User Reviews

Daisy Haggard is tremendous in this very unusual, bittersweet dramedy 'back to life,' talk about a different, unusual premise. How to make a woman convicted of a serious crime funny, sincere and likeable. Haggard manages to do all of those things, Miree has served her time, and wanting to get on with life, and rebuild, the trouble for her is that those around her won't let her get in with it.

I binge watched the whole series in one go, as I was so captivated by the character of Miree and her story. Some terrific characters, my favourite being Miree's wayward mother, beautifully played by Geraldine James.

It's like Fleabag in a sense, more drama then humour, but it is quite captivating.

Thoroughly enjoyed. 8/10

We take for granted that much of the technology we use everyday and are used to seeing didn't really exist 18 years ago. This is one of the quirky aspects of life for a woman who was imprisoned as a teenager and now, a woman in her late thirties, who is trying to catch up on what she has missed out on. Trying to rebuild her life, her community and her mother are stuck in the past and won't let her move forward. Darkly comical but sensitively done. Really enjoyable, well acted series.

Nearly gave up on this one early on-- so glad I stuck with it. As the story unfolds the characters' motivations become more clear and, just as in real life, they become so much more human as we begin to see where they're coming from. Funny, biting dark humour helps keep it from becoming a soap opera. Definitely not for everyone but in the course of its three hour run it took me from a point of wondering why I was watching to being a fan of Daisy Haggard's talents. Give it a look if you're a fan of dark British comedy.

Meandering, poignant, tragic, hilarious, cringeworthy, heart warming and so much more. Back to Life is a very British comedy/drama series in dialogue, characters, setting and soul. Highly recommended...

Quirky, funny, poignant, beautifully written, beautifully acted - loved every second.

I really enjoyed this show and how the characters evolved. I hope there will be 3rd season as well. Well written and acted.

BACK TO LIFE bbc 3 uk.

Six part series-1 is a fine piece of work, emotionally pleasing and the best of 2019 English storytelling. The whole air of the series is faded , edge of nation , small town claustrophobia, with amusing lines and situations and characters. Evocative coastline views and the quiet mundane details of English small town life.

Perfect length, 6 half hour episodes to tell the simple story. Some annoyances like the hapless useless investigator. The flaw is that truth at the centre of the story is unlikely to have remained hidden for 18 years, but one must overlook that. Great performances by Daisy Haggard, Geraldine James, Richard Durden, Jo Martin.

An original storyline about a woman returning to her small town after serving a life sentence. There are lots of insightful moments that show how stuck attitudes stop us moving forward. There is an overuse of swearing that jars but the acting, the plot and the painful relationships throughout make it worth watching.

Absolute brillant show! A bit of everything, from comedy, drama, love and suspense. Hoping for a second season

Tonally, I did struggle to nail this one down as the humour can be very subtle. That's my issue and not the fault of the writing.

This 6 part series is charming, moving, funny and at times quite bleak, but is never dull.

Better than Fleabag. Painful and lovely to watch. The stuffing-her-face social worker is a bit 80s over the top, a cliche too much..

It is difficult not to be charmed by Daisy Haggard's portrayal of Miri, a recently released prisoner for a "murder" committed 18 years before. And at the end of the first episode it is difficult to not be excited at finding what appears to be a genuinely new premise for a comedy series. Unfortunately this strong start only made it all the more disappointing when the series degenerated rapidly into a string of cliches, gross improbabilities and characterizations too unreal to be credible.

Standing back and looking objectively it seems to me the root of Back to Life's (BTL's) problem is its structure. There is a reason that the majority of comedies are sitcoms, long running series of individual episodes, each of which has its own self-contained story. It is of course possible to have shorter comedies series such as "The office", "Flight of the Concords" or "The Detectorists" but again while these may have their own overarching story that links the episodes together, each episode also has its own self-contained story. Compared to these standard comedy formats BTL is an anomaly. On the one hand it is supposed to be a comedy but on the other it is also a "who dun it", and while the combination of the two is an interesting and brave idea in my opinion this combination is just never going to work. A thriller is a thriller and a comedy is comedy. Yes it is possible to have a black comedy such as "Killing Eve" or "Lock stock and two smoking Barrels". But BTL is not a black comedy it is essentially two incompatible concepts unnaturally grafted together which makes it very difficult to be belly laughing at bizarre and unreal characters one moment then deadly serious with supposedly real characters and situations the next. It is a bad case of schizophrenia.

To be honest, had it not been for the fact that I was watching this with another person I would have given up at the end of the second episode. Up to then I had absolutely no expectation that the whole murder thing was going to be a recurring theme and was simply expecting the characters to develop. The initial premise, of a "killer" being released back into society is an interesting one but one that palls very, very quickly - there are only so many times (about two) you can show Miri being rejected by society and find it even vaguely amusing. After 2 episodes the whole "Miri rejection" thing became simply a substitute for the time honored "catch phrase" - something that reliably happens at least once an episode and which everyone for some reason is supposed to find funny.

