Broken. Drama starring Anna Friel as a single mum in poverty. BBC1

[HelenaDove]

Starting on the 23rd May. Written by Jimmy McGovern (Cracker Hillsborough. The Street) it also stars Sean Bean as a Catholic priest.

Trailer.

Clarissa is very bizarre isn't it I watched it some years ago now. He's aristocracy I think there, if my memory isn't failing me

I'd forgotten Clarissa! He was great ( Lovelace I think the character was called.) He was a stinker but I still fancied him.

Another powerful episode tonight

I'm enjoying it. It's very earnest! I love that Michael's faith is really integral to his character not just in an anguished way.

Its just so gripping this show - all the actors are just so good.

It's refreshing to see a priest portrayed as secure in his faith. Nice that the Mass is also presented as central to that. Loved the scene with his mum.

it's nice to see a priest portrayed as a nice, good man who cares about his community in a drama and not some sort of weirdo. I am so fed up with crime dramas where you know, as soon as anyone religious is introduced they are bound to be the culprit/up to something awful.

A few years ago?
I remember watching LCL at least 30 years ago. I fell in love with Sean Bean then! Excellent actor.

I categorised SB as a pretty boy in the early years and didn't recognise till this programme what a serious acting talent he is.

He is normally in things where he ends up dying my son told me ( he is a bit GOT fan and Sean bean didnt last long in the first series apparently)
I do remember he was married to an actress out of Bread once.
I just love his voice.

I didn't really know who he was until now. Only that Geraldine, the vicar in the vicar of Dibley had his photo on the wall.

Clarissa was early 90s iirc-where does the time go??

It's like a school's pshe programme. But I do love it!!

I loved this. Very moving and how refreshing to see a priest portrayed positively.

I thought this series was absolutely brilliant. So moving and so well written.

Enjoyed that but not sure why the lady from the betting shop was queuing up to tell him how wonderful he is. She'd just walked out of one of his sermons after he'd slagged off her place of work.

Overall though, great series and even though I knew SB was a great actor, he excelled himself in this.

Profoundly good drama. I feared at first that it would be a list of the woes of society these days, but it was much, much more than that. I don't often shed a tear during a TV programme, but tonight was an exception.

Oh that was a wonderful series. And I just sobbed at those last five minutes. How beautifully done.

Enjoyed that but not sure why the lady from the betting shop was queuing up to tell him how wonderful he is.

I think she walked out because she couldn't cope with what he was saying not because she disagreed. She seemed to be becoming more and more conflicted over the morality of what she was involved in as the series went on. She was totally unsympathetic to Anna Friel's character in episode one when she borrowed from the till. But by the end she was making tea for the girl who smashed up the machines.

I loved this too could easily watch again. Glad it had a happy ending though so many things not tied up. Hopefully that means be another series eh.

But did everyone think the police were necessarily wrong? I know it was a bad outcome, but it didn't seem as clear cut to me

Good finish wasn't it. And when Vernon's mother came up for communion and so forgave him, very moving.

Fabulous series. And yes the police were wrong in my opinion in that they over reacted.

And as an aside, I would have thought in a case of unlawful killing by a 'state' employee that the death certificate would be free.

That was wonderful! Rare that you see an uplifting drama with conflicted but God loving characters.