blue-raincoat

Sadly this is incredibly disappointing because the two lead actors just don't gel. Not a great sign in a romantic drama. There is no sense of spark or romance between them on screen and this leads to an unconvincing and slow storyline dragging out, and subsequently we don't really care about either character.

Leo Woodall does well as Dexter and his screen charisma and charm are evident, fitting the character exactly as in the novel. However Ambika Mod is very far from what Emma should be and this perhaps lies in a huge miscasting of the part. If the viewer doesn't believe that these characters even care about each other, what's the point? It simply becomes dull and dreary.

The first couple of episodes were bumpy to say the least but this series improved as it went along. It has a weird East European vibe to it, not only the mix of accents but also there's a odd unfinished or amateurish feel to it.

It lacks subtlety and balance, and there are some glaring plot holes and clunky plot devices, however it does have a certain charm which slightly reminds me of the original Star Trek.

The good news is that it steadily improved all the way through to episode twelve, and looks as though it has been renewed for a further series.

The only change I would make is to cast a different actor in the role of Doctor Kabir. The current actress is dreadful in the role and completely spoils the dramatic illusion with her lack of acting skills.

Am looking forward to great things in season two.

I expected so much more from this, but unfortunately it's little better than a soap opera gone wrong. So incredibly cliched, and particularly annoying is the rewriting of social history to suit today's woke agenda. According to this drama only the Australians were racist, and the working class English were oh so enlightened in the 1950s. Yeah right!

And talking of colour, Michelle Keegan appeared at Australian immigration wearing so much OTT fake tan that I feared she was going to fall foul of the 'no non-whites' entry policy of the time.

Too many convoluted and implausible storylines crammed in, stereotypes galore, poor acting, especially by M Keegan, hardly recognisable these days with her ever changing face - it all adds up to a huge disappointment.

The opening scenes were shockingly heavy handed and an insult to audiences: the UK scenes played out behind dark grey filters to signal how miserable England was. Really? Even soaps don't attempt this sort of blatant audience manipulation any more. Did the producers fail to realise that viewers are screen literate now?