Grace - anyone watched it?

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.

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.

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

Good review

Goodcomments.

Grace review — this queasy crime drama traded in female terror

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/78b2ddb6-c4cd-11ed-a840-1fe543b495e2?shareToken=83723ac1dfda02ccd013fcd139ba8014

I am up to date with reading Peter James's books and I enjoyed the 2 hour episode. I agree, Norman comes over as a total fool in the book but has more brains on screen. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to this Sunday.

We started watching it last night on ITVX but at the first ad break the picture froze. We tried again and the same thing happened at the second ad break. We gave up, which was a shame as we were enjoying it. We are both fans of the books.

I do like the programme but on the whole the 9 o'clock police drams ae just getting so dark and there is little comedy apart from old re runs to balance the load. Unforgotten last night was a case in point.

I too felt that Stephen Tomkinson was not my idea of Alan Banks. Neither is John Simm as Roy Grace either.

But we all get pictures in our heads if we read the books first.

I am reading the Wire In The Blood books, and Robson Green is a good Tony Hill, but only because I saw him in it first.

Call me twee but a Sunday night viewing needs to be a little more uplifting. Get me in the mood for Monday and work!

An OK watch, but not up to the standard of some of the more iconic detective series. I also feel that to keep the story to a single episode rather limits the opportunities for plot and character development, although the "missing wife" thread does provide a degree of continuity. Although some here have complained about the degree of violence, I didn't find it particularly extreme or gratuitous. How you characterise rape and murder in a drama without some unpleasant depiction I'm not sure. Overly sanitised presentation detracts from the reality of what victims have suffered, and might even perhaps dilute our revulsion at such crimes. Surely that's the last thing we need with all that is in the press just now..

I started watching the new series of Grace last night. I believe many tv shows could be as good without the sexual violence against women being so graphic. John Sim isn’t my Grace but he’s good enough. I like Dot Cotton as Norman, he makes less silly jokes, comes over as more intelligent than the book character, more believable as well

I watched it.
Too many adverts, too many breaks and too convoluted a plot.

Calendargirl

Floradora9

I wish I did not remember the back story having read all the books it spoils it a bit . Sadly Peter James the author of the books died recently so no more Banks though there is one yet to be published.

The Grace books were written by Peter James.

The Alan Banks books were written by Peter Robinson, who has died.

Oh I missed the news that Peter Robinson had died.
I remember when he came to do a talk at my local library and he was really interesting; he lived in Canada but spent 6 months each year in Yorkshire writing his latest book.

We enjoyed the programme as we did the books, police work can be involve violence sadly.

Funny how we see things differently. Stephen Tompkinson ruined Alan Banks for me.

I enjoyed Grace. Haven’t read any of the books but agree about the violence before the watershed. I suspect ITV+1 came in handy for some.

I liked the books, but didn’t watch the programme as I hadn’t warmed to John Simms as Grace. He just wasn’t what I’d pictured in my mind.
However, I do like Stephen Tompkinson as Alan Banks.

I think in the books, he wasn’t ‘The Brighton Prowler’, he was ‘The Shoe Man’ as he was obsessed with women’s shoes, and stilettos 👠 became his weapon of choice., not a sex toy.Always took one of the shoes I think, but my memory of the book may not be great.

Too violent for me so I gave up after about 20 minutes. Was very surprised that an assault with a sex toy was mentioned before the 9pm watershed but then I thought the whole thing was too violent for an 8pm start.

It is getting to be ridiculous. Nearly every new show seems to be about murders and violent crime. They must think that is what the public want these days. God help us.

I tried to watch it some time ago but gave up. Like others I am sick of brutal murders, it seems as though everything on TV revolves around violence and murder. There is another thread about the Luther series. More brutality and murder.

Floradora9

I wish I did not remember the back story having read all the books it spoils it a bit . Sadly Peter James the author of the books died recently so no more Banks though there is one yet to be published.

The Grace books were written by Peter James.

The Alan Banks books were written by Peter Robinson, who has died.

I wish I did not remember the back story having read all the books it spoils it a bit . Sadly Peter James the author of the books died recently so no more Banks though there is one yet to be published.

Well, I enjoyed it. I`ve read all the Grace books, I love them too.

Adapted from the books. They are all quite brutal.

I like John Simm too and lived in Brighton when I was a child so hoped I'd enjoy this. However I have found this too violent for me, such a shame.