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Fred West drama Appropriate Adult impresses critics | Fred West drama Appropriate Adult impresses critics |
(40 minutes later) | |
ITV1 drama Appropriate Adult, starring The Wire's Dominic West as killer Fred West, has earned rave reviews. | ITV1 drama Appropriate Adult, starring The Wire's Dominic West as killer Fred West, has earned rave reviews. |
The Telegraph's Serena Davies said his performance in part one of the two-part programme had been "a Bafta shoo-in". | The Telegraph's Serena Davies said his performance in part one of the two-part programme had been "a Bafta shoo-in". |
According to the Daily Mirror's Jim Shelley, Emily Watson was a "standout" as Janet Leach, the social worker who sat in on West's police interviews. | |
ITV said it had received two complaints about the drama, which drew an average audience of 4.4 million viewers. | ITV said it had received two complaints about the drama, which drew an average audience of 4.4 million viewers. |
That compared with the 6.5 million who watched Inspector George Gently on BBC One, broadcast at the same time on Sunday night. | That compared with the 6.5 million who watched Inspector George Gently on BBC One, broadcast at the same time on Sunday night. |
Appropriate Adult - described as "calm, measured, real, haunting and terrible" in The Guardian - tells the story of Gloucester serial killer West through the eyes of Janet Leach. | Appropriate Adult - described as "calm, measured, real, haunting and terrible" in The Guardian - tells the story of Gloucester serial killer West through the eyes of Janet Leach. |
Ms Leach was brought in by police as West's "appropriate adult" - a volunteer brought in to support young people and "vulnerable adults" in police custody. | Ms Leach was brought in by police as West's "appropriate adult" - a volunteer brought in to support young people and "vulnerable adults" in police custody. |
In her five-star review, the Telegraph's Davies said the programme "suggested how manipulative and persuasive West could be". | In her five-star review, the Telegraph's Davies said the programme "suggested how manipulative and persuasive West could be". |
Dominic West's "look of evil... created a shocking sense of meeting the killer himself", she added. | Dominic West's "look of evil... created a shocking sense of meeting the killer himself", she added. |
'Beautifully done' | 'Beautifully done' |
Writing in the Guardian, Sam Wollaston also had praise for Monica Dolan's "convincing and terrifying" portrayal of Fred West's wife Rosemary. | |
In his four-star review for The Times, meanwhile, Andrew Billen praised writer Neil McKay's use of banality in his script. | In his four-star review for The Times, meanwhile, Andrew Billen praised writer Neil McKay's use of banality in his script. |
"When it comes to putting evil back in its box, banality is the best put-down ever devised," he said. | "When it comes to putting evil back in its box, banality is the best put-down ever devised," he said. |
The Independent's Tom Sutcliffe praised the drama's grip. However, he said he felt it had missed a trick. | The Independent's Tom Sutcliffe praised the drama's grip. However, he said he felt it had missed a trick. |
In his opinion, Appropriate Adult - which concludes next Sunday - "missed an opportunity to question our appetite for atrocity, rather than just feed it". | In his opinion, Appropriate Adult - which concludes next Sunday - "missed an opportunity to question our appetite for atrocity, rather than just feed it". |
Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Monday, Neil McKay defended the programme, saying he hoped it was "restrained and sober and thoughtful". | Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Monday, Neil McKay defended the programme, saying he hoped it was "restrained and sober and thoughtful". |
"Dramas have been made about the Holocaust, about the Vietnam War, about 9/11," he said. | "Dramas have been made about the Holocaust, about the Vietnam War, about 9/11," he said. |
"It's not a matter of whether drama can deal with these subjects. It's a matter of how." | "It's not a matter of whether drama can deal with these subjects. It's a matter of how." |
In March, West's daughter Anne Marie Davis said the broadcast would cause "unimaginable distress" to the families of the "young girls" her father murdered. |
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