So was I the only one to watch Stuart: a life backwards last night - or were you all glued to that damn Claire whatserface?

[Gizmo]

Because I'm turning into A Grumpy Old Woman, I don't get to see much telly anymore. I only decided to watch this 'cause they filmed bits of it round the corner from me.

You had to peel me off the sofa by the end, because I thought it was stunning. Just incredibly poignant and funny and unsettling. If you all missed it then you'll just have to form an orderly queue for my recording on the way out of the thread...

Oh and did I mention you get a few good shots of Tom Hardy naked?

Ahh, I see 'BabyAbuse: the Verity Years' isn't scheduled until tomorrow night.

So what is your excuse for missing this, then? Eh?

It had better be good, young ladies..

I saw it
Brilliant
Baftas all round

oh I saw it advertised and then forgot and had a bath. Oh it was really good then? Bugger. Nothing on telly is good these days apart from the odd rarity.

It was amazing - utterly heartbreaking and made me want to scoop my boys up and never let them go.

very true to the spirit of the book also

Ah BBBee

That was a costly bath.

I really, really felt for Stuart's mum and sister in this production - a whole family just knocked sideways by grim secrets and little support.

Still, it gave Wintercomfort some good positive PR, of which I don't think there is enough right now. And I bet there are a an awful lot of homeless people in Cambridge today having to put up with conversations from well meaning types trying to 'understand' them

I also watched it and thought it was brilliant. Wanted to go to bed but couldn't.

i missed the first 20 minutes, but what a heartwrenching story.. really so very emotional

anyone know if it is repeated?

Dunno - if they do it'll probably be on one of the Freeview channels. Like I say I do have a recording in an obscure Mac format that can probably only be played on a Mac, but if anyone wants to try I can email it to you?

Briefly it is the autobiography of a homeless Cambridge man, starting from his adult life and looking at how he became what he is.

Excerpt: 'So here it is, my second attempt at the story of Stuart Shorter, thief, hostage taker, psycho and sociopath street raconteur, my spy on how the British chaotic underclass spend their troubled days at the beginning of the twenty-first century: a man with an important life.

"I wish I could have done it more quickly. I wish I could have presented it to Stuart before he stepped in front of the 11.15 London to King's Lynn train."

It uncovers what took a funny, carefree nine year old and turned him into one of society's nightmares. Somehow it also manages to to be both funny and devastating.

Sorry, biography obviously.

He died in 2002 - killed by a train north of Cambridge.

It's not clear it was suicide, although that seems very likely.

I recorded it - is book gp book this month, so want to read the book before I watch the prog - glad you liked it though!

It was amazing. So sad and horrifying. DS#2 wandered downstairs and instead of packing him straight back up to bed I just held him as tight as I could.

Stuart was such an intelligent and sensitive soul (obviously apart from the extremely violent episodes).

Who was the actor playing Alexander? What's he been in - seemed familar but couldn't think what.

Dh is usually not a fan of that sort of thing, but we watched it and thought it was quite good.

A bit sad when he was killed and I did tear up. Maybe because my aunt was a heroin addict for many years and she too was killed by a train. No one could tell us whether it was suicide or not, so it is still a sore subject with my mum.
She really do waste every chance given to her, but she was still one of the nicest, funniest people I have ever known.

Sad

it was really brilliant. thought about it all the next day, and still kept welling up.

yes, who was the actor who played alexander? i recognised him too.

He rejoices in the name of Benedict Cumberbatch. According to IMDB he's been in a few things you might have seen: Nathan Barley, Tipping the Velvet, Hawking, and actually Atonement, now I come to look more closely.

I've just succumbed to the book as well, and it's also great - gives a lot more depth to the whole thing. Maybe it's just me, but I thought it was great that such a difficult life could also yield really great moments of humour. I shall personally always keep a tin of Shake'n'Vac by my side now, for those nasty overdose moments...

Oh God, I have apparently taken out shares in the use of the word 'great'