Prey (ITV)

Mr E

This kind of snuck under the radar with very little fanfare. New 3 part mini-series with John Simm on the run after being implicated in a murder. I just watched the first 10 minutes and it seems like a solid drama (The Fugitive based in Manchester) ... Looking forward to seeing the rest tonight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJzvbTTpYGQ

Skid X

I really enjoyed the first episode.

Exciting, fast paced quality drama with John Simm on top form as usual. Always good to see ITV doing this kind of programming.

First I knew of this was Simm's face plastered across some magazine in Eason's on Monday. I was in a rush and didn't have time to check it out but assumed that it was about some big upcoming show so you can imagine my surprise when I turn on TV that evening and see that the show is starting at 9. Really surprised that a show starring Simm didn't get more of a push, he's a pretty bankable name and I assumed that they would have put a little more thought into marketing the show.

First impressions are that it's a modern interpretation of The Fugitive set in Manchester, hell we even have the man with the one working arm and Simm's anguish is reminiscent of David Janssen. Unlike the Fugitive there's a sense of hopelessness to Prey that really identifies it as another ITV drama. After about 20 minutes I text a friend to say that it was nice to have an ITV drama that wasn't depressing and about child murder only to have to eat those words 7 minutes later when the production hit on the channels two favorite things, children being killed and an unrelenting sense of misery. Thankfully there was some genuine mystery here and the story has more going for it than just the typical drudgery we've seen recently.

What really separates the show from most is the gorgeous visuals. Shot using only available light there's a real sense of originality to the show and aesthetically it recalls the films of Terrence Malick. It looks and feels like a major production which is something to relish in a time when far too many dramas have that cheap shot on digital look.

Hopefully episodes and 3 will keep the pace up and the story will go somewhere interesting though it does feel like a mistake only airing one episode a week. Shown over a day or two this could have been something really great but the week long gap means that much of the momentum will be lost

brian_t

The second series of Prey turned up on UTV just before Christmas last year. I didn't watch it myself so can't comment on it.

However for anyone that missed it, the second series is starting on RTE1 on Thursday 25 February at 10.05pm.

Thanks for the reminder, really enjoyed the first series!