No one expects everything in television to be realistic, especially not in a comedy. But even by these relaxed standards of reality the whole premise of BTL stretches credibly well beyond breaking point. Sorry but it is just not credible that a schoolgirl would have been convicted of murder at all, let alone jailed for 18 years, for what must have clearly at the time been regarded as an accident. Sorry, I know there are some crazy people out there, but I simply refuse to believe we live in a world where people are as consistently horrible as the ones shown in BTL and who, without exception, hurl abuse, paint rude messages on walls, send obscene parcels, paste posters, throw rubbish, etc, etc as they do here. Yet the entire premise of the series relies on that very fact. It is all just a house of cards.

Normally in a comedy series you have at least a few "straight guys". Yes, Seinfeld has its Kramer and friends has its Phoebe but generally speaking most characters are at least not too far away from someone we might all know in reality. In BTL EVERYONE is a whack job, except, ironically, Miri herself. Mandy is a nutter, Miri's ex is a nutter, the woman next door is a nutter, the policewoman is a nutter, Miri's parents start normally and then become nutters, the fish and chip man turns out to be a nutter, the investigator is a nutter, the checkout kid, the entire expletive hurling, rubbish hurling community are nutters. And incredibly, against this ridiculous unrealistic backdrop we are supposed to care about actual, real things such as the parent's relationship and who really did kill Lara. Really? And the whole resolution of why Lara was killed and why that was not established in 5 minutes at the time of death when seemingly everyone knew. Ridiculous.

Call me a prude but I didn't need to hear all the swearing, which is probably the most intensive and obnoxious I have ever heard in any television program, period. There was a time, about 30 years ago, when the appearance of a swear word was, for some reason I never understood, supposed to be funny. It was generally regarded as the sign of a program in desperation trying to make up for a lack of actual humor and brings zero credit to the writers/makers of BTL.

In short, some spectacular talent, and some genuine moments of charm, ultimately undermined by the one-trick premise of Miri being continually abused and by a structure that could not support it.

This is funny, sad, and beautifully written. Acting superb. It is a reminder of human resilience and spirit. If you want to escape for 3 hours I suggest binge watching the six episodes.

This is TV perfection.

Daisy Haggard and Laura Solon have conjured up such a delightful comedy world that it simply takes your breath away at the exquisiteness of it all.

The character acting here is beside itself...

Ade Edmondson - stunning weirdo revenge seeking father of murdered child.

Haggard herself, of course, every bit as good as she was in Breeders, probably better in fact as the open eyed innocent (Miri) returning for 18 years in prison for child murder (wrongly convicted).

Geraldine James, Miri's Mum. Daft as a brush and chastised by her middle class community for having an affair with a much younger man.

Richard Durden gives us an astonishing laugh out loud performance as Miri's Dad, the green crusader who hates his wife for her affair but is trying to forgive her. Comedy gold.

Adeel Akhtar is simply delightful as Miri's maybe-boyfriend and Ice cream Van Owner.

Meera Syall as quiet Adeel's Matriarchal and dominant Indian mother.

There you go, that's six award winning performances to start with, and there are many more.

It's a touchy and dangerous subject but it's not really all that black in its humour. It's observational and has great constructs to play with: Forgiveness leading the way but technology too. Mira hasn't a clue what all this "stuff" is after two decades behind bars and its subtly teased out to the pleasure of us viewers.

Really Daisy Haggard is a national treasure. But both this and Breeders have not been big hits, I can't understand why because both are brilliant.

If either, or both, are new to you then you are in for a very big treat.

Good plot, good characters and very good actors. Thanks for giving me hope.

If you loved Fleabag or Killing Eve, give this a go. Daisy Haggard wrote and stars in this incredibly clever, beautifully written drama. There are moments of comedy and tragedy. I guessed the 'punchline'. I'm not going to spoil it. Watch it. You won't be disappointed.

This bittersweet comedy drama is so close to perfect with wonderful writing and a terrific central performance from Daisy Haggard. The comedy is often very dark but at times laugh out loud funny. There are moments when it's gut wrenchingly sad too. Hoping season two is on the way!

"Back to Life" (2019 release from the UK; 6 episodes of 30 min. each) brings the story of Miri, a woman in her late thirties who tries to adjust "back to life" after serving an 18 yr. prison term. As Episode 1 opens, we shift back and forth between a job interview Miri is doing (and trying to explain--or avoid to explain--the 18 year gap in her resume), and her release from prison, moving back home with her parents in the most awkward of ways (mom hurriedly takes away and hides the kitchen knives, etc.). At this point we are 10 min. into the first episode.

