Out There

To this reviewer this is a series about ambition. The protagonist, well defined by Martin Clunes, aspires to live his life as those before him have, a farmer in farm country, raising a family, and making an honest dollar. His ambitions are challenged however by the local lads, who have an entirely different business in mind; by his own son, who is not finding the respect he needs in farming; and by the job of farming itself, which had somehow failed to keep pace with the realities of the modern world we live in. Meanwhile, all those ambitions are in turn challenged by the producers at BBC who (like their counterparts across the pond) are lately obsessed with the challenge of taking a project that would have worked best as a one-of feature, and morphing it into a multi-year series. Which it most definitely is not. But a multi-year series has a much higher payout, doesn't it? ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Very watchable, UK take, on a Breaking Bad type of show.

I surmised, around Episode 3, that this was not a stand alone series as there are too many threads to tie up in just 6 episodes. Usually, that WOULD bother me as I like things to just finish rather than go on & on, stretching the patience of the viewer & diluting the plot (Gangs of London, take note), but this series has some understated characters & the Welsh scenery is lush.

There's really nothing too negative to say other than there being one or two characters who, so far at least, seem surplus to requirement & have a distinct scent of Red Herring about them.

I sincerely hope that all the acting team have signed up for the long haul.

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Nathan Williams (Martin Clunes) is a rural farmer in the Welsh valleys, living with his teenage son, Johnny (Louis Ashbourne Serkis.) He is becoming frustrated at the sight of the drones he sees flying over the fields near his home, on account of the county lines drug gangs operating in the area. When it becomes clear Johnny has become caught up in this world, Nathan is driven to extremes to protect his son, until a terrifying act of violence plunges them all into a swirling whirlwind of hell.

In the later years of his life and career, Martin Clunes is moving away from the fluffier, more light-hearted comedy roles he broke through with, into more mature, rounded serious drama roles, the latest of which is this six part ITV drama, honing in on the still relevant topic of 'county lines' drugs gangs, exploiting youngsters to distribute drugs in smaller, more secluded towns and cities. The result is a curious mixed bag that just about holds your attention to the end.

In the lead role, Clunes has to carry the project, which he has long form with, and he does so reliably well, managing a decent Welsh accent, numbingly calm, even during high stress moments, and losing his cool only when his emotions overpower him. He has some strong chemistry with co star Lewis Jones as his brother, who has an arguably stronger presence. It's the strongest aspect of a first half that drags a little and feels uneventful, before the gravity of the story kicks in in the second act, and things get dramatic all at once.

It's not entirely believable in its execution, but it's a depiction of an increasingly desperate situation, and it manages to keep you riveted to the end, with an opening for a follow up, to at least make things add up that little bit more. ***

I am writing this after Bingewatching series 1 over 2 nights.

It's filmed in a part of the world I know well, the strong Welsh cast give the show gravitas, theres beautiful scenery of the less rugged hills of lower mid Wales and the characters are well written too.

The downside is perhaps the accent of Martin Clunes but is still closer to a mid Wales accent than that of the real Welsh actors.

After about the second episode you put up with it and forget his years as doc martin as the script takes over and the viewer is gripped with the story.

It all goes well until episode 6 where it seems to lose it way Like the forthcoming series Protection, this has 6 episodes whereas the usual 4 for a itv drama might have been enough.

Do hope it will return but keeping such a strong cast together will be a big job for the producers.

Martin Clunes is very good in this, as is Gerran Howell (playing much younger than his real age) as the drug-dealing friend of Clunes' son. Carly-Sophia Davies as the girfriend is also quite a lot older than her role suggests and she performs it well, though she perhaps doesn't look quite as young as her character should. Louis Serkis is closest to the right age for his character as Clunes's son and is adequate. He is supposed to be traumatised for most of the story, but I could imagine someone else doing a better job. As with most of such serials, it is stretched out over too many episodes (by about two) and the ending is not satisfying. I won't say more, so as to avoid spoilers. Nevertheless, it kept me engaged right through.