| The Silence (BBC1 Monday-Thursday) had at its centre a deaf young woman, Amelia, who witnessed a murder – and who happened to be the niece of a senior detective. The coincidences, along with the straining after dramatic effect, diverted attention from a story working on a series of moral and behavioural levels, all interesting.
The detective’s duty to act within the rules and disclose the witness’s identity was at war with his need to protect his niece. His family was unable for much of the time to take on board the tug between public and private responsibilities. Like many such dramas, it was overloaded with dilemmas that it did not give itself time to examine: even so, it was gripping, moving, vividly acted (especially by Douglas Henshall as the detective and Genevieve Barr as Amelia) and at times thoughtful. John Lloyd Financial Times 17th July 2010 |