The 7:39
Written by: David Nicholls
Starring: Sheridan Smith, David Morrissey, Olivia Coleman
Episodes: 2
Date: 06/01/14 & 07/01/14
Shown on: BBC1
Starring: Sheridan Smith, David Morrissey, Olivia Coleman
Episodes: 2
Date: 06/01/14 & 07/01/14
Shown on: BBC1
The 7:39 is a TV drama written by David Nicholls (One Day, Starter For Ten) and stars an experienced cast comprised of Sheridan Smith, David Morrissey and Olivia Coleman.
This two part, two hour drama was described by David Nicholls as 'a love story' and follows the lives of Health Club Manager Sally Thorn and a stranger she meets on a train called Carl. They break all the English rules of train travel and strike up conversation with each other after a disagreement over seating and soon they are faced with uncontrollable feelings that leave them desperate to get on the train and see each other again. The two commuters are both in serious relationships: Carl is married with two teenage children and Sally is engaged to her boyfriend who is keen to arrange the wedding. This doesn't seem to stop them from embarking on a risky but addictive affair and the two have to decide if the feelings they have for each other are worth fighting for.
Nicholls has written this incredibly well and coupled with the flawless acting from the lead characters, you are quickly drawn into this suffocating and desperate world of these two lost people.
At first, I was a little bored of the story and felt it was just a retelling of a story so often told but after finishing the first episode, I realised what Nicholls had done was something breathtaking: he'd made an audience want two people to have an affair. Against all moral opinions that the large majority of the audience would have held about affairs, we were sitting there with baited breath, urging them to have their first kiss, desperate for them to book a hotel room together.
I will refrain from spoiling the rest of the story too much for you but I have to say the ending left me with a mix of emotions. I was happy but equally frustrated, I wanted a different conclusion that would have made everything worth it. I cannot fault David and his writing style because this programme had me gripped from the very first second. I think this would have made a fantastic book too and I will be interested to see whether a book is released off of the back of this TV show. I would certainly want to read it!
Sheridan Smith, as always, delivers the role with such ease and you find it easy to fall head over heels in love with her. The sexual tension between her and David Morrissey was ridiculously good and you can't help but wonder how much of that was acted and how much was really there...it must be hard to fake so much chemistry. I have to voice an unpopular opinion here and say that Olivia Coleman is in too many things at the moment for me to really relish and enjoy her performance in this drama. To me, it didn't feel like her heart was completely in it and I've seen her face so often recently that I'm getting a bit bored of it! (No offence intended!) Aside from that small factor, I cannot recommend this drama enough and even if you just watch it for the writing of David Nicholls, you will not be disappointed.
A slick and sexy piece of TV.
This two part, two hour drama was described by David Nicholls as 'a love story' and follows the lives of Health Club Manager Sally Thorn and a stranger she meets on a train called Carl. They break all the English rules of train travel and strike up conversation with each other after a disagreement over seating and soon they are faced with uncontrollable feelings that leave them desperate to get on the train and see each other again. The two commuters are both in serious relationships: Carl is married with two teenage children and Sally is engaged to her boyfriend who is keen to arrange the wedding. This doesn't seem to stop them from embarking on a risky but addictive affair and the two have to decide if the feelings they have for each other are worth fighting for.
Nicholls has written this incredibly well and coupled with the flawless acting from the lead characters, you are quickly drawn into this suffocating and desperate world of these two lost people.
At first, I was a little bored of the story and felt it was just a retelling of a story so often told but after finishing the first episode, I realised what Nicholls had done was something breathtaking: he'd made an audience want two people to have an affair. Against all moral opinions that the large majority of the audience would have held about affairs, we were sitting there with baited breath, urging them to have their first kiss, desperate for them to book a hotel room together.
I will refrain from spoiling the rest of the story too much for you but I have to say the ending left me with a mix of emotions. I was happy but equally frustrated, I wanted a different conclusion that would have made everything worth it. I cannot fault David and his writing style because this programme had me gripped from the very first second. I think this would have made a fantastic book too and I will be interested to see whether a book is released off of the back of this TV show. I would certainly want to read it!
Sheridan Smith, as always, delivers the role with such ease and you find it easy to fall head over heels in love with her. The sexual tension between her and David Morrissey was ridiculously good and you can't help but wonder how much of that was acted and how much was really there...it must be hard to fake so much chemistry. I have to voice an unpopular opinion here and say that Olivia Coleman is in too many things at the moment for me to really relish and enjoy her performance in this drama. To me, it didn't feel like her heart was completely in it and I've seen her face so often recently that I'm getting a bit bored of it! (No offence intended!) Aside from that small factor, I cannot recommend this drama enough and even if you just watch it for the writing of David Nicholls, you will not be disappointed.
A slick and sexy piece of TV.