The hairdresser who battled Britain’s fascists

Agnes O’Casey shines in a gripping drama about the far Right in 1960s Britain

This four-part adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Jo Bloom announces the arrival of a brilliant new star, Agnes O’Casey. Her debut television performance lights up an epic, fact-based drama that lifts the lid on a dark, turbulent chapter in British history.

The year is 1962, and though the decade is just about to get swinging, the horrific legacy of the Nazis still casts a shadow over the lives of Britain’s Jews.

They’re troubled by the knowledge that Germany had once seemed safe, until the rise of Hitler – and with a newly resurgent far-Right movement active on British streets, Jewish campaigners are banding together to combat fascist thugs and stop the unthinkable from happening here.

It’s into this explosive mix of politics, culture and violence that Vivien Epstein (O’Casey, above, with Eddie Marsan and Danny Sykes) is plunged after she flees the confines of her

Orthodox Jewish family home in Manchester and a planned arranged marriage to seek out the man she truly loves, Jack Morris (Tom Varey), in East London, while she finds work as a hairdresser.

Soon Vivien discovers he has been spending months going undercover on a dangerous mission to undermine the repugnant Nationalist Socialist movement led by Colin Jordan (a real-life figure played by Rory Kinnear). Even after witnessing a shocking rally at which banners openly proclaim ‘Keep Britain White!’ and ‘Free Britain From Jewish Control!’, at first she resists joining the fight, protesting: ‘I’m not a political person. I’ve got hair – that’s all I can do.’

But it’s not long before Vivien is forced to find out whether she too can summon the courage to risk her life battling against the blight of extremism.

Tracy-Ann Oberman, Marsan, Tamzin Outhwaite and veteran actress Rita Tushingham are just a few of the names in a granitesolid cast, with the rich panoply of characters brought to life in the fast-paced script by gifted writer and performer Sarah Solemani (best known for her comedy roles in Bad Education and Bridget Jones’s Baby).

Here is an enthralling stew of involving human drama, enlivened by the fashion and pop sounds of the era, but also a disturbing reminder of Britain’s all-too-recent past, when public gatherings featured openly racist speeches and the black and Jewish communities were targets for white mobs meting out deadly violence.

As for O’Casey, her role as a woman juggling a multitude of identities and secrets might have tested even the most experienced star, but she acquits herself with astonishing impact in a heart-wrenching performance which strongly suggests we’re going to be seeing a lot more of her for years to come.