WEDNESDAY 07 JUNE
Drama
The Kindness of Strangers
9:00pm - 10:30pm
ITV1 London
VIDEO Plus+: 7858
Subtitles, audio description, widescreen
Written by Kate O'Riordan
They come in for flak, these barmy ITV1 two-parters, and a lot of it's deserved, but some of them are fun in a rollicking-good-story sort of way. The Kindness of Strangers is a corker, thanks to three excellent, understated performances from its leads: Neil Pearson, Julie Graham and Hermione Norris. Pearson plays construction boss Joe, whose wife Ellie (Graham) becomes a mum again, to twin girls, at the age of 40 and finds the demands of late motherhood difficult to cope with. Her burdens are considerably eased when she bumps into Fiona (Norris), a poised, charming and intelligent widow who goes out of her way to become Ellie's friend. You will probably see exactly where all this is going, as Fiona makes herself indispensable, first to Ellie, and then to Joe. But it's a well-told tale that stays just the right side of melodrama. Concludes tomorrow at 9:00pm.
RT reviewer: Alison Graham
Ellie - Julie Graham
Joe - Neil Pearson
Fiona - Hermione Norris
Hannah - Gillian Hanna
Alex - Sean Verey
Tommy - Ged Simmons
Dr Sarah - Katy Murphy
Psychiatrist - Graham Padden
Mel - Kate Terence
Policewoman - Michele Winstanley
Developer - David Fleeshman
Nurse - Marlene Sidaway
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