The Woman in the Wall

This thoughtful and compelling drama gripped me from the very start. Superb writing (and it was no surprise to find out this comes from the same writer who wrote the wonderful Calm With Horses). This is a writer to et excited about and I'd love to see more from him instead of the same dull tried and tested writers the BBC and ITV usually lean on. Wonderful characterisation and excellent performances compliment this story, part historical, part thriller and succeeding at both.

My only criticism would be that there is a slight reliance on the 'maternity drives women mad trope' - in this case women whose children were taken by the catholic church's magdalen laundry system. They all seem to be severely damaged and while there is oaf course a truth to this for many, women are inherently resilient and there are plenty who survived these horrors and somehow didn't go mad.

But this is a tiny glitch in an otherwise perfect series which managed to be informative, thrilling and entertaining while treating the subject matter extremely sensitively.

If I know a series has Ruth Wilson in it I am going to watch it. I am a big fan of Ruth, she got me absolutely hooked with her role in Luther and then again in her role in The Affair.

She is such a strong, talented actress.

When I saw the trailer for The Woman in the Wall I was immediately intrigued, it felt like it was going to be a series that had something to say, but also a layer of mystery to it.

It definitely has all of that and more. I am enjoying the ride so far and can't wait to continue on with the series. Ruth again is perfect in her role as Lorna Brady, a woman that when pregnant got sent to a convent (laundry) where she with other women/girls were mistreated by the establishment and had her child removed from her care. The trauma of her past has left her all screwed up and on top of that she is a sleepwalker.. Definitely give this series a shot. It is once again British television at its finest.

Not usually one to write reviews but felt I had to. It seems every negative review is because they didn't use exclusively Irish actors. To rate a show 1 star because you don't like the accent and isn't completely up to your liking is pretty petty. The overall rating for this is criminally low. Genuinely one of the best TV shows I've ever seen, if not the best.

The acting, the music, the overall feel, it's absolutely gripping. The performances from the lead actress and actor are 2 of the best I've ever seen.

Can't wait for episodes 5 and 6, just hope it has an ending worthy of the rest of the show.

After a bout of sleepless nights and mental exhaustion, Lorna Brady wakes up one morning to discover a dead woman in her house, believing she's killed her, she walls her up, and then tries to piece together what happened.

Thought provoking, dramatic and provocative, The Woman in the Wall is yet another cracking drama from The BBC, 2023 has been a fine year for the drama wing of The Beeb, this is among the best of them.

I enjoyed the opening episode, I was a bit mixed by the second and third parts, but from four onwards I was captivated. Parts five and six are truly brilliant.

It goes on a totally unexpected journey, you think it's about one thing, but it moves in an altogether darker, more sinister direction, I did not anticipate the outcome.

Ruth Wilson is magical from start to finish, it's a tremendous performance from the star, she sounds and looks so different, there is nothing she cannot do. The supporting cast are fantastic also, Daryl McCormack is brilliant as Akande, if you get a chance check out a film called The Lesson, in which he appears with Richard E. Grant, he's great in it.

Some stunning location work, it looks amazing too, and I loved that music.

9/10.

I've had the pleasure of visiting Ireland on several occasions. And have always received a warm welcome which is nice considering the past between the two countries. However it seems whenever the BBC make a program in Ireland it's either about Easter rising or the Irish Catholic Church in particular taking of children from women, Who had given birth out of wedlock.

Not only were these children taken away from the mother's, the women themselves would be sent to convent's run by the Catholic Church and nun's who give the gestapo a run for their money.

Ruth Wilson is excellent as always as the mentally disturbed woman who's life it seemed had been destroyed by her time in the convent.

I suppose it's an original twist on ground we have trodden on before.

7/10.