Originally published by L.S. Media. June 21st 2012.L.S. Media Rating *****Cast: David Morrissey, Gemma Chan, Jo Woodcock, Kaya Scodelario, Neil Bell.

The final part of True Love centred on a divorced father who was willing to go the extra mile for that someone special. If Sandra, the previous episode was the weak chain in the five part series, then writer Dominic Savage pulled out all the stops to make Adrian a tour de force that really could have gone on for a lot longer than the half hour allotted to it.

David Morrissey, like David Tennant before him in the episode Nick, really can pick and choose the acting jobs he takes, whether it’s playing Macbeth at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre, Blackpool or even a Christmas special of perennial favourite Doctor Who, he always seems to pick the ones that offer him the most scope to fully enjoy the part and to really get to something that pulls emotionally, not just to him but to the viewer as well.

This episode is neatly framed by Adrian finding love over the internet, a modern day phenomenon that is ridiculed slightly by his fellow taxi driving friend who suggests meeting girls in pubs, the old fashioned way.

Once his Hong Kong girlfriend finally comes to Britain, it is not the culture difference that threatens to divide the pair but the jealous feelings of his daughter’s friend. If anyone had uncomfortable feelings with the age difference and boundaries being crossed in terms of teacher-pupil relationships in Holly, then the feelings of abject despair that followed as the viewers were shown the very poor passes made by the young girl and the near destruction she causes after Adrian does the right thing by rebuffing her advances was chilling and supremely acted by both David Morrissey and Jo Woodcock. It also brought into sharp focus, Ms. Woodcock’s and Ms. Scodelario’s talk of what is perceived to be unnatural when forming a relationship with an older person.

David Morrissey was on top form as his world threated to fall in himself just as he could finally see a way out of loneliness and the despair of tower block living was a genuine visual joy. His happiness was almost palpable and in this alone made Adrian a very believable character and an excellent half hours-worth of television.

Ian D. Hall