The series is about the UK during the summer of 1958, about Samuel Petrukhin, a Jewish inventor and businessman. Samuel was a Russian-born and specialized in manufacturing hearing aids. In that difficult period after the Soviet launch of the first intercontinental ballistic missile, life turned into real fear when the space race began and fear spread the lives of everyone unexpectedly.
Hallelujah! At last the BBC have commissioned a Stephen Poliakoff series that makes you want to come back for episode two (and hopefully all six), thanks to a powerful cast making the most of some perceptively-written roles.
At times the drama and script feel a little hammy and there's some clunky exposition, but with typical skill Poliakoff also lays down some promisingly mysterious threads you'll want to pull on.
Usually the characters are too chilly, too unsettling, with his strange, stilted dialogue in their mouths. But the Petrukhins seem warmer, and more engaging, than usual.
The cast worked hard to tether the rarefied thing to reality. A restrained, enigmatic Stephens reminded us why he was once so feted, Hawes was as reliable as always and Roache appealingly erratic.
