Jimmy McGovern writing Catholicism drama ‘Broken’ for BBC One

Banished writer Jimmy McGovern will return to the BBC with Broken. The six-part drama series is described as a “State of the Nation piece.” Jimmy McGovern and producer Colin McKeown commented: “We are both proud and privileged to be producing this new six-part primetime drama series for the BBC written by Jimmy McGovern from our … >

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‘Banished’ finale review

The final episode of Banished delivered an emotional punch as the show went out with a howling bang rather than a whimper. Honour and virtue were the watchwords as Mrs Johnson realised she had been duped, Tommy met his end, Captain Collins engaged in some soul searching and the authorities struggle to keep control of … >

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‘Banished’ episode guide

Banished is BBC Two’s new convicts drama from Accused writer Jimmy McGovern. From the makers of Top Of The Lake, the seven-part series stars Myanna Buring (Ripper Street), Russell Tovey (Being Human) and Julian Rhind-Tutt (The Hour). > Order Banished on DVD on Amazon. The cast also includes David Wenham (Top Of The Lake), Joseph … >

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‘Banished’ Episode 6 review

This week’s episode saw Banished finally hit its stride. For the first time really, the full episode was packed with dramatic tension and intrigue. There were still issues involving some poorly written dialogue and some questionable character choices – Catherine’s volte face where her feelings for Major Ross were concerned felt unconvincing. If admitting that … >

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‘Banished’ Episode 5 review

After a somewhat frustrating wait, this week’s episode finally delivered some of the drama and tension that previous instalments have only hinted at, and yet three dimensional characterisation and a sense of consequence were still vexingly absent. The episode opened with Freeman contemplating his new life in the pay of the Governor. His fellow convicts … >

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‘Banished’ Episode 4 review

The latest episode of Jimmy McGovern’s Banished once again raised some interesting issues, but again failed to capitalise on them by allowing any drama and tension mustered to dissipate almost immediately. Part of the problem is that, as Freeman discovered in this episode, the colony camp is a small canvas on which to paint. In … >

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‘Banished’ Episode 3 review

If you are to believe Jimmy McGovern’s version of the first British colony in Australia, it truly is a miracle that a modern civilisation emerged from these unpromising beginnings given the amount of time the commanding soldiers spent with nothing on their minds but where their next sexual encounter was going to come from. It’s … >

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‘Banished’ Episode 2 review

‘More than just a penal colony, what we have here ladies and gentleman is the birth of a nation.’ So says the idealistic yet unflappably pragmatic Governor Phillip in the second instalment of Jimmy McGovern’s new convict drama and yet moments before making this pronouncement Phillip is telling us that ‘England does not give a … >

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‘Banished’ Episode 1 review

The BBC have been on a good run recently when it comes to original historical drama, what with the excellent The Village and the equally good Peaky Blinders, not to mention the exquisite Wolf Hall. To continue the run they have enlisted the reliable talents of Jimmy McGovern, he of Cracker and The Lakes fame, … >

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‘Banished’ trailer: Jimmy McGovern’s epic new convicts drama

BBC Two has released the launch trailer for Accused writer Jimmy McGovern’s new convicts drama Banished. From the makers of Top Of The Lake, the seven-part series stars Myanna Buring (Ripper Street), Russell Tovey (Being Human) and Julian Rhind-Tutt (The Hour). > Order Banished on DVD on Amazon. Banished begins at 9pm on Thursday 5 … >

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