Couple of comments: this TV series is a labor of love from British actress Daisy Haggard (best known in the US for her role in several of the Harry Potter franchise of movies). Haggard created the series and of course stars as Mir. The premise of the series is a simple as can be: a woman tries to reintegrate into society after serving an 18 yr. prison term. It's in the execution of that premise that this series shines: things are far more awkward than we had imagined, even more so as this is set in a small coastal town (think: Bournemouth or Brighton) where everyone knows everyone. And then there is this: WHY did Miri serve such a long prison term? (That is eventually revealed in Episode 3.) Even though this is billed as a "comedy", there really aren't any "laugh out loud" moments. Instead it's a chuckle here and a chuckle there, as we feel empathy for Miri's difficulties on her road "back to life". Please note that "Back to Life" is a British series, and is correlating "Brit-heavy", which for some US viewers may be perplexing or even off-putting. I found it charming (but then again, I grew up in nearby Belgium).

"Back to Life" premiered in the UK this past Spring to critical acclaim, and this is now showing on Showtime (and available on VOD platforms). I have very much enjoyed this mini-series, including for all of its quirkiness and oddities. Haggard shines throughout, and gets great acting support. Here's hoping for a second season of this, as "Back to Life" is a WINNER.

Powerful, darkly hilarious, moving and with strong performances all round, this is a production that does not sugar coat English small town life for an American audience. By contrast the characters are eminently British, raw and genuine and the dull grey of the south east coastline is portrayed without sentiment. "Back to Life" will appeal to anyone who likes fresh unformulaic drama. It revels in a sharp script and hilarious cringe worthy moments. Hats off to the cast who are all exceptional.

Just a short drama in a drab seaside town. Lots going on but 18years in prison in the UK doesn't really exist. Many different characters and with different stories and best to watch episodes back to back as one isn't enough on its own.

Daisy Haggard writes and stars in this hugely entertaining comedy drama, about a woman released from prison after serving a sentence for murdering her best friend 18 years earlier. Out of work and having to live with her parents and still despised by the local community in a sleepy seaside town life is not a bed a roses as she tries to heal the wounds, with her friends and family. Beautifully written with a terrific cast Back to life is one of the best shows of 2019. 9/10

Comedy is totally subjective and I have what I consider as a straightforward approach, if I find something funny I'll laugh at it, if not then I won't.

It's really that simple but what I have discovered with relatively recent comedy shows, is that the definition of what constitutes comedy has drastically changed.

This programme is labelled as a comedy but frankly it is not that at all, it is not remotely funny by any stretch of my imagination.

It is a drama about a young woman Miri Matteson, endeavouring to return to some form of normality in her life.

As viewers we don't know anything about her life other than, what we observe of it as it unfolds before us.

We have clues from the attitudes and reactions of others to her, parents, ex boyfriend, neighbour, and new employer.

These help inform of what she has to cope with every day in simply trying to survive, while we try and discern what her secret really is.

I don't know the actress Daisy Haggard or what else she has done, so I am just going on this particular show.

But I feel for her and can only wish the best for her character, although I have absolutely no idea what she has actually done in her past.

So I have made the connection to her character from her performance as an actress, which I feel is so empathetic. That I want her to succeed and, manage to overcome any obstacles in her path.

Which is why I will continue to watch the entire series to hopefully find answers to her secret, and whether she comes through happily.

On a personal note about TV comedy and the kind of shows , that are served up for our 'Entertainment'.

I am talking about comedy shows that are produced and are screened in the UK, and not American shows.

There appears to be a dearth of writers with a sense of humour, certainly new ones with anything remotely different to offer.

There are great exceptions to this with original ideas, but they do appear to be especially thin on the ground.

What we actually get is writers who may have an Idea for a character and storyline, that could be interesting and engrossing.

But I feel that they make the mistake of trying to hang a label on it, or to squeeze it into a category.

Instead of the writer of this deciding to pigeonhole it as a comedy, and parcel it into half hour time slots. They should simply have considered the story as a whole, a drama in the life Mirri Matteson.

Each episode could have been crafted, to fit and suit the overall storyline.

To my mind TV or rather the attitudes of television companies is far too arbitrary, by creating pigeonholes of 'comedy' and 'drama'.

In the old days certainly of the BBC 'comedy' seemed to have, been labelled as Light Entertainment.

And then they had another category altogether that of Drama, which invariably was more heavy going and 'serious'.

Nowadays there does not appear to be ether comedy, or drama writers of any note.

Instead there are just writers who are frankly neither fish nor fowl, not one thing nor another.

So we get a seemingly plethora of a totally new breed of show/programme, euphemistically called a 'Dramady'.

Honesty I am never entirely sure whether that term is officially acknowledged, by any TV companies.

But to my mind this is the objective reality, of certainly my television viewing experience.

Programmes that are parcelled up and delivered as 'Comedies', but with absolutely no