BBC1 drama ‘Life’ is a right rollercoaster...!

“I’ll take you up on a dare, anytime, anywhere” sang Des’ree in her 1998 hit Life, and it’s a sentiment that David and Saira could do well to embrace as they embark upon a new chapter of their lives – only for Belle to intervene, causing a few ruffled feathers.

Belle meanwhile receives a shock of her own, after Neil makes her an unexpected offer which pits her in a confrontation with the neighbours.

Elsewhere in the Manchester house, Henry deals with the fallout from Gail’s decision, doing his utmost to keep the consequences under wraps lest their friends and family find out, and Hannah and Liam host a tense dinner party in which secrets are served up with each course.

Four episodes in and this Mike Bartlett-penned drama series is building up steam, the early episodes full of character establishment and subtle scene-setting now beginning to pay off. Bartlett had a fine line to tread, here, having used a character from his previous hit series Doctor Foster – pilates instructor Belle Stone. The trick was in making her story accessible to new viewers while not going over old ground for returning Foster fans.

The cast have been fabulous, hardly surprising given the quality – Alison Steadman, Peter Davison, Adrian Lester, Rachael Stirling, Victoria Hamilton and Saira Choudhry among the big-hitting ensemble.

Hamilton, as Belle, was enthused to bring her character back, particularly due to Bartlett’s deft touches. She explains “Mike writes vivid human beings with great compassion and empathy, but he’s also not frightened to look at the dark sides of people. As an actor it’s wonderful because you get to explore a character in a very real way and show, as there is with all of us, areas of your personality that maybe aren’t quite so palatable and you’re possibly frightened of, as well as all of the elements that are moving and emotional and easy for an audience to connect with.

“All of Mike’s characters are fully rounded like that, and that’s quite rare. Plus they’re a joy to play”.

Interestingly, given all that has happened between filming and airing the series, Hamilton offers a reading of Life that may explain why it hits home to so many of us right now. “One of the beautiful things about this project is that it’s very much a study of how we can all be isolated in our own ways, particularly the people that you would never think in a million years that feel isolated. Behind closed doors, they can be having a very different experience, and ultimately we are all absolutely desperate for a connection that is real, human and loving.

“It’s a connection that you can’t get through a device or through a screen. It’s a real human eye-to-eye or body-to-body connection that we will crave. And in each one of the households featured in Life, each of the characters is in some way looking desperately for a connection with someone – or reconnection with someone that they’ve lost”.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you