who even did his own defense at trials after sacking his legal team, even the judge comments on how he performed his defense. He was a step ahead all the time until his downfall came. He was a very committed his offenses in a very calculated manor, all the time right under the nose of the police hence the title i guess. I recommend this 100%. Good script and great acting to along side it.

A very watchable and well-made piece of television drama.

The period detail was excellent, as was the cinematography and the acting from both lead actors. The writing was workmanlike, but lacked cohesion, and this dribbled through to the edit which was a bit choppy and uneven.

Certain events (which really happened) were referred to in the dialogue but were never shown, leaving me wondering a few times if I'd accidentally skipped an episode. Also, certain aspects of the storytelling were poorly executed, leaving me unclear about the order of events; for example, in the middle of a crime-spree the bad guy was suddenly in prison with no scenes explaining why/how he came to be there. At first I thought I must have dozed-off and missed the big arrest. (Upon reading about the real-life events on Wikipedia I discovered that he'd been out on parole and then went back inside for previous crimes unrelated to the story being told).

The directing was also somewhat uneven, with the interior scenes featuring small groups of people being far better directed than those on location with larger crowds. He seemed not to know where to place the camera, and the blocking was awkward. This is surprising, considering that the man credited as Director, John Strickland, is highly experienced and has produced an impressive body of work. Maybe he just wasn't inspired by the material.

But overall, and despite a few niggles, it was a perfectly acceptable dramatization of events which may not otherwise have been spectacular enough to make it to the screen, and I now know about a historical serial-killer case that had previously eluded me, so it was educational too.

Real life events are chillingly brought to life in this three part series from ITV. A case that spanned three years, William Muncie takes on Serial killer Peter Manuel, a clever and twisted killer who took great pleasure in taunting the man chasing him.

Almost a drama of good and evil, the case of Manuel is well known, and the drama does a good job of remaining grounded and not sensationalising the events, almost subtle.

The drama was very much in sage hands, Douglas Henshall is such a talented actor, bringing Muncie to life, giving him credibility. Martin Compston on the other hand, what a turn around, so used to him in Line of Duty as the handsome good guy Steve Arnott, he shows us his skills here, he injects a venom into the character, he manages to look older and sinister. A fantastic interplay between both characters.

Excellent, 9/10.

Looking for advice on the new Miss Mary McCormack drama with the same name I clicked this one by accident. It seemed more interesting, so I streamed all 3 episodes. Oh so glad I did. It is a Police drama set in 1980s Scotland, which I can only describe as a sort of whodunnit in reverse. Very recommendable.

Compelling good guy / bad guy duel.

Captivating procedural set in 1950s Scotland... and that's what is going to make it heavy going for some - because the dialogue is entirely in Scottish.

But I reckon it's worth the effort because this is a really good, unpretentious and straightforward yarn based somewhat on real events which devastated a small Scottish community back at a time when a murder was always front page news.

A Lanarkshire police detective, William Muncie (all-around good cop and family man) is living in an age where cops plod along looking for cold hard facts and old fashioned evidence. The idea of people killing just for fun doesn't compute and Muncie has a tough time selling his newfangled ideas.

The story is simple and focuses on the drama and conflictions between the good and the evil of the two leads. The conclusion is inevitable so our focus is guided more towards the drama rather than the action. And the drama is gripping in parts, scary in other parts and always tense.

Both leads are excellent although it has to be said that Martin Compston is particularly compelling as the baddie. Thankfully this commercial TV production didn't feel the need to trot out the same tired faces to play all the parts so it has an added bonus of feeling fresh and original.

Of the two IMDb reviews submitted so far the American complained that the pacing was sluggish and the Brit seemed to not have an issue with that. Worth bearing in mind before you engage yourself to this. As with all British TV, the locations, cinematography and attention to set details are world class.

If you binge watch all 3 episodes it racks up just over two hours of your time of which I'm sure you'll think was well spent.