The Moorside: Sheridan Smith drama praised by critics

8 February 2017

Sheridan Smith — Image caption,
Sheridan Smith plays Julie Bushby, the mother who led the community search for missing Shannon

The first episode of BBC One drama The Moorside, which stars Sheridan Smith, has been warmly received by critics.

The series tells the true story of the disappearance of Shannon Matthews and the repercussions on the local community.

Shannon was found 24 days after she went missing from her home in Dewsbury in 2008.

The first episode of the two-part series was watched by an average of 7.2 million viewers on Tuesday evening.

Read some of the reviews below:

Metro's review: Despite its dark backstory, The Moorside was a surprisingly hopeful drama which celebrated the strength of the human spirit, and particularly women, in the bleakest circumstances.

The Telegraph's review: It is Smith's honesty and sensitivity that makes her such an exceptional performer, and those qualities led to another scorching performance

The Independent's review: It is a tale that bears sympathetic retelling, and this it has had. The writing, direction and casting bring the whole miserable episode vividly back to life.

The Times's review: The production veers towards satire, or even poverty porn. Yet it is so precisely written and naturalistically acted that empathy corrects the drift.

The Daily Mail's review: As community organiser and single mother Julie Bushby, Sheridan was as inspirational as she was intimidating.

The Guardian's review: It's getting boring, plus hard to avoid cliches, when gushing about Smith - her range, her extraordinary humanness, her ability not just to play someone but to inhabit them, to be heroic without being sentimental

Radio Times's review: It perfectly captures the collective feeling of anxiety when a crime like that shakes a small community.

Read the full reviews from The Telegraph, external, Metro, external, The Daily Mail, external, Radio Times, external, The Independent, external, The Guardian, external and The Times, external.

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Around the BBC

The Moorside's Executive producer Jeff Pope talks to Front Row