Guilt. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Mark Bonnar, Jamie Sives, Ruth Bradley, Sian Brooke, Ellie Haddington, Emun Elliott, Moyo Akande, Bill Paterson, Gregor Firth, Noof McEwan, Tom Urie, Joe Donnelly, Gordon Brown, Natali McCleary, Michael Nardone.

The guilt we carry over one seemingly random accident is normally a product of time, of all the wrongs we have committed, the slanders, the lies, the moments in which we went against the greater good and lined our own pockets with sentiment and mealy-mouthed praise. Guilt eats you alive and devours you with disturbing eagerness, and when it finally catches up with you it leaves no trace but hopeful shame rotting in the place where your soul should be.

Owning up to guilt can be a release, however as the four-part series Guilt shows with discerning observation and reliable dark humour, remorse is one that can be avoided as long as everything falls into place as you predict.

Neil Forsyth’s examination of two brothers, whose own relationship is fraught and fractured at best, is given that one moment in which to do the right thing becomes an impossibility but also one of potential for advancement and under the direction of Robert McKillop is one that is an eye-opener on how complex a lie can suddenly become.

The narrative of Guilt is one that explores the complexity of how we deal with the emotional response, for some it can be a reason to admit all, to consider the depths they have crawled upon, for others it can become the first trumpet sound of confidence being installed, of hope being reimagined in their eyes. Guilt may have its premise in two brothers dealing with the aftermath of an avoidable accident, but it is to those around them that the ripples of their cover up and concealment affects.

Mark Bonnar and Jamie Sives play off against each as Max and Jake McCall with resilient cool, their demeanour always open, their performance in each other’s company, willing and delightful but it is also in the actions of the supporting cast that make the story one of gravitas and enjoyable mystery. In Ellie Haddington the pair have a nemesis following her own guilt-ridden pursuit and with Sian Brooke as Max’s wife, Claire, coming to terms with her own feelings and sexual conscience and Bill Paterson dealing out the physical torment as the local Edinburgh gangster, Guilt is a story of naivety lost in the wake of blame and corruption.

A remarkably well delivered serial, one that thankfully has left the door open for a return, one that will surely be eagerly called for.

Ian D. Hall