Red Riding

**WalterPill** · 9th March 2009

Red Riding from Channel 4 in the UK is an ambitious trilogy set in the Yorkshire of the Seventies and Eighties. Each of its two-hour episodes is made by a different bona fide film director. The cast includes Sean Bean, Warren Clarke, David Morrissey and Rebecca Hall. According to one of the writers, the overall plan is to create nothing less than a new TV genre, to be known as �Yorkshire noir�.

The first episode, of March 5th, begins in 1974, directed by Julian Jarrold (Brideshead Revisited). Despite all the advance publicity, it still arrived on screen with an undeniable bang � and has already laid a strong claim to being one of the most darkly powerful dramas of the year. Even so, I can think of several groups who won�t enjoy it much. Among them are anybody with a weak stomach, any retired officers from the West Yorkshire police, and any viewers who�d hoped that these tales of old-school coppers would plunge them back into the cheerfully irreverent world of Life on Mars.

Cribbed from and reviewed at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...Channel-4.html

From Channel 4's Site:

The Red Riding Trilogy starts Thursday 5th March at 9pm on Channel 4. The TV adaptation of David Peace's cult noir novels feature a stellar cast of celebrated actors including Sean Bean, Paddy Considine, Andrew Garfield, David Morrissey and Maxine Peake, the three feature-length films are set in Yorkshire during the 1970s and 80s - a time of paranoia, mistrust, corruption and the terrifying legacy of the Ripper murders.

Another British TV Site:

An ambitious, dark and thrilling trilogy of interlinking films set in Yorkshire in the 1970s and 80s, adapted by Tony Grisoni from David Peace's cult noir novels, and featuring an ensemble cast of celebrated actors. 1974 in Yorkshire is a time of paranoia, mistrust and institutionalised police corruption.

The Astounding cast across the three episodes include:

Sean Bean ( Ronin, "Sharpe's... " ), Warren Clarke ( "The Invisibles" ), Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Gerard Kearns ( "Shameless" ), Eddie Marsan ( V for Vendetta ), David Morrissey ( "Cracker" ), Peter Mullan ( "The Fixer" ), Maxine Peake ( "Devil's Whore" ), Paddy Considine ( In America ) and Andrew Garfield ( Boy A )

As noted a different Director handles each of the episodes:

Episode 1, 1974 : Julian Jarrold ( "Brideshead Revisited", Kinky Boots )
Episode 2, 1980: James Marsh ( Man on Wire )
Episode 3, 1983: Anand ( Girl with a Pearl Earring )

Writer Tony Grisoni ( Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Tideland, etc ) based on the cult book series by David Peace.

YouTube - Red Riding Trailer | Red Riding | Channel 4

Anybody watch the first episode? Is this finally a decent piece of contemporary British made drama?

**Nibb** · 9th March 2009

Gotta say this looked excellent...its on the Sky+ ready to be watched sometime this week.

**Brock** · 9th March 2009

I watched 40 minutes of the first one and then turned over. Disappointed.

**c0axial** · 9th March 2009

Bit Drawn Out,

Spoiler:

**Nibb** · 9th March 2009

Originally Posted by c0axial

Bit Drawn Out,

Spoiler:

Thanks for that!

**photek1000** · 9th March 2009

I was looking forward to this after seeing it advertised, but I lost interest in it by about half way and turned it off probably 20 minutes from the end.

I wont be tuning in for the next part, shame looked good, but thats the way with trailers I guess.

**marcode** · 9th March 2009

i downloaded this thinking it was american.

soon as i heard the english accents i knew it'd be shite. you can almost tell it was a british show before anything happened cos of the crap production value. deleted it after 15 mins.

**WalterPill** · 10th March 2009

I don't know what you're on about, marcode. It's well written, well acted, very nicely shot and the production values are just fine. What's so crap about them? It looks fucking bang on, to be fair. A far superior representation of that time than that nostalgiathon Life on Mars. Why would you think it was American as well?

Too early to tell 100% but this looks to me to be a real piece of television drama and the best the UK has produced in a long fucking time. Though that last point isn't actually saying much.

**steve10574** · 18th March 2009

hey for the first time ever i can say " i am with you walter" i love my US tv but this was a very good gritty drama and very very well written cant wait for the final part and

Spoiler:

for the person that asked if its on the net i use nzbmatrix and its on there and also on 4OD(channel 4's iplayer) too

**WalterPill** · 19th March 2009

Originally Posted by Lazaruseifer

Is this on the net anywhere?

I'm living abroad, got it off Demonoid.

Originally Posted by steve10574

hey for the first time ever i can say " i am with you walter"

What if I say 'I hate Arsenal'?

**steve10574** · 22nd March 2009

Originally Posted by WalterPill

What if I say 'I hate Arsenal'?

That would be a second time and much less historic

**koola2** · 22nd March 2009

Second part was alright.

Spoiler:

**WalterPill** · 27th March 2009

Originally Posted by koola2

Second part was alright.

Spoiler:

It did.

Just watched the third and final instalment and I must say I thought it was a very fucking good piece of television drama. Atmospheric, gritty, nasty, violent, well acted and brilliantly made. An absolute triumph as British television goes nowadays but it stands up regardless. I really hope it was a success, because with this Channel 4 have proven that they can go back to the channel they once were before they became so synonymous with so much trash and particularly Big Brother.

I would like to read the books now. David Peace wrote The Damned United too. Looking forward to the adaptation of that too.