The Responder

Martin Freeman is totally brilliant in this gritty and affecting drama. It's a pretty grim and dark setting so if you're expecting some light relief then this won't help. But if you enjoy totally immersive and compelling acting then you'll love it. One of the best acting performances I've seen in years.

Chris is a Policeman on the edge, his personal life and work life are tipping him near the edge, he has some tough decisions to make.

One word sums this series up, gritty, this is an intense watch, you will be on pins watching, you'll be stressed, you'll feel Chris's anxiety and despair. It is somewhat bleak, it's loaded with bad stuff, but it does offer hope.

I found it had to get into this initially, I was unsure about Parts one and two, by part three I was hooked, part five was awesome.

The acting is unbelievable, whether you love or hate the story, you can't help but be impressed by the brilliance of Martin Freeman, he is awesome throughout, a terrific supporting cast, including Myanna Burring, Warren Brown, and David Bradley (who is just awesome.)

Has the door been left open for a second series, I hope so?

Stick with it, it's well worth it, 8/10.

Written by Tony Schumacher, himself a first-responder cop on Merseyside for 11 years.

The story is fictional but has the air of authenticity, it's real life down and dirty drama on the streets of Liverpool. Martin Freeman (an award winning performance here) plays a burnt out cop who seems to have lost his moral compass.

Production values were good all round, script and supporting cast were top notch, plus a nice score too. It won't be for everyone, it has black humour but it's quite bleak and reminiscent of Ken Loach and Jimmy McGovern who mentored the writer.

I liked its original approach, its not just another police procedural. A strong and well made drama that looks honestly at inner-city Britain today. Hope it wins the wide audience it deserves and gets another series. Big congrats to all involved.

And so is the rest of the cast - this is gritty British TV at its very best. If you don't like gritty and dark, this is not for you - it's no Midsumer Murders. It also shows a Britain that most people outside of it usually don't get to see or even know about. Another interesting aspect is the fact that this is set in LIverpool and most of the cast speak with a (more or less pronounced) Scouser accent. Britain is such a diverse place, but most people only think of London and the South when they think of it. I've always liked Martin Freeman, but I had no idea he was THAT good of an actor. He's incredible in this, and the young troublemakers (the junkie girl and the dim wit dude, I can't recall their names now - oh hold on, Casey is the girl).

So anyway, to make a long story short, this should be rated way better than a 7.4 on here (Rotten Tomatoes has it rated much higher!) and I highly recommend it!! Hopefully, there will be a Season 2!!!!

Ok, I admit, the first episode...yeah, that was a tough sell. I stuck with it though and have been mightily rewarded. It is a masterful character study. There is the poor wife, left out of his inner life which she desperately needs to be able to share his troubles. His dying Mother, who can see he's at his wits end but is powerless to help him. His snarky partner who is trying to do right by the book. His childhood friend who is using him for his own ends. He is definitely between a rock and a hard place. I don't know how he holds it all together...a man against the wall, with no outs. Brilliantly directed, you will cheer for the good, the strength that you see in everyone! It's brilliant. Stick with it. Trust me.