[sitting in a nondescript conference room surrounded by smiling tv execs]

i want you to stay with me, because this is gonna get a little wild! but what if the story went ... in order

All the performances in this beautiful film are exemplary but, my God, Harry Lawtey as Burton is something else... the most complex and nuanced of needles to thread and he does it with consummate skill here. Truly special work.

I adore this film and rewatch it regularly but… come on… the role was originated on stage by Kathy Bates who is also gorgeous but in the movie they cast Michelle Pfeiffer who is brilliant but not dowdy no matter how hard she tries…

Absolutely, Martin. And River City ending soon too. The great ‘factories’ of UK TV drama are disappearing and taking with them thousands of sustainable jobs and opportunities turning TV into a rarefied space for the privileged and ludicrously fortunate.