Exile Review

• 21st Jun 2011

After having an affair with his boss’s wife journalist Tom Ronstadt (John Simm, State of Play, Mad Dogs) finds himself ousted from his job. As his world implodes Tom decides to leave London and heads back to his childhood home for the first time in many years. When he arrives he finds his sister Nancy (Olivia Colman, Peep Show) taking care of his father, Sam Ronstadt (Jim Broadbent, Iris, Any Human Heart) a once formidable journalist, who’s now in the grips of severe Alzheimer’s.

But Tom has returned home not just to escape, but also to find answers: why did his father brutally beat him so many years ago and what was triggered such an attack? And so begins the painful process of unlocking the secrets of the past from his father’s mind… a difficult task with results that will shake Tom’s existence to the core.

Executively produced by Paul Abbot (Shameless, Cracker) this is a brilliant character drama. Had someone else been at the helm this could have become a sentimental piece, but with Abbot, Simm and Broadbent involved it was moving, dark and original.

This isn’t the first time Abbot and Simm have worked together – Simm played a journalist in Abbot’s  BAFTA award-winning State of Play. While this isn’t as fast-paced as State of Play (and arguably not as good) it gives Simm a chance to really flex his acting chops. And given that Simm is probably one of Britain’s best small screen actors this is no bad thing. Coupled with a heartbreakingly excellent performance from Broadbent it’s clear that this is a character piece in a similar vein to Abbot’s Clocking Off, rather than a dark crime thriller, which is the route other Abbot dramas, such as Touching Evil or Cracker, seem to take.

The character development in this drama is fantastic and even though the story isn’t fast-paced it’s still intriguing. The reveal is shocking without being gratuitous, which is a refreshing change as it seems many dramas use nastiness to spice up otherwise dull narrative. Exile doesn’t need to resort to such shock tactics.

Simm is known to pick and choose his roles very carefully and this proved to be an excellent vehicle for his talents. Indeed the whole cast is strong and it’s easy to see why the likes of Broadbent were keen to come onboard. Abbot, once again, has attached himself to a winner and this demonstrates that he’s still a force within the industry. Exile is engaging, brilliantly acted, well-written, well-shot and intelligent. If only the same could be said for all television dramas.

Lindsay Emerson