Martina Cole's The Runaway
Sky1, 1/6 - Thursday 31 March 9:00pm - 10:00pm Delivering a punch to the solar plexus in almost every scene, Martina Cole's relentlessly brutal story about a pair of childhood sweethearts caught up in the violence of 1960s East End London is light years from the gentility of Midsomer Murders and clinical forensics of a CSI. In Cole's world mothers are prostitutes who'd save their own skins rather than their daughters, men are foul-mouthed bullies or vicious gangsters and even the police aren't averse to twisting the law when necessary. Newcomer Joanna Vanderham is nicely understated as Cathy, Jack O'Connell (Skins) scrubs up well to play her love interest Eamonn while Keith Allen wears the worst syrup imaginable as local gangster Danny. Although not in this first episode, Alan Cumming returns to British TV for the first time in 15 years to play transvestite Desrae while Ken Stott and Burn Gorman give additional weight to the cast. It's compelling but very nasty and slightly grubby - you may need to take a shower afterwards.
Radio Times reviewer - Jane Rackham
VIDEO Plus+: 69122
Subtitled, Widescreen, High definition
Cast * Cathy Connor - Joanna Vanderham
* Eamonn Docherty - Jack O'Connell
* Madge Connor - Kierston Wareing
* Eammon Docherty Snr - Mark Womack
* Desrae - Alan Cumming
* Danny Dixon - Keith Allen
Radiotimes
