Moving On - TV review

But why Jimmy McGovern's series Moving On is slotted in at 2.15pm – a time when only stay-at-home parents, part-timers and the unemployed can watch – I'll never know.

On a night where there is frankly nothing of note to watch (a choice of River Monsters, Supersize vs Superskinny and Holby City doesn't really have me curling up on the sofa with a glass of wine ready for an evening's riveting viewing), this television gem should be given a prime time slot, not hidden away in the wilderness of daytime TV.

But thanks to the technological wizardry that is Sky+, those of us that work don't have to miss out on this little nugget of television gold.

Moving On, as its name suggests, is a series of dramas linked by the common theme of people moving on from an episode in their lives. It is brought to our screens by Bafta-winning script-writer McGovern, who was also behind such slice-of-life classics as Accused, The Street, The Lakes and, way back in the early days, some episodes of Brookside.

His 'snapshot of real life' approach is a tried and tested formula which has proved a huge success and it is used to great effect here.

This is the fourth series of Moving On, consisting of five episodes shown on consecutive days. Yesterday's was the second episode, called Visiting Order and, having watched and loved the previous series, it did not disappoint, meeting all my high expectations.

A tell-tale sign of a McGovern drama is always the host of familiar faces on the cast list.

Yesterday's episode was a little short on these with only Rob James-Collier, late of Coronation Street, being instantly recognisable. But just because the other stars aren't well known doesn't mean the quality of acting suffers – it's quite the opposite in this case.

We are introduced to Liv, a Norwegian national living in Wigan with her two young sons, and working as a housing officer for vulnerable adults.

But she has a big secret which she even keeps from her sons.

Every week she visits her father Kris in prison where he is serving a long-term sentence for drug trafficking.

We learn that she has been visiting him since the age of 12. At some point, her mother has returned to Oslo and she is now his sole visitor. But he is not interested in her life or her children, choosing to plan a day release with 'the guys' rather than spend time with his family.

When she meets and falls for supply teacher Aiden, Liv finds a real chance at happiness, but she is ashamed of her father and lies, saying he is dead.

Gradually she finds the strength to stand up to him, letting him know how unhappy she is at his selfishness and finally admitting his existence to Aiden.

The episode ends on a positive note as we see her moving on from the isolation she found herself in to the freedom of being totally honest with her sons, father and Aiden.

On paper, the storyline is in danger of bordering on the twee and sentimental, but in the hands of McGovern and his well-chosen cast, it is presented in such a realistic cliche-free way that the viewer can't help but become emotionally engaged with the characters and in the plot. In contrast to the other prime time shows on last night, it was riveting viewing.

The only thing that isn't realistic is the lack of swearing, but that is just another downside of being on at 2.15pm.

Sally-Anne Youll