The Promise 

Paul works as a gardener for the local council and lives in a house with students who ignore him, except when they want to borrow glasses.He snorts coke and comes across as a loner. However... See full summary »

Director:

David Blair

Writer:

Jimmy McGovern

Stars:

Toby Kebbell, Christopher Hollinshead, Robyn Addison

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Toby Kebbell	...	Paul Billerton
Christopher Hollinshead	...	Mark (as Chris Hollinshead)
Robyn Addison	...	Kirsty Blackwell
Joanna Higson	...	Louise
Joe Mills	...	Pete
Simeon Truby	...	Andy
James Nickerson	...	Probation Officer
Joe Simpson	...	Barry
Jodhi May	...	Jean Lefferty
Jack Deam	...	Jean's Husband
Kyle Ward	...	Young Paul
Michelle Fairley	...	Paul's Mum
Ger Ryan	...	Margie McEvoy
James Quinn	...	Prison Officer
Robert Horwell	...	Paul's Dad

Storyline

Paul works as a gardener for the local council and lives in a house with students who ignore him, except when they want to borrow glasses.He snorts coke and comes across as a loner. However, he is attracted to Kirsty, a girl he sees daily, and eventually, after a little pretence, wangles a date with her. They sleep together but he tells her he has a terrible secret, too terrible to burden her with. The secret is revealed when he is spotted by Jean, a young woman who knows him as Michael. In fact he has changed his name because when he was ten he was responsible for killing Jean's child and her mother and has only recently been released from an institution. Jean follows him home. Will she forgive him and give him hope to turn his tortured life around?

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

TV-MA

User Reviews

tragic story, stunning performances

A gritty and ultimately heart rending look at punishment and redemption seen through a loner's romance with a local girl and the dark past that it uncovers. To me the drama brilliantly conveyed the difficulty of being able to decide if someone's actions are ever forgivable and shows why Toby Kebble, with a gob-smacking performance-one of the best I've ever seen in a TV drama- must surely be considered one of the great acting talents working today.

Works part of a generally very good series or equally as well on its own its worth the full 10 marks on the strength of Kebble's performance.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 2007 (UK)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

58 min

Color:

Color