Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky

There isn't enough space here to write enough about how great this 'series' was (is). I've rated it as a 10 because it is simply faultless. The only time I've seen any TV quite this good is in some of Poliakoff's films...and, like them, don't be fooled by the slow pace of 20,000...for within these 3 episodes you will have time to get to know the characters and see how complex the stories that weave them all together are. Above all...way above all, is Sally Hawkins whose acting is off the scale. Her character's stories of love are absolutely wonderful and many of us who have been in similar situations will see how brilliant her acting, the script, the whole production are. Watch out for one scene in particular when she has a letter read out to her...watch her facial microexpressions closely and you will see acting at its very best...not even a word is spoken. If you don't like slow paced productions then you may not like this, but if you like fine acting and stories of characters and how they relate to one another, then you will find this one of the finest productions ever made.

Initially I thought it was incredible, yet after reading the book again & listened to the radio adaptation, I feel it's a departure from how I interpreted it Bob is far too young & meek , in the book he's more confident. Ella also has a stronger nature than in this .

Ernest Eccles is more caricature is funnier and gentler than depicted in the series. I feel Phil Daniels comes across a bit sharp and it's just more bumbling irritating than harsh. He's got the concept of unrequited love well covered it's beautiful in its own concept. Yeah I do prefer the book and particular the radio adaptation is the best I think that's a good viewing on its own merits.

I bought the DVD some 7 years ago , not knowing what to get. But a BBC production must stand at least for a minimum of quality. I was pleasantly surprised by this lovely drama. I was not familliar with the 3 leads , but all three , Bryan Dick, Zoé Tapper and Sally Hawkins delivered a great performance. As a viewer u want things to end good for all of them, and find love. The spirit of the 1930-ies is well presented in here. I wish there were more of these goodies. Peter Piessens/Belgium

Recently I've been wondering if the BBC was losing its knack for well-acted, insightful drama. Watching this show has re-affirmed my trust that my license fee is being spelt well.

The mini-series follows three people in the Midnight Bell pub in the 1930s (not the 1940s as another person said. The Book was published in 1935) Bob, a waiter, Ella, a barmaid, and Jenny, a customer.

The first episode follows Bob, Jenny is followed in the second, and Ella is followed in the final piece, following Patrick Hamilton's trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels of which this is based upon.

In this modern age of fast paced, snappy action this mini-series may seem slow and bogged down by dialogue, but it takes not too long to realise the immense gravitas being drawn from all three of the actors involved.

30s London is recreated fantastically. It is a land of mundane routine and dull working class blandness, where people go about their lives wishing they could be more but never achieving it.

I found it very fascinating that Patrick Hamilton himself was infatuated with a prostitute at one stage, and therefore Bob is a mirror of him, and Jenny of her, because of this the series takes on a gritty, realistic edge. The dialogue is blunt, yet with the manner of the 1930s. There is an excellent scene in the first episode where Jenny and her friend Violet talk about proper manners, hardly what you'd expect from a pair of prostitutes.

Jenny is extremely flawed, and during the first episode you even get the feeling that she's simply not a nice person. Of course in real life, and in the book things simply aren't that simple, and the second episode exemplifies this, demonstrating exceptionally well why Jenny is the way she is.

In summary this is a fantastic piece of drama, and I will certainly be watching more of BBC 4 in the future.

Patrick Hamilton was a depressing genius, and the subject of poverty and meagre jobs for those who are educated, and can get nowhere is applicable for today in many countries. His novels depict the dispossessed very accurately, either emotionally, financially or mentally. In this television series it was brave of the BBC to put this long book to the small screen. Since then the BBC has lost interest in adapting classic novels of the last century, or even the books of the 19th C. As for this adaptation of a trilogy of novels I found it painful to watch, and the three main protagonists, two women and a man were acted well. Bryan Dick as the young waiter in a pub I found especially good, and Sally Hawkins as a barmaid in the same pub very moving in her unrequited love for him. He is infatuated with a worthless prostitute who seduces him out of his savings and gives him nothing in return except ' love scam ' promises. All this is in no way an historical situation. Sadly I found the depiction of London in the 1930's not as good as it could have been. The direction formulaic, and the settings too studio bound and the pub unrealistically unpopulated. If anyone who has read the book the final image in the book was missing, and this I feel was a loss as it hammers home the extreme solitude these three character's inhabit. I would rather return to the trilogy of novels than this adaptation, although it was much, much better than the pitiful film adaptation of 1963 under the title of ' Bitter Harvest. '