cathy-rowson I caught the first series of this last year on 4 OD and thought it fantastic. As a history graduate with an ongoing passion for social history I get tired of seeing series with a polite nod to the realities of the day and then taking their characters down some nice 21st century lifestyle & morality trip.Plus, rarely have I come across anything contemporary that takes the point of view of the industrial revolution worker. And they did it so well in this!They managed to really capture the detail of their daily lives. The minutiae of how life actually was for a mill worker at that time. But in a witty, sad or otherwise poignant way.And in to all of this well researched history of conditions & of the Mill in question were wonderfully woven human stories of fellowship, sorrow, courage & cowardice. And the humour attached to the 'small stories'.. wonderful! And some I know have come straight from the archives of the Mill in question (I googled it).The character Esther, or the actress who played her (Kerrie Hayes), or probably a mixture of the two made for compelling viewing especially.I'm very sad there won't be a third series, it's probably because of the reviews about it 'being too grim'. Obviously 'the enlightened' won't accept such subject matter being depicted at any level lower than Oliver The Musical or Eastenders.

moonmom-295-621699 I think that women may respond to this amazing drama, more than men...more's the pity. It addresses the kind of oppression women, children and the poor have faced throughout time. It takes a moment of one such time and speaks volumes about many others like it. An intimate snapshot into something deeply relatable to many. Even with such a dark topic this story is uplifting, because it is true to human nature. The acting is superb, the writing intelligent and the cinematography gorgeous. It was altogether deeply satisfying.Personally I find it intriguing that most women's history, if not contained within the political arena is considered historical fiction. I suppose this series is a work of fiction but it is based on the true experiences of the voiceless, nameless, brave people who suffered through such hard times. More a fictionalized truth, truer than what may lay in the pages of history books. The people who write history are the victors, the politicians, the wealthy. Mostly if not always educated men. This bias is so deep that few lasting memoirs exist about the lives of common people. And yet most of us are still common, and more then half are women.I have sat through countless media and fiction that centers around the male experience. I find it elating that many new series are giving equal time to the plot development of the lives of women, and women not as victims of violence but of circumstance.I think this story rocks. It is definitely a 10 star series.

Anton arenko This clever Victorian drama set in 1830's England depicts the suffering and hardship of the working person through a time of change. And with great actresses like Kerrie Hayes who plays the role of apprentice Ester Price you can see the hardship those people endured through such difficult times. This drama passes through the events like the abolishment of slavery to the introduction of the poor law and as time moves on in the series we the affects of those events to take hold with the character's and environment. Finally like I mentioned before, this series has some brilliant actors & actresses that reflect hardship and evolution of the way who were poor are treated.

Leofwine_draca THE MILL is passable but not great. I was hoping it would have the same level of finesse as the many Catherine Cookson adaptations that were made during the 1990s, like THE GAMBLING MAN with Robson Greene, but it looks and feels a lot cheaper than that, and the period detail doesn't really convince. The production values are poor for what it is.Story-wise, it aims to reveal the lives and hardships of the workers in a real-life cotton mill during the 19th century, although of course it can't resist showing us the doings of the owners as well. Unfortunately, after a strong first episode, the series gradually descends into melodrama and becomes way too contrived. Despite the best efforts of the (decent) cast members, the characters never have much chance to develop beyond the obvious roles.The main problem with the production is John Fay's script, which is way too politically sensitive and gets too bogged down in trying to show the viewer some of the big political movements of the time while losing focus of the individuals who really matter. The moment in which an ex-slave is shoehorned into the story to rail against the evils of the slave trade is when this series really lost me, and the final episode never really provides resolution to many of the sub-plots; one main character, played by Kevin McNally, just disappears from the screen! Even some text to explain what happened to each character after the series would have been appreciated.Overall, THE MILL isn't too bad, with performances from the likes of the excellent Kerrie Hayes helping to keep it interesting at the very least. It's just a shame it's so drab and determined to be miserable, so that the highs that do occur amidst the many lows feel false and, well, contrived. Must do better, Mr Fay.