Mrs Biggs

When I started watching this 5-part true-life drama, I had little knowledge of the so-called Great Train Robbery of 1963, and not a great deal of curiosity to know more. But my, how this drama sucked me in!

This is the dramatized biography of the wife of one of those train robbers, beginning with her days as the bright but rebellious daughter of a clergyman who, for better or worse, finds herself drawn to a charming petty crook. At the outset, it's impossible to imagine where this journey will lead.

This show does not romanticize its subject; nor does it take a satirical view, or descend into sensationalism. At every turn, the motivations of all the characters seem absolutely authentic. You can believe this is how it really felt to live such a life. The acting and writing are so good, you simply never think about them; you just want to know more about these people, and to find out what happened next.

The evocation of times and places--England, Australia, and Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s and '70s--is wonderful.

I'm a very analytical viewer, and it's rare that a drama not only engages me intellectually, but sweeps me up emotionally. "Mrs. Biggs" accomplished that.