Broken is the latest gritty drama from the magical pen of Jimmy McGovern began airing on BBC2 on May 30. “Broken” is a brutal yet compassionate drama focussing on the life of a desperate single mum in a big city in northern England. The city is not identified but the scheduled transmission date of the first episode was delayed for a week in the aftermath of the Manchester terror attack.
Faced with a catastrophic loss of income, she has a nightmare of a visit to the local benefit office where she learns that she will have to wait 13 weeks for any assistance if it is forthcoming at all.
Christina then resorts to more creative means of raising money, with tragic consequences. Anna Friel lends her fragile beauty to the role with real feeling. Her eyes dart from place to place as she grapples with her predicament, made more poignant by the relationship with her Catholic faith.
The local priest is Father Kerrigan, rugged of face but relentlessly kind of heart. Sean Bean shows enough courage to step away from his usual role as a bloodthirsty warrior and it pays off, as he brings real compassion to the role of Father Kerrigan. In a nod to Jimmy McGovern’s previous work, the role of the Catholic Church gets a familiar airing. Father Kerrigan suffers harrowing flashbacks to his childhood, when he was a victim of that persistent blight on Catholic education, systematic bullying by his tutors.
Despite this, Father Kerrigan is dedicated to his community and is intent on enhancing the lives of all around him. He reaches out to Christina Fitzsimmons in her hour of need and despite her shortcomings he can find only good in those manic eyes.
The episodes to come will develop and broaden our relationship with a number of characters, not just Christina. These all serve to reinforce the sense of community and that community’s relationship with the church. “Broken” looks at broken Britain as well as its fractured association with the Catholic faith.
Despite the many strands in the plot, McGovern waves his magic wand and we are left with a compelling drama full of misery, and broken spirits but also inner strength. He has created an impressive body of work including quality drama such as Cracker, The Street, Accused and Banished. Homegrown TV is in a very good place at present and “Broken” continues the trend of brilliantly told fiction.
This is a touching tale, woven into a bleak commentary on what life like as a struggling parent with three children to support. Anna Friel and Sean Bean are excellent but it’s not just about those two. Catch-up to find out.
“Broken” is on BBC2 and iPlayer
The post What’s On TV: Anna Friel in Gritty Drama ‘Broken’ appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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