A stray-n on their marriage

Pick of the day

WE’RE being spoiled by yet another fantastic new drama this week, with the glorious Toni Collette leading the cast.

She plays Joy – a psychotherapist and mum, married to Alan (Steven Mackintosh), who was badly injured when she was knocked off her bicycle.

While she’s almost recovered, it’s clear the physical side of their marriage is in a bad way. Alan’s a teacher, who works alongside Claire (Zawe Ashton), and while he and Joy still love each other, now that the spark seems to have gone, neither can stop their eyes from wandering.

One of the biggest compliments we can pay this series is that, weirdly, it doesn’t really feel like a British BBC drama. That’s not to say the Beeb doesn’t make great contemporary dramas (Bodyguard, etc), but that this type of show, featuring a lot of smart, witty, emotionally intelligent dialogue – and a lot of sex – doesn’t seem like the sort of programmes it usually makes.

Maybe it’s because it’s full of people talking about their feelings and being open about sex, which is not something we usually do.

And yet it’s still very British in its aesthetics and sensibilities – you probably wouldn’t find a scene with a teacher pleasuring himself over the Freemans catalogue in a school staffroom on HBO.

Oh, and on that note, you might not want to watch it with your kids – or your parents.

MADE THEIR BED... Joy and Alan