Honour on ITV

Actually directors do vary but a good director sticks to the script -doesn't invent scenes and allows the actor to bring their own ideas to a role. Apart from Mike Leigh of course who works in a way no one else will ever be allowed to.

And Ken Loach - well known for his collaborative approach

The RL officer did a wonderful job...I doubt she'd be moping about miserably the way Keeley Hawes did though.

I agree with Jane10 on this.
It's not a criticism of women in general, just that KH isnt as convincing an actress when directed to portray a character in this manner.
Let's be realistic here, the program had to get so many different perspectives across, including the inhumanity of the situation.
The director had to find a way of signalling the support of this particular officer, against the backdrop of the disinterest of the other officers Banaz had met.
Hence the scenes where the character is overcome.
Wonderful actress though KH is normally, she just wasnt that convincing at this.

I agree with every post suzie has made and also with pretty much all the posts on here. We watched both programmes back to back as we were on holiday when the first one was shown. I know this goes on, but seeing one girl’s story really brings it home. I know that a these ‘honour’ killings go on all the time, but it particularly grieves me that they happen in the UK where such actions are despised. Why do these men think they can come to live in Britain, one of the most welcoming states in the world, and then think it’s okay to import their vile culture? Why do the mothers support their male relatives? Don’t they love their children? Is family ‘honour’ more important than a mother’s love?

Why do the mothers support their male relatives?
Indoctrination I suppose, along with fear of being cast out or physically punished, and isolated.
It really does make one realise how lucky we are here.
As for your comments about the men who do these things, they've been behaving this way for so long they have no conscience, no will to change.

The power of the community can't be under estimated in many communities. That's particularly the case with many Muslim communities where so called 'honour' murders or acid attacks are sadly not uncommon.
As for why the mothers support the male relatives, the fear of being excluded from family and community results is a powerful control mechanism. Also information is passed widely within the community. The witness protection scheme can help a mother and children move 200 miles away but they will soon be identified in their new area, and information passed back to the perpetrators.

Why do the mothers support their male relatives?
It isn't only that they support, some women actively encourage men to take action. It is to do with concern for their daughters to have a place in their community, to marry well and to be succesful within the narrow perimeters they have always accepted. A friend once discussed FGM with a highly educated man, he agreed it was horrific but said his daughters would still be done because their mother would demand it so they would make good marriages.

Trisher I have commented on the honour part earlier on in the thread and totally do not agree with how the woman are treated.

I just am saying that F.G.M. is illegal in the U.K and massive behind the scene work goes on to make sure as much as possible happens so that young girls are spared this barbaric
invasive cultural operation.
Many of the families that want to have this for their daughters usually use a special well known person to there culture to carry out the circumcision process which is what it fundamentally is also girls have died in the process as that is how traumatic it can be.
It is the generation that came with older family who are against this and most of them do not want and prevent the FGM being carried out I hope the U.K keeps up its vigilance against this terrible assault to the young girls.