A Confession - ITV

[southeastdweller]

Anyone else going to watch this tonight?

www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-08-29/a-confession-itv-martin-freeman-air-date-time-channel-cast/

There's a Trevor McDonald programme now and it

A good final episode. The gamble for Steve paid off in finding Becky's killer. But it cost him his career. So unjust.

Great finale tonight. Halliwell's behaviour in court was unbelievable and both in court and out it was apparent he was playing the police. Loved the restraint Steve showed as he left court and Haliwell was gloating that he ruined him.

I thought Martin Freeman, Joe Absolem and Imelda Staunton were all absolutely outstanding throughout.

Jo Absolem was deranged in those courtroom scenes. He’s bloody good! And Martin Freeman it’s the first serious role I’ve seen him in and wow he was very good and Imelda is always wonderful.

Such a moving end.
So glad they got justice in the end.

I wasn’t keen on Sian’s mum, she was absolutely horrible about Becky Godden just because she was a drug addict and a sex Worker, these issues could happen to anyone, even people from ‘good homes’, I really thought that she would’ve eventually came round and spoken to Beckys mum but she was too snobbish for that.

It was as if Sians mother thought that Beckys murder was inevitable and that it served her right, I get that she was hurting but Christ on a bike, the mothers could’ve comforted each other, they also only lived streets away from one another. I wonder if they speak now.

Joe Ablosom played the part excellently and no other actor would’ve been good for that part.

I thought the whole thing was very moving and well told in many respects. The acting by all was brilliant in my opinion.
However, I got a slight vibe that history was told slightly one sided. Fulcher and Becky's mum, Karen, were the most vocal and involved in the making and it is very much shown from their perspective. It would be interesting to know if the others had a different take on events. There were some very unsympathetic, and some outright damning, portrayals of certain characters. I do wonder how close to the truth these were.

Inappropriatefemale " I really thought that she would’ve eventually came round and spoken to Beckys mum but she was too snobbish for that."

I'm not sure it was snobishness. I think there were at least two issues here.

One that people united by a terrible shared trauma may not naturally gravitate towards each other. I don't have any idea for sure but couples who lose a child, do they usually stay together? Or sometimes does the shared tradegy make it harder to be around each other?

Secondly, I think Sian's mum was worried her daughter might be considered a prostitute or druggy because she was killed by the same man as Becky.

When she said about it back in an earlier episode, I felt very sad. But maybe she could not bear the thought of people thinking badly of her girl.

Sad based on a true story

Glad he got life

Shame policemen lost his job

Lovely beckys mum gave credit and her thanks to him

Agree sians mum could have been more supportive to her

The policeman didn’t lose his job though did he, not really, didn’t he resign because he was made to go into another department?

IRL Fulcher and his family live abroad now I think

Blondeshavemorefun is it the job of one bereaved mum to be supportive of another? There was no contact between the bereaved dads and no one has commented on that. I think we automatically assume women should be there for anyone who needs them.

I think the way Elaine was so lovely towards Kevin, meeting his new girlfriend, shows a very caring side to her. It came at great personal cost, IMHO.

Inappropriatefemale he was effectively demoted, despite catching the killer. He works abroad but his family live in the UK, as far as I can work out from reports. He was spectacularly hung out to dry, IMHO.

It was the fact that Sians mum was quite dismissive about Beckys murder, I didn’t feel sorry for her with that at all.

Inappropriatefemale I don't remember that bit, what did she say? I know she did not want her daughter to be thought of as a prostitute.

I think the thing to remember too is that the story was written from a certain perspective, as someone said up thread. Also, Karen had had may years of thinking her daughter may be missing/dead. Elaine had lost her daughter and it was all incredibly raw. Yes, Karen had also only just had it confirmed but I still think they may have been in different places in their minds. That's just my opinion.

@Italiangreyhound it’s not their job but surely one woman to another who have both lost a child (worst thing ever imo) that she couldn’t say a word in the toilets for example or even a hug

The reason I couldn't relate to Sian's mum/family so much which hasn't been mentioned although kind of fits in with what's been said is because to me she seemed almost cold, or at least not a warm character.

Can someone tell me why Becky's father seemed so supportive of Halliwell?

Blondeshavemorefun I cannot imagine what that kind of tragic experience would do to a person. So I really could not expect anything of someone in that situation.

I wonder if Elaine was ok with the way she was portrayed?

GoldenFlaps I don't think it is at all fair to say Becky's father was supportive of the man who killed his daughter. I think he was very unsupportive of Steve Fulcher. Why exactly I don't know. Maybe he felt the killer would have been convicted quicker without Steve. Maybe he had other thoughts. Maybe he was so consumed with grief he did not know what to think.

But Becky's dad was portrayed from the outset as a bit of a waste of space even before we knew she was killed

purpleme12 yes absolutely. The scene where he orders a bacon sandwich was just awful. He comes across as a horrible man and I do wonder what his motivation was. But again, I cannot imagine being in that position.

Does anyone wonder about how the relatives feel about their portrayal?

It's implied throughout that Sian's stepfather is a nasty, possibly quite abusive man with a veneer of charm and respectability whilst Becky's father is shown to be not particularly intelligent, aggressive and rough.

Sian's mother looking down her nose at Becky.

It must be INCREDIBLY odd to be depicted in a certain way like that for national television.

GoldenFlaps I don't think it is at all fair to say Becky's father was supportive of the man who killed his daughter. I think he was very unsupportive of Steve Fulcher.
Fair enough. I originally said more or less what you said but decided to shorten my question before posting and it's come across as sounding not how I meant it to. I missed parts of the programme and wondered if I'd missed something that explained his stance.

Someone I sort of know was portrayed in a similar drama. She okayed it happening (someone else who didn’t want to be in it was just ‘glossed over’), and as far as I know she got to see it before it went on air.
I don’t know what she would have done if she didn’t like it.