I caught the first series of this last year on 4 OD and thought it fantastic. As a history graduate with an ongoing passion for social history I get tired of seeing series with a polite nod to the realities of the day and then taking their characters down some nice 21st century lifestyle & morality trip.Plus, rarely have I come across anything contemporary that takes the point of view of the industrial revolution worker. And they did it so well in this!They managed to really capture the detail of their daily lives. The minutiae of how life actually was for a mill worker at that time. But in a witty, sad or otherwise poignant way.And in to all of this well researched history of conditions & of the Mill in question were wonderfully woven human stories of fellowship, sorrow, courage & cowardice. And the humour attached to the 'small stories'.. wonderful! And some I know have come straight from the archives of the Mill in question (I googled it).The character Esther, or the actress who played her (Kerrie Hayes), or probably a mixture of the two made for compelling viewing especially.I'm very sad there won't be a third series, it's probably because of the reviews about it 'being too grim'. Obviously 'the enlightened' won't accept such subject matter being depicted at any level lower than Oliver The Musical or Eastenders.

This clever Victorian drama set in 1830's England depicts the suffering and hardship of the working person through a time of change. And with great actresses like Kerrie Hayes who plays the role of apprentice Ester Price you can see the hardship those people endured through such difficult times. This drama passes through the events like the abolishment of slavery to the introduction of the poor law and as time moves on in the series we the affects of those events to take hold with the character's and environment. Finally like I mentioned before, this series has some brilliant actors & actresses that reflect hardship and evolution of the way who were poor are treated.

THE MILL is passable but not great. I was hoping it would have the same level of finesse as the many Catherine Cookson adaptations that were made during the 1990s, like THE GAMBLING MAN with Robson Greene, but it looks and feels a lot cheaper than that, and the period detail doesn't really convince. The production values are poor for what it is.Story-wise, it aims to reveal the lives and hardships of the workers in a real-life cotton mill during the 19th century, although of course it can't resist showing us the doings of the owners as well. Unfortunately, after a strong first episode, the series gradually descends into melodrama and becomes way too contrived. Despite the best efforts of the (decent) cast members, the characters never have much chance to develop beyond the obvious roles.The main problem with the production is John Fay's script, which is way too politically sensitive and gets too bogged down in trying to show the viewer some of the big political movements of the time while losing focus of the individuals who really matter. The moment in which an ex-slave is shoehorned into the story to rail against the evils of the slave trade is when this series really lost me, and the final episode never really provides resolution to many of the sub-plots; one main character, played by Kevin McNally, just disappears from the screen! Even some text to explain what happened to each character after the series would have been appreciated.Overall, THE MILL isn't too bad, with performances from the likes of the excellent Kerrie Hayes helping to keep it interesting at the very least. It's just a shame it's so drab and determined to be miserable, so that the highs that do occur amidst the many lows feel false and, well, contrived. Must do better, Mr Fay.

This is a brilliant and very gritty drama. From the moment that I started watching it I immediately wanted to see it again. It gives you a very unflinching image of life during the Industrial Revolution and how the wealth of Britain at the time was made on the back of grinding hardship and poverty. The acting in it is second to none and Kerrie Hayes, as well as being gorgeous, plays Esther Price with such conviction that you could almost be forgiven for thinking that you were watching an actual person as opposed to an actor portraying her. When watching it you really get a feeling for how times were beginning to change and how they were beginning to change for the better in some respects. The main focus of the plot Esther Price's mission to find her true identity is one that makes you really route for her. In the part where she goes looking for her baptism certificate you are sitting there with baited breath for things to work out. The story could be exclusively about her and still be brilliant, it is such good drama.