Writer: Lee Lomas
Director: Andrew Darren Elkins
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Bleak, but Brilliant“
4.5 / 5
Manchester was voted one of the best cities to live in – much to Mark and Nathan’s surprise. All they see is boredom, unemployment, racism and poverty – the ongoing cycle that seems impossible to break free from.
Mark (Marcus Hodson) wanted to go to University, but his mum needs help at home, and he’s the only one in the family with a job to help contribute to bills. When he’s not working in the local shop, he’s often outside of it, smoking or drinking in the square with his mate Nathan (Lee Lomas), nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. Nathan’s only break from reality is his crush on Ashley (Hannah Breedon) from the bakery, that he’s fancied for ages, finally plucking up the courage to ask her out. Though, his excitement wanes somewhat when he finds out she was buying a pregnancy test just a few days before. It’s a small town, rumours spread fast, everyone knows everyone, and the suffocating atmosphere is quickly closing in on them all.
Lee Lomas has written a gritty, authentic script that captures attention from the very beginning, with it’s well-written characters and intriguing storyline. It touches on various themes and political pressure points excellently, never feeling preachy or overdone, just honest, raw and realistic. Elkins direction is simplistic but effective – allowing the tension from each thread to bubble up in the background, before it all comes crashing down.
Mark and Nathan’s friendship is relatable and humorous, their casual conversation around local gossip realistic and insightful, as they slowly introduce other characters such as Becci (Holly Burgess) and Ashley. Breedon, Hodson and Lomas have fantastic chemistry – Breedon’s sassy Ashley keeps Nathan on his toes and quickly makes her a force to be reckoned with. Burgess shows emotion well, her panic and worry making her completely endearing and allowing her character arc to slowly take form. Hodson and Lomas are both extremely talented, showcasing both the easy humour and well timed comedic interjections, as well as the frustration, anger and disappointment they feel at being stuck in their small community, and the lack of opportunities available to them.
Each well-layered character is given their own personality and individual storyline thread, which helps each of them to seamlessly contribute into the wider context of the show. Each of them written with purpose, focus and attention – huge credit to Lomas for his attention to detail, he’s clearly very talented. The inclusion of shop owner Leena (Tanu Ravi) allows a spotlight on the towns racial prejudice and brewing tension between communities, which ultimately leads to the intensely shocking latter half of the show. Ravi is very likeable and her scenes worrying about absent son Nas are tenderly, and emotionally performed.
Becci’s mum Sandra (Sonja Doubleday) and Ashley’s dad Johnny (Lawrence Carmichael) help to show the mindset of the older generation, and how it’s a struggle for the younger generation to break out of the cycle. Doubleday is great in particular in her scene flirting with Mark, which is very funny. Johnny is an integral character, though Carmichael’s accent feels less genuine than the rest of the cast, constantly flipping between a mix of Scouse / Australian / American / Geordie / Manc within each sentence, making him occasionally frustratingly hard to understand. This is a shame because his anger and intolerance is such a key part of the show, but though vocally not as strong, is at least depicted well with his gestures and body language.
Bleak, but brilliant, this is a timely, tense show that is well worth a watch.
Runs until 28th August 2026
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