Ridley Road

A mixed bag of actors. Some classy ones and some not so classy. But the script was full of cliches and this adaptation lacked credibility. The neo Nazis seemed more like a dark version of the Keystone Cops. Like Vigil this is another BBC series that promised much but failed to deliver mostly because of the storylines.

Very loosely based on true events, not historically accurate, and melodramatic, I nevertheless loved the PBS four-part miniseries Ridley Road to the point of getting up and cheering or yelling, "get out of there," during some of the action sequences.

Vivian Epstein, (alias Jane Carpenter), a twenty-three-year-old Jewish woman from Manchester, England sneaks off to London to follow her boyfriend James, (alias Peter Fox), when he mysteriously leaves town. She wants out of a marriage arranged by her parents and to be with the man she loves.

Vivian, who works as a hairdresser in Soho, learns that James is working undercover in the National Socialist Movement in order to inform resisters of the groups planned actions. The NSM violently targets and kills Jews. Vivian dyes her brunette hair blonde and becomes a spy in the Jewish resistance movement the 62 group, (headquartered on Ridley Road), first to find James, and then because anti-fascists DO rather than just sitting on the sidelines and talking. Vivian, who becomes fearless in her mission to save lives, gains the trust of NSM leader Colin Jordan. This gives her access to private conversations and offices in the NSM headquarters.

The series is a blend of romance, action, and political thriller. Part of the fun and impact of the series is it's unapologetic good versus bad trope, highlighting the bravery of the resistance fighters in general, and Vivian and James in particular.

Agnes O'Casey as Vivian enjoys a rollicking star turn in her first production. I will watch for her in other projects.

A young Jewish girl leaves her family home for love in London, when shs gets there however her life takes a very different course.

I thought this was a terrific four part series from The BBC, a fascinating, harrowing and incredible story from Britain's history. Not a story many seem to remember.

It is beautifully made, it looks big budget, with a big cast, great sets, and some terrific fashions. I love how they mix in original footage with the new shots, it looks so good.

Pacing is one of the main strengths, it will keep you gripped, and have you on tenterhooks in equal measure.

The acting is terrific all round, Agnes O'Casey, Sam Spiro, Eddie Marsan, and of course Rory Kinnear, who shows his chilling side, don't think I've seen him play a part such as this.

I loved it, served as a warning from history, 9/10.

In 1960 I was 11 years old and living in Manchester. My mother was a great seamstress and we would go into the city centre to buy materials, in and around Stevenson's Square. That was my first introduction to a Jewish community. I asked many questions such as "What is a Jew?", "What is the Jewish religion?," and "Why are there so many tailors & fabric shops in the area?. My mother explained about coming to Britain for safety and then told me about the Holocaust. It was aweful to learn about, but very necessary. My father worked for Home Office Approved Schools at that time and was full of admiration, that there was only one Jewish approved school in the country, and that was never full. The Jews, he said, look after their own and family was everything. I admired that too and wished I'd come from a Jewish community. "Ridley Road" has taught me some uncomfortable truths, that although I thought 'normal' people didn't judge by colour, creed or sexual orientation - and I still think that, nevertheless old prejudices were dangerously held whilst I lived in ignorance. At 72 maybe I still do. Everyone should watch this series. Food for uncomfortable thought indeed.

I don't suppose many members of the older generation in the UK remember much about the National Front party fronted by Colin Jordan, but this neat little four part series from the BBC is a timely reminder of how Nazism existed in the early 60's. Jordan seemed to attract mostly disaffected young men, and the Jewish community in the Ridley Road area decided to put up some opposition to their movement. The story follows a young Jewish girl, Viven Epstein who infiltrates the organization and steals incriminating information about National Front activities. Agnes 0'Casey seemed miscast at first, a tentative youngster missing Manchester and all that was familiar to her, but she grew into the role quite well I thought, and by the end of the series I was hooked.

To be honest, it was a trifle slow at times, but the 1960's setting of Swinging London was lovingly crafted, and production values were very high. Rory Kinnear was suitably commanding as Jordan, Eddie Marsan equally convincing as a Jewish activist. There are spells in the story where the action lags, but from the moment Vivien goes to stay at the National Front HQ the action takes off, and the bit where her cover is blown is really fascinating. The overall story was good in parts, and the ending seemed a bit of a let down; for all his activities Jordan only got nine months in jail which seems little for someone who was betraying his country. Nevertheless Red productions have produced an interesting and timely little story, and I was fascinated to learn that Dior's niece was his wife; watch out for her in the series, the actress who plays her has a blast in the role.