sue-payne

I absolutely loved this and by the final episode the tension was unbearable because these were characters I really got involved with. The drama was clever in showing that most characters had good and bad sides. Major Ross - the "villain" was ruthless but clearly had a softer side (and was gorgeous too in my opinion!). Such an interesting character and a great performance by Joseph Millson. Julian Rhind-Tutt, who I've always thought of as a wimpy sort of man, was a revelation here as tough convict Tommy and the love between him and his woman in this was heartbreakingly real. Their friendship with Russell Tovey's character was brilliantly played. So many great performances, too many to mention. An excellent drama, best thing on TV for a while. The emotions in the finale were almost too much to bear.

My younger sister and I saw this film when we were children and it terrified us - we still mention Sardonicus all these years later when looking for a word to describe a shocked reaction. My sister has just sent me a jokey text message in response to an insult I sent her, saying that she's so shocked that her mouth is in a "fixed Sardonicus grimace of shock" - this made me laugh so much I decided to look up info on the film and here I am!

The film would seem tame to my own teenage son now, but it has obviously had a lasting affect on my sister and me and it would be great to see it again on TV.