Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Yaamin Chowdhury, Reece Ritchie, Jasmin Jobson, Toby Regbo, Tábata Cerezo, Rhiannon Clements, Cleo Sylvestre, Phil Davis, Sacha Parkinson, Natasha Joseph, Aimée Kelly, Patrick Robinson, Lisa Allen, Melanie Gutteridge, Mark Noble, Emily Carey, Beru Tesseme, Caroline Koziol, Dominic Doughty, Lauren Darbyshire, Lladel Bryant, Victoria Myers, Sophia Rowlands, Adam Long, Nathan Graham, Joe Standerline, Jasmine Bayes, Gerard Fletcher, Margaret Clunie, Moey Hassan, Marvyn Dickinson.
A ghost or supernatural story that enlightens is as close to the premise set down by the like of Charles Dickens across his collection of works as a staple of the genre, and in true fashion the sense of exploration in the emotional resonance that such other worlds can convey, what the television voyeur finds in the television drama Platform 7 is a credible and enjoyable warning that revenge from beyond the grave can be a given, can be attained.
Of course the idea of spectral investigations is the stuff that television, radio, and the world of the author can justify in terms of taking the viewer to a place of imaginary vengeance on those that have wronged us in life, but it does require a fantastic premise in which to sell the idea of how we see the spiritual realm; especially in the face of overwhelming evidence that a violent ending can leave energy that pushes at the edges of our belief.
Platform 7 is a belief in consequences, one driven by the classic behaviour of coercive narcissistic control, and that argues strongly in the ethereal sense of the detective being able to pool resources that exposes the past and harrowing crimes that many suffer.
The audience themselves have been immersed in robust explanations and the signs of such damaging narrative, and it takes an imaginative leap to showcase the story in such a way that it feels fresh, demanding, and enquiring way that it gives chills watching a man reveal their true intentions in a way that reminds the viewer of the grotesque insanity that was evident in the classic characters of Jekyll and Hyde.
It is to Toby Regbo as the antagonist Matthew Goodson and Jasmine Jobson as Lisa Evans that steal the scenes, and alongside Phil Davis who gives presence as a recent suicide case and whose secrets are monumentally disturbing, the four-part series written by Paula Milne and adapted from Louise Doughty’s novel is one of absorbing countenance, the expression of death and its reveal of life is ominous and well-crafted distressing nature.
A fine series, well-acted, set out from the start with intent, Platform 7 is a reminder to all of the dangers of coercive control.
Ian D. Hall