'In The Club' is the highly anticipated new drama series from Kay Mellor, whose reign as queen of Yorkshire drama has been jostled for in recent times by Sally Wainwright. However, with many hits including 'Band Of Gold' and 'Fat Friends' amongst others, Mellor enjoys an enviable reputation as a respected writer of strong, Yorkshire women. But 'In The Club' is rather a shaky return to TV in my opinion, despite a largely positive critical response elsewhere.
For a start, there are too many characters and too many stories. Some are engaging, others not at all, and some just seem peripheral and irrelevant. The pacing is frenetic and the dialogue often unrealistic, wooden and excessive. The actors barely have time to act because there is just so much dialogue, most of it unnecessary and pointless.
The acting is also rather patchy. Will Mellor, perhaps surprisingly, is genuinely sensational as Rick Manning, giving arguably the performance of his career. Jill Halfpenny, who plays his wife Diane, also puts in a believable turn, as does young actress Hannah Midgley, last seen in Emmerdale some seven years ago. Given that this is her first TV role since then - and her first as an adult - her understated realism was subcutaneously engaging.
The rest of the cast are somewhat less impressive - Taj Atwal, Christine Bottomley and Katherine Parkinson all giving rather shaky performances. Parkinson in particular has a strange voice and is clearly faking her dodgy Yorkshire accent. And Hermione Norris is badly miscast and seems totally out of place.
The saving graces were Rosie the pregnant teen and the story of the deeply troubled Rick and his family. But good as those stories were, they did not compensate for the show's many weaknesses elsewhere. Let's hope Episode 2 is better.
For a start, there are too many characters and too many stories. Some are engaging, others not at all, and some just seem peripheral and irrelevant. The pacing is frenetic and the dialogue often unrealistic, wooden and excessive. The actors barely have time to act because there is just so much dialogue, most of it unnecessary and pointless.
The acting is also rather patchy. Will Mellor, perhaps surprisingly, is genuinely sensational as Rick Manning, giving arguably the performance of his career. Jill Halfpenny, who plays his wife Diane, also puts in a believable turn, as does young actress Hannah Midgley, last seen in Emmerdale some seven years ago. Given that this is her first TV role since then - and her first as an adult - her understated realism was subcutaneously engaging.
The rest of the cast are somewhat less impressive - Taj Atwal, Christine Bottomley and Katherine Parkinson all giving rather shaky performances. Parkinson in particular has a strange voice and is clearly faking her dodgy Yorkshire accent. And Hermione Norris is badly miscast and seems totally out of place.
The saving graces were Rosie the pregnant teen and the story of the deeply troubled Rick and his family. But good as those stories were, they did not compensate for the show's many weaknesses elsewhere. Let's hope Episode 2 is better.