ITV has majored in 'true drama' lately - which on the face of it is not a bad idea when you can't think of good original stories - and this must have done well since it's being repeated prime-time. It's decently acted, written and directed (the two leads do pretty fair north-east accents; whether it's specifically Hartlepool, who gives?). Eddie Marsan is a bit too creepy for the role, though, giving off vibes that are more 'serial killer' than 'insurance fraud'; and there's a general uncertainty of tone, from the title onwards. Is it a whimsical Ealing-type story, a caper where no-one really gets hurt? Should we deplore the husband and see the wife as his unwitting victim? Or are they both just selfish semi-sociopaths?
But the real problem is that a story which, when you heard it on the news, maybe made you raise your eyebrows, smile, say 'wtf?', does not therefore make a good drama. The very fact that was its point of interest - its unlikelihood - is already familiar, and it has nothing much else to offer. It would have made a decent hour-long doco, but this 4-parter is stretched too thin and feels riddled with adverts.
But the real problem is that a story which, when you heard it on the news, maybe made you raise your eyebrows, smile, say 'wtf?', does not therefore make a good drama. The very fact that was its point of interest - its unlikelihood - is already familiar, and it has nothing much else to offer. It would have made a decent hour-long doco, but this 4-parter is stretched too thin and feels riddled with adverts.
