MONDAY 03 OCTOBER
Drama
Class of '76
9:00pm - 10:30pm
ITV1 London
VIDEO Plus+: 4574
Subtitled
Episode written by John Ireland
1/2
It's hard to resist the dark, downbeat allure of this hugely enjoyable two-part murder mystery. Though Class of '76 has more than its fair share of moodily pretentious scenes, the overall effect is cosily chilling. Robert Carlyle, making a welcome return to TV, is Tom Monroe, a dour, maverick loner detective who becomes intrigued, then obsessed by a curious case that begins with an apparent suicide. The dead man has left behind an enigmatic, obscure taped message that hints at some kind of collective guilt.
Soon Monroe and his sloppy sidekick reach back into the past to 1976, to a class of 32 primary school pupils and to the still-unsolved murder of a young girl. Soon, the former classmates start dying in mysterious circumstances. All the elements of a good thriller are here, including a whiff of the supernatural, and the fact that most of the drama takes place in a flat, grey, out-of-season seaside town only heightens the tension. Concludes tomorrow night.
RT reviewer: Alison Graham
DI Tom Monroe - Robert Carlyle
Dr Kate Tremaine - Claire Skinner
DS Steven Grant - Daniel Mays
Frank Thompson - Robert Glenister
Martin Gibson - Anton Lesser
Supt Flood - Pip Torrens
Colin Somerville - Sean Gallagher
Pat Fisher - Stephen Mapes
Monica Grant - Amelia Curtis
Cliff Fisher - Davyd Harries
DS Pritchard - Tony Haygarth
Charlie Drain - William Ilkley
Alison Carter - Belle Mary Hithersay
Anne Thompson - Diana Payan
Mrs Mitchell - Rosalind March
Aiden Thompson - Kevin French
Mrs Spencer - Veronica Roberts
Sharon Reid - Emma Cater
Andy - Paul Ireland
Psychologist - David Acton
Receptionist - Tonya Kerins
Caretaker - Martin Herdman