Chantage d'amour

When I first heart about this drama I was a little sceptical about it as I thought it'll be another vomiting inducing sugary drama about affairs and revenge but it was absolutely amazing. It is probably one of the best dramas i've had the pleasure of watching in a long time, if not thee best!! The only name in the whole 2 parter that I really knew about was Tamzin Outhwaite, the rest I hadn't really heard about before. I can honestly say that they were all excellent, all actors put in a great performance.

I would say it's a drama that provokes thought, it certainly made me think. I really hope that ITV continue to endorse drama like Walk Away and I Stumble as in my mind there's far too much reality TV programs or nonsense programs that dulls the brain. I know that not everyone will share my view there, there's got to be variation for everybody but personally i'd rather watch dramas like that everyday of the week than soaps and reality TV.

This all started off quite promising but after the first hour it quickly descended into farcical melodrama. Mark Strong gave a somewhat wooden performance and was really acted off the screen by Julie Graham. Unfortunately she was hampered by a lousy script and and a daft incomprehensible plot line. Tamzin played her usual self. The scene where she dreamed she was drowning was a genuinely powerful moment but was soon lost in the overall tangled storyline. The whole thing was unbelievable and a waste of three hours viewing time.The sort of melodrama that leaves you feeling cheated.

Deeply disappointing.

I had to be the first to get in a comment on this programme and let everybody know what I have just witnessed. Quite simply, it is the worst television drama I have watched this year so far. It was shown in two parts, and after the appalling first extract I have no idea why I sat through the second. I must be a budding masochist at heart. Anyway, this is car-crash TV at its best, with some truly horrible acting and direction combined with some of the most inexplicable character writing I've ever seen. To see it is to believe it.

Tamzin Outhwaite plays a 30-something woman who has an affair with a married man. His wife of 14 years in understandably devastated by this, as is his teenage daughter with the tragic haircut. But, when our Tammy finds out she has an inoperable brain tumour (Yep, that staple of TV weepies) and only a few months to live, she decides she is being selfish and sends him back to his partner. Then she decides, (for reasons unknown) to marry her slimy, cheating ex, but then has a last minute change of heart. What will she do next? There now follows a real shaggy dog story over 3 hours of drama, where nobody acts like a human being and the performances are even worse than the wretched dialogue (though it is a close run thing).

There will always be a market for this brand of undemanding soap-opera melodrama, which is guaranteed to have middle age women and soft hearted blokes tuning in in their droves. But in this particular case, the long list of flaws that come along with the blubbering make it beneath even the most lenient of expectations. A longer, more tedious mess of a production you'd be hard pressed to find, and if you ever watch this believe me.. you'll stop looking. Apparently Tamzin has dreams of Hollywood, but after seeing her in this I'd be surprised if she can get a walk-on part in Neighbours. She is expressionless, her delivery is as flat as roadkill, and when it comes to her crying scenes she looks like she's broken a nail, rather than dying of a terminal disease. Anna Friel she ain't.

Some people with very low standards may decide to hold for the ending, under the hope that they can have a good cry and forget all the other faults. But seeing as these are individuals we couldn't care less about due to their nutty personalities and unsympathetic actions, why should we give a damn? Believe me, I can be as emotional as the next guy. I got a bit teary eyed at the end of The Shawshank Redemption, and Titanic set me off completely. But then, those are in an entirely different universe of quality compared to this. So please believe me: the only sobbing you'll be doing at the end will be due to the loss of 180 minutes of your life that you'll never recover. Don't say I didn't warn you.. 0/10

Please please please could someone tell me the title song from this drama?? I really enjoyed this programme and thought it was very sad, but with a sort of happy ending. It was a little strange as i did not expect Claire to move in with the family and it put me off watching the rest of the programme a little, but i carried on and it was really good. I really like Tamzin Outhwaite too! But what i really want to know is who sang the song? When i heard it on the adverts for the programme i thought it was lovely and i have heard it on a TV advert since then, and now i cannot get it out of my head - so if anyone knows, please tell me. Thanks!

ITV had built this up quite a lot as something you would not want to miss. Turned out it was something you would want to miss. There was a lot of potential about this story. However I believe they focused on the wrong things. The relationship between Andy and Claire just seemed nothing more than a one night stand. Yeah I know it was meant to be passionate, but just seemed to be had sex one night accept that they love each other and next part of the story. Considering this was on for two nights at 90 mins each it was a sloppy piece of work. Mark Strong (Andy) and Julie Graham (Elaine) were good and performed well, did feel like a husband and wife. Tamzin well she just seems to get big jobs for her looks and they just end up being projects that you think oh not another one. Though I don't think Gwyneth Paltrow could have saved this. Was just a mess and built up to be a heart felt, tear jerking drama. I watched this with the girl friend and I was in tears thinking could it last any longer. Finally did like the music Kate Bush.