Ridley Road

It's like everything 60s is shoveled into this before it happened, the dressers got carried away again?. Eddie Marsan stands out, as ever, with a great performance, the others, mostly...mabye, they were just killing time till the pub opened? It's all a bit BBC with compromise writ large, which sadly, makes the story and characters suffer at the end of the day. I'd advise getting better writers and a motivated cast. The BBC used to do this stuff so well.

I don't suppose many members of the older generation in the UK remember much about the National Front party fronted by Colin Jordan, but this neat little four part series from the BBC is a timely reminder of how Nazism existed in the early 60's. Jordan seemed to attract mostly disaffected young men, and the Jewish community in the Ridley Road area decided to put up some opposition to their movement. The story follows a young Jewish girl, Viven Epstein who infiltrates the organization and steals incriminating information about National Front activities. Agnes 0'Casey seemed miscast at first, a tentative youngster missing Manchester and all that was familiar to her, but she grew into the role quite well I thought, and by the end of the series I was hooked.

To be honest, it was a trifle slow at times, but the 1960's setting of Swinging London was lovingly crafted, and production values were very high. Rory Kinnear was suitably commanding as Jordan, Eddie Marsan equally convincing as a Jewish activist. There are spells in the story where the action lags, but from the moment Vivien goes to stay at the National Front HQ the action takes off, and the bit where her cover is blown is really fascinating. The overall story was good in parts, and the ending seemed a bit of a let down; for all his activities Jordan only got nine months in jail which seems little for someone who was betraying his country. Nevertheless Red productions have produced an interesting and timely little story, and I was fascinated to learn that Dior's niece was his wife; watch out for her in the series, the actress who plays her has a blast in the role.

In 1960 I was 11 years old and living in Manchester. My mother was a great seamstress and we would go into the city centre to buy materials, in and around Stevenson's Square. That was my first introduction to a Jewish community. I asked many questions such as "What is a Jew?", "What is the Jewish religion?," and "Why are there so many tailors & fabric shops in the area?. My mother explained about coming to Britain for safety and then told me about the Holocaust. It was aweful to learn about, but very necessary. My father worked for Home Office Approved Schools at that time and was full of admiration, that there was only one Jewish approved school in the country, and that was never full. The Jews, he said, look after their own and family was everything. I admired that too and wished I'd come from a Jewish community. "Ridley Road" has taught me some uncomfortable truths, that although I thought 'normal' people didn't judge by colour, creed or sexual orientation - and I still think that, nevertheless old prejudices were dangerously held whilst I lived in ignorance. At 72 maybe I still do. Everyone should watch this series. Food for uncomfortable thought indeed.

A young Jewish girl leaves her family home for love in London, when shs gets there however her life takes a very different course.

I thought this was a terrific four part series from The BBC, a fascinating, harrowing and incredible story from Britain's history. Not a story many seem to remember.

It is beautifully made, it looks big budget, with a big cast, great sets, and some terrific fashions. I love how they mix in original footage with the new shots, it looks so good.

Pacing is one of the main strengths, it will keep you gripped, and have you on tenterhooks in equal measure.

The acting is terrific all round, Agnes O'Casey, Sam Spiro, Eddie Marsan, and of course Rory Kinnear, who shows his chilling side, don't think I've seen him play a part such as this.

I loved it, served as a warning from history, 9/10.

Ridley Road is inspired by a real life clash between UK fascists and Jewish Resisters in London's East End in the early 60's. The contemporary parallels are unmissable with antisemitism and racist hate crimes at record levels.

So I was expecting something a lot more dynamic and engaging than the first episode which took forever to get going and kept going off on romantic tangents.

Direction and script were most at fault, lots of really tight frame cropping for some reason and the script was heavy with platitudes and clunky exposition and short on action. The score was odd, lots of curious mood music that didn't reflect the period or add much.

Cast were uneven but generally good, the lead character was too passive, it didn't seem to be her story. All in all a bit disappointing.