Oxton Soul Boy

Most Powerful British Drama Ever, 5 Nov 2011

This is easily the most powerful thing ever made for British television with the performances of Vicky McClure, Johnny Harris and Stephen Graham particularly compelling. In fact the crucial scenes around which these three interact are excruciating to watch. The tension is beyond palpable and indeed it is incredible to imagine how the actors were able to interact with each other off camera, so hard hitting are their scenes together. That said, there is more to this series than simply graphic depictions of violence: the juxtaposition of the violence with the numerous comic characters herein is brilliant and, as ever, Meadows remains resolute in sticking to his midlands roots. I've never seen… Read more

Well plotted, but characterisation needs development, 27 Oct 2009

These novels are consistently enjoyable, creating a credible universe that mixes history with fantasy, leaving the reader's disbelief well and truly suspended. As with the previous four novels, the plot rattles along apace and makes a decent job of moving the world of Temeraire on, exploring the issue of dragons' rights. However, as others have mentioned, the characterisation definitely needs to step up if there's to be another novel (and there's certainly no reason for there not to be from the perspective of plot). Laurence enters a refreshing depression (excuse the clumsy oxymoron) as he reflects on the consequences of his actions and wrestles with his conscience. However, the… Read more