Bene Cumb The start is kicking, giving a hint that we will witness a diversified story with intertwined events, with all actions/activities wrongdoers use in order to get something or get rid of someone. Sympathies and antipathies among policemen, journalists, politicians - as well as between those groups - let dramas and twists prosper, nicely supported by very good (Bill Nighy as Cameron Foster, James McAvoy as Dan Foster, Marc Warren as Dominic Foy) and good acting (the rest).It seems, however, that some scenes are over-sophisticated and some others do not provide additional value to the logic, thus the 6 episodes of 1 hour each is a bit much (and you need to watch them all in a correct sequence), 5 or even 4 could have avoided short-term falls in tension. The ending scenes have also some gaps of logic; but anyway, a strong series within good British traditions, particularly for intelligent viewers with some interest in social/public matters.

Derek Smith I saw the Crowe film, State of Play, at the cinema, quite liked it (despite his accent) and found what I thought was the DVD in a shop with the price tag of £4. Too good to be true, I thought and I thought right. Imagine my disappointment when I got home to find it was a TV series that I hadn't seen when broadcast. My wife said to give it a go so we settled down to watch.We saw the first three episodes straight off, just as if it was an unputdownable book. We rushed our dinner the following night and then viewed the remainder. Less than a month later we saw the whole series again. It is that good. Brilliant in fact, the best BBC series since the '95 Pride and Prejudice.There were no weak performances, as one would expect with the likes of Bill Nighy, who was excellent, Kelly Macdonald, who is always good value but excelled herself here, John Simm, in his best performance so far, David Morrissey, who got the character to perfection, Marc Warren and oh, so many others.The script was clever, with some lovely one-liners, and the plot developed at a pace that was intriguing. I'm glad I hadn't seen the series when it first came out as I don't think I could have taken the gap between the episodes.The character development was far superior to the film, but then it was nearly four times longer so it was entitled to be. Some of the actors in smaller parts made them their own, most notably James Laurenson who was really horrible. Deborah Findlay was the perfect secretary. No so bit-part Polly Walker was excellent as well.There were little running jokes all the way through that lightened the film at just the right moments.The ending has come in for criticism but it was essential to give a reason for everything. I can't see the problem. Simm's choice, and his reasons, at the end is critical to the story.Bill Nighy had the best script. He owes the writers a few pints.I have just seen it again, courtesy of some awful weather, and it was just as brilliant as I remembered it. I don't want to criticise the film – although as half Irish I did find Crowe's accent, when he decided to try for it, somewhat wearing – by comparison as it has limitations that were not restricting this wonderful series but I have not bothered to buy the DVD of the film.There are few series/films you must see but this is one of them. I rate it at #2 in my top 10 TV films/series, and I'm not sure it shouldn't be joint #1 with Pride and Prejudice. It is that good. No, not good, classy.

[email protected] Except for the final episode, which I will not describe, this series is among the best TV thrillers I've ever seen. Regional accents make some of the dialog difficult to follow if you're not a Brit, but the story line is quite clear. Although most of the faces were unfamiliar to me, the cast is excellent from top to bottom, a hallmark of BBC productions. Each of the twists and turns prior to the final episode was imaginable (if in a couple of cases improbable). But the last twist makes little sense in light of what went before. I would have rated the series a 10 if it had ended with the fifth episode (and a small coda). The final episode subtracted three stars from my personal evaluation. Bill Nighy, James McEvoy, John Simm, David Morrisey and Polly Walker were particular impressive in their respective roles.

Charles Johnston What a trip watching this masterpiece. It's a fast moving intelligent thriller that had me glued to the couch... more addictive than Crack! The acting is convincing, the plot is thick, the script is delicious and the characters are vivid.It's not often a TV production comes along leaving you hungry for more, but the BBC have a knack for picking quality and producing some of the best programming in the world. This is the stuff that leaves American entertainment for dead. No gadgets, explosions or tough guys! Shame on them with all their money and their smarts, it's the BBC that delivers time and time again.Hats off and if you haven't seen it yet don't put it off.