Back To Life

[Malcy]

New BBC3 show. Wasn't sure where to put it. It has its funny moments but it's more of a drama.

Written by & starring Daisy Haggard as a woman who comes home after 18 years inside. All 6 episodes up on the iPlayer.

[Dr Syntax Head]

Saw first episode last night and watching second right now. I really like it. Loads of building pathos. It's the kind of thing we've seen before but it's good and Daisy Haggard is always great. I like the chip shop owner guy. Only ever seen him in pls like the spoof show about vloggers which was brilliant.

[Malcy]

I've just finished episode 4. The Scandinavian guys voice is really familiar but can't place it. Agree on Daisy Haggard. She's one of those people that will make me watch a programme if she is in it. It's what drew me to this one and I'm glad.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

I don't know about Daisy Haggard. Sometimes she seems really fresh, other times her schtick seems really old and worn out.

[Twed]

There isn't a single trailer or mention of this on YouTube, which is incredible.

[Malcy]

There isn't a single trailer or mention of this on YouTube, which is incredible.

Would have thought the BBC3 YouTube page would have had something at least!

Just finished it. It's really good. Some great swearing in it and Haggard does a great job of both writing and acting in it. It lightens up for the most part and has more humour as it goes on. The supporting cast are really good as well. Look forward to what she does next.

[Twed]

I'm intrigued, as Haggard has a unique tone that I always read as both warm and cynical.

[Malcy]

I'm intrigued, as Haggard has a unique tone that I always read as both warm and cynical.

Yeah give it a go it's good.

[Twed]

Did they all air at once on-demand or something? TVDB has the air date for each episode as yesterday.

[Twed]

All 6 episodes up on the iPlayer.

Sorry I'm a dunce.

[A Hat Like That]

I like the fact that her great-great-great-uncle was the author H. Rider Haggard. Like it a lot.

[Twed]

Love this.

[jsgibble]

I enjoyed this a lot, unique territory for a sitcom.

[Twed]

There needs to be more TV where everybody is a late millennial with a horrible life and everything is grey, which is what constitutes cosiness for damaged folk.

[Twed]

Oh, the end of the last episode makes me feel like this was made for exactly me.

[Malcy]

Second series on the way.

https://cultbox.co.uk/news/back-to-life-series-2-confirmed

[Moribunderast]

Second series on the way.

https://cultbox.co.uk/news/back-to-life-series-2-confirmed

Excellent. This was one of the best TV surprises of the year - very happy there'll be more.

[Icehaven]

Always late to every party, just watched this and it was great, hope the 2nd series is still going ahead. Few errors though, in one of the first episodes she said she wouldn't have been able to see Naked and Afraid, but prisoners do have TVs, have done for years. They'd know about clothes and stuff too, but it's nitpicking, generally it was good, liked the overall atmosphere.

[dead-ced-dead]

The exteriors to this was filmed where I live. I never bothered any of the actors or crew, but sometimes you'd see them in town and stuff. By all accounts they were very friendly.

Show's really good, too.

[olliebean]

Second series starts this Tuesday. Straight to BBC1 this time.

[Malcy]

Looking forward to it. Thought it was still a couple of weeks away. Wonder if it will all be available on iPlayer to binge.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

It'll be interesting to see how much more mileage they can get out of this theme. Maybe the concept of serving 18 FUCKING YEARS in prison for what was clearly a case of manslaughter will be explored.
( Actually, was it even that? I can't quite remember what happened in the last episode. It certainly wasn't moider, though.)

[Blinder Data]

really enjoyed the first series until the final episode when it got a bit silly and fell apart. pendantic perhaps but it also irked me how all these people grew up in the same town and yet had different accents. but generally a good wee programme helped by a brilliant cast

[Icehaven]

Blimey I only watched this 5 months ago and I can't remember anything about it other than the premise, although I obviously enjoyed it according to my comment. Might have to rewatch the last episode to remind myself what happened.

[Better Midlands]

I thought it was a nice little show and enjoyed it, the atmosphere reminded me of Don't Forget The Driver with Toby Jones a little - but where that missed this seemed to hit.

[Malcy]

I thought it was a nice little show and enjoyed it, the atmosphere reminded me of Don't Forget The Driver with Toby Jones a little - but where that missed this seemed to hit.

I honk both shoes came out around the same time as well. I liked both and both were recomissioned as I think they did quite well but Dont Forget The Driver ended up a victim of Covid so glad Back to Life wasn't cancelled as well.

Saw an article headline stating Daisy knows what she would do if it gets a 3rd series so fingers crossed.

[paruses]

I agree with everyone in the thread so far and looking forward to watching some. Particularly agree with LJAMC as to where his will go though plus had to look up the ending and as when I watched it it made sense and no sense at the same time.

I see it was commissioned for Showtime originally so for Americans 18 years for a 17/18 year old is probably unremarkable as a prison sentence.

[Wet Blanket]

I thought it was entertaining but, having set up an interesting premise, doesn't run with it particularly deeply. There's nothing about how being in prison for that long would change you as a person. It's played more like she's been in outer space or a coma or something, with no idea of what The Human Centipede is or modern fashion, but has otherwise settled right back into being a perfectly balanced upper middle class woman who gets a bit snippy with officious receptionists. There's nothing on how 18 in years in the nick could have left her massively institutionalised, with unique internal emotional struggles.

I also think it's a major cop out that she's done time for what was essentially a tragic accident. It would have been more daring if it had been some teenage revenge plot got massively out of hand - it could have used some ambiguity about how premeditated the killing was.

I hope they find room to keep the guy out of Ladhood in the second series. He plays that amiably clueless schtick really well.

[paruses]

Yes. That's what's wrong with it. It is obvious but I couldn't put my finger on it - the character is played as if they had come out of an 18 year coma rather than prison. Would have been a great  opportunity to steal Miller and Armstrong 'a sketch a out the biggest thing to tell her was Opal fruits and now Star burst and Marathons are snickers. As it is she jsur doesn't get some references that she probably should.

Also I had it in my head that friend b had killed friend a which made the murder thing more plausible than an accident. Especially as we know that the reason for the argument was based on false assumptions that any half arsed investigation would have brought to light.

Still - just to be clear I did really enjoy this and I am excited about watching the next installment.

[A Hat Like That]

Ade Edmondson is quite convincingly scary in the first two episodes of S2.