![]() I suspect almost every British woman of a certain age, however posh, would settle for a lifetime of holidays in Torremolinos if it meant sharing a bed with Sean. Emma is played by Nicola Walker and Sean Bean is Ian. The only hint of fantasy in this depiction of suburban life is the casting. Where's the designer fridge? The marble-topped island? Where's the wine rack? Is that a bedroom without an ensuite bathroom? Am I really watching THE BBC? But the Beeb drama department rarely acknowledges their existence.Ĭouples in prime-time serials are expected to have bifold doors opening onto landscaped gardens with firepits and off-road parking. These are the people of Middle England – the mainstay of the nation. They holiday on the Costa del Sol, but stick to 'normal restaurants'. Loading the dishwasher is a nightly ritual they could do blindfolded. Emma and Ian are ordinary people – and, whisper it, they're starring in a BBC drama. While the plot itself is not necessarily compelling, Hibbs said: 'It's the small moments between the couple which breathe life into the series'Īt long last! A brilliant BBC drama about normal people: Marriage might be everyday stuff, but it delivers a frisson of shock too, writes CHRISTOPHER STEVENSĭo not adjust your set. Hibbs praised the writing from Golaszewski, whom he described as a 'maestro at this sort of intricate character work'. He argued the drama, which he described as 'delightful', was more about the characters themselves than the storyline. James Hibbs also acknowledged that Marriage is not a high-octane drama that will have viewers on the edge of their seat, but agreed with others that it is not supposed to be so. He described one scene as 'agonising' and 'drawn out' and agrees that the absence of communication 'is the show's preoccupation'.Įinav said: 'Tender moments provide some levity to a series that, for all its authenticity, can feel a bit stifling and drab.' However he also said the episode was not comfortable viewing, with the audience often feeling like they are 'intruding on the privacy' of the couple. He acknowledged that most of the first episode reflects everything you would come to expect from the lives of people who have been married for three decades. However she insisted 'that is the point'.ĭan Einav praised the BBC One drama for confronting its audience with 'real life' in its 'disarming, unvarnished fidelity'. Nicholson agreed the viewer might feel a bit bored throughout the hour-long episode and said there were even bits of uncomfortable viewing. Praising the writing as 'cleverly done' and reflecting the 'realism' of everyday married life, she said the characters converse while staying silent. 'You have to hold out your hand and be willing to be led, believing that it will take you somewhere you want to go,' she said. ![]() She encouraged the reader to 'trust in the writing' as the storyline unfolded slowly with long periods of no dialogue at all. ![]() Rebecca Nicholson wrote that Stefan Golaszewski's drama was about 'finding wry humour in the mundane reality of a long-term relationship'. What a pleasure it can be to peek into lives more like our own.# Stevens added: 'The story of Emma and Ian is somehow utterly absorbing. He wrote: 'Life's like that, of course – our unique sorrows are incomprehensible to outsiders, however wearily commonplace they are to us.' ![]() However he suggested the 'sadness' of mundane lives is what makes Marriage such compelling viewing. 'Laughs are sparse in Marriage, though you'll find a few hidden gems,' Stevens acknowledged. He hailed the normality of the programme, which depicts a couple living in an ordinary house and living an ordinary life. Christopher Stevens praised the BBC for acknowledging 'the people of Middle England'. ![]()
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