Grace - anyone watched it?

I agree with Carol Midgeley's review in The Times (Boz's link above). She says it all. A very interesting review.

I enjoyed the first episode of this series more than the previous series. I agree with others about Norman Potting. John Simm is not how I imagined Roy Grace whilst reading the books but is growing on me.

The Times article was spot on. Sunday 8pm used to be Heartbeat, a gentle drama to round off the weekend, and one that the family could sit around and watch together. How did we ever get to something so ghastly so early in the evening? How can the family watch this together?

I also seem to remember Downton Abbey and All Creatures Great and Small being on Sunday evenings. And what about Upstairs Downstairs? These are all suitable for the family, so how have we ended up showing gory murder on Sunday evenings, and who thought this was a good idea? No wonder society is in such a mess with street stabbings and women murdered all the time.

Thoroughly enjoyed them as I love thd books and thought they did very well cramming quite involved plots in the books into a 2 hour slot.

I just found it all a bit unbelievable. Would someone who bothered to get himself into a rubber suit really choose a mask that could be pulled off? (well maybe once). The female accomplice, the access to CCTV, the convenient body swap was all too much. I like John Simm but he's wasted on this.

I also find all these rape and murder of women themes rather unpalatable but because I live in Brighton I just love venue spotting.. it is such a wonderful place to live

I have read the Peter James' Roy Grace books , not all have such nasty outcomes as this one did, I had forgotten, it was one of the earlier ones and they are the sort of books that I don't retain. I do agree with the review in The Sunday Times, this one was pretty horrible, it's a shame the makers, whilst trying to stick to the chronological order. didn't skip it due to the violence it displayed against women.

John Simm's a good actor he doesn't altogether match my idea of Roy Grace although he does capture his sympathetic nature. I don't think the programme reproduces the repartee and banter between him and his colleague Greg Branson which is very much part of their relationship. The actor playing that part comes across as a bit too serious, although he is going through marriage difficulties at the moment, he does however enjoy a good joke often at Grace's expense. In the book Norman Potting is a bit of a seedy slob, the actor playing him seems the antithesis of that, in that he appears rather slim and dapper not how Potting is described in the book at all.

don't

It is unfortunate that salacious topics grab an audience; nothing like the rape of pretty young girls to up the viewing figures. Have you noiced how rape victims on tv are all young and pretty - ever seen one old or plain? The horrible taxi-driver said it all "they ask for it don't they".

Glorianny

I just found it all a bit unbelievable. Would someone who bothered to get himself into a rubber suit really choose a mask that could be pulled off? (well maybe once). The female accomplice, the access to CCTV, the convenient body swap was all too much. I like John Simm but he's wasted on this.

Gloryannie, I do enjoy your straight forward approach (most of the time). Your post at 16.44 is perfect. I have the ability to suspend belief, which I did on sight of the rubber man

Iam64

Glorianny

I just found it all a bit unbelievable. Would someone who bothered to get himself into a rubber suit really choose a mask that could be pulled off? (well maybe once). The female accomplice, the access to CCTV, the convenient body swap was all too much. I like John Simm but he's wasted on this.

Gloryannie, I do enjoy your straight forward approach (most of the time). Your post at 16.44 is perfect. I have the ability to suspend belief, which I did on sight of the rubber man

I realised afterwards that my post might be assumed to show knowledge of rubber wear. I live near a surfer's beach and they wear wetsuits and protective head coverings which have to be pulled off over the head. It isn't done in seconds. They don't cover the face but I would imagine ones that do so are put on and off in the same way. And they couldn't be pulled off easily.

Glory - it never entered my head you’d knowledge of rubber wear. I don’t - innocent abroad here

Iam64

Glory - it never entered my head you’d knowledge of rubber wear. I don’t - innocent abroad here

That's OK then. The funny thing is on the first sight of the figure in Grace I wondered "What's a surfer doing there?". I'm so used to seeing people wandering around in wet suits.

Glory 🥹

I’ve always enjoyed the books though have found Sandy, the missing wife a distraction and later the long lost son’s story far fetched. Always like Jon Simm as an actor and he does fit the part of Grace for me.

I agree wendyann23, I read the books and going the story of the lost son hard to accept, what happens to him impossibly. It feels like far too much padding on police procedural stories that are enough to keep us interested

I felt tonight's story jumped the shark - I couldn't believe any of it. Ludicrous story.

Not impressed by last night's episode. I'm quite prepared to "suspend disbelief" where Scifi/Fantasy is concerned, but not in what is supposed to be a Detective/procedural murder mystery, albeit fictional. Way too far-fetched , and very disjointed, particularly in the first half of the story. DH and I literally lost the plot... familiar territory these days. Also, despite the attempt to beef it all up with sub-plots, e.g. Grace's "missing" wife/Glenn's ongoing marital problems, I'm finding the character development rather superficial and unconvincing. A shame really, as these are good actors. Not sure I'll bother with the next one.

Started watching and switched off before half way.

We have been watching it. I think the actor who plays Norman Grace is very wooden. Who under about 80 is called Norman anyway?

Not my choice of a Sunday night’s entertainment and I also found the story convoluted. I’m not a huge fan of John Simm, either.

Watched for the first and last time last night, It was dire although i did laugh when Grace and Glen were shining their torches looking for the abducted young lad, they looked ridiculous.

I was unimpressed by the acting and only watched half.

Well I tried again. Honestly a child let out of school with a man who claimed to be a taxi driver!! Not to mention the rest of the rubbish. I give up.

I've read all the books, tuned in last night I think I should have watched Great Expectations instead found myself quite bored with it, nodded off!