Cornish drama serves up a top cast alongside all the cliché
Television drama is governed by immutable laws. You know the sort of thing. If someone turns to their partner and sighs: “I’ve never been so happy in my life!” they will be run over by a bus shortly afterwards. If a character is played by James Nesbitt, he will be irresistible to women. And if anyone mentions that their parents were killed in a tragic accident, they’re lying.
The last of these popped up in The Catch (Channel 5). It’s one of those second-tier thrillers that the broadcaster does so well – barrels along, doesn’t tax the brain, will not appear on any Bafta shortlists but is an enjoyable, easy watch with plenty of twists that you may or may not see coming. It’s the TV equivalent of a page-turner – this was adapted from a novel by TM Logan – and, having watched all three episodes, I can tell you that it descends into histrionics in the final half hour. The book was set in Derbyshire but the TV version has decided to take the title literally and moved things to a Cornish fishing village, which allows for lots of coastal drone shots.
It is elevated by the casting, led by Jason Watkins as Ed Collier, a father who takes an instant dislike to his daughter’s smooth-talking new boyfriend. The central question is whether the boyfriend (Aneurin Barnard) is a wrong ’un with sinister motives, or whether Watkins is misinterpreting everything because he is still tortured by grief over the death of his 10-year-old son, which has led him to be madly over-protective when it comes to his now-adult daughter. And is Watkins all he appears to be or is he hiding dark secrets of his own? You’ll just have to keep tuning in to find out.
In a supporting role is the tremendous Brenda Fricker as Ed’s mother-in-law, who is showing signs of dementia yet remains the smartest member of the family (not hard in this family, admittedly). Watching her deliver such a precise performance in The Catch made me wonder why Fricker isn’t a bigger star – remember her winning an Oscar in 1990 for
My Left Foot? – and that led me to an interview she did for Irish television in 2021, in which she spoke about her lifelong struggle with depression. “Going out the front door can be a problem for me sometimes,” she said. “But I’m stepping back into the big world now.” She was the best thing about last year’s Graham Norton adaptation, Holding, and now the best thing in The Catch. Anita Singh
Being dubbed “the Kardashians of the countryside” proved a curse. Dales duo Clive and Amanda Owen shot to fame on Our Yorkshire Farm but their 22-year marriage became a casualty. Like a muddybooted remix of the reality soap, the couple have gone their separate ways.
The Yorkshire shepherdess has begun her post-divorce screen career with Amanda Owen’s Farming Lives (More4). This six-part series finds the telegenic former model and and mother-of-nine roaming the UK to immerse herself in a range of farms, learning what makes them tick.
Her first port of call was Shetland – the northernmost tip of the UK, closer to the Arctic Circle than London – where sisters Kirsty and Aimee Budge had taken over their family farm after the death of their father in a tractor accident. Their family has worked this land for 150 years, becoming almost self-sufficient. Against all expectations, these resilient young women were now leading the business into the future.
Owen got stuck into daily farming life as she learned how the sisters made a living in such an isolated setting. Despite attempts to frame their story as inspirational and moving, the no-nonsense sisters were having none of it. When mother Helen grew emotional over lunch, Aimee told her: “That’s enough. Eat your cheese pie.”
“Farmer visits other farms” isn’t the most compelling premise for a series. There were glimpses of a more interesting show here, focusing on female farmers. The sisters explained how women were traditionally at the forefront of crofting on Shetland. Owen herself ventured: “Women are better at handling livestock. Sorry but it’s true.” But, this theme wasn’t developed.
Neither is Owen the most natural TV host. She exhibited shy body language, often averting her eyes from the camera. Mumbled narration added to her diffident screen presence, while an attempt to rope in her family by making a video call home was perfunctory.
Defecting from Channel 5, where Our Yorkshire Farm blossomed into the broadcaster’s biggest factual hit, Owen’s solo debut is tucked away on More4. I couldn’t help wondering if this series had been stronger, it might have aired on terrestrial Channel 4. Instead it’s nice-but-dull with a disappointing daytime feel. Michael Hogan