Willy's Story (15 Nov. 2010)

Married to Carmel with three children, plumber Willy Houlihan is all set to leave his family for his girl-friend Michelle when his daughter Laura announces her forthcoming wedding. Though ... See full summary »

Director:

David Blair

Writers:

Jimmy McGovern (by), Jimmy McGovern

Stars:

Christopher Eccleston, Pooky Quesnel, Emma Stansfield

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Eccleston	...	Willy Houlihan
Pooky Quesnel	...	Carmel Houlihan
Emma Stansfield	...	Michelle Fensom
Nicky Bell	...	Matthew Houlihan
Luke Tittensor	...	Michael Houlihan
Joanna Higson	...	Laura Houlihan
Sean Ward	...	Joe Patterson
Tupele Dorgu	...	Functions Manager
Malcolm Scates	...	Gordon Patterson
Harriet Law	...	Maeve Patterson
John-Paul Hurley	...	Tony Rawlings (as John Paul Hurley)
Mark Chatterton	...	Bank Manager
Rod Arthur	...	Priest
Eric McNichol	...	Billy Rafferty
Kevin Sutton	...	Croupier

Storyline

Married to Carmel with three children, plumber Willy Houlihan is all set to leave his family for his girl-friend Michelle when his daughter Laura announces her forthcoming wedding. Though Laura's in-laws are well off,as a point of pride Willy is determined to pay for the reception but,when a client goes bust and the cheque he paid Willy bounces,Willy finds himself with no funds. Then he finds twenty thousand pounds in the back of a taxi and doubles it at the casino before returning the original sum next day,only to learn that the owners of the money beat up and killed the taxi driver. The taxi firm's receptionist is hostile and,when the police tell Willy the notes are counterfeit and accuse him of forgery,she refuses to recognise him. Taken to court he is doubly punished as his Not Guilty plea is rejected and Carmel finds out about Michelle.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 2010 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RSJ Films, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Didn't live up to my expectations

I'm afraid I found this rather disappointing. Jimmy McGovern is an excellent writer, but I'm beginning to find him rather predictable. Willy Houlihan was less a character in a drama than a mouthpiece for McGovern's own views, and while I respect that he has deeply-held convictions, I don't particularly want to be lectured on them in every drama of his that I watch. By the time Willy Houlihan had finished serial tirades against the war in Afghanistan, the church, the banks and call centres, I was left in no doubt about Mr McGovern's opinions but knew very little about Willy Houlihan. I'm afraid I think the obsessive chip the writer carries on his shoulder is starting to have a deleterious effect on his work.

Episode 1 would also have greatly benefited from a touch of lightening humour somewhere. Willy Houlihan showed almost nothing but resentful, prejudiced anger throughout, and the members of his family were all so disagreeable that by the end of the programme I couldn't have cared less what happened to him or them. Most everyone else seemed grim, rude, and negative. Surely, however difficult life gets, most British people will retain a sense of humour - it's one of our most well-known character traits - and it was sadly missing here.

I like dramas that are realistic and well-acted (and this was certainly very well acted), but if Mr McGovern can't move on from his habit of ramming his I Am Working Class, Hard Done By And Proud Of It line down my throat, I don't think I'll be watching the rest of this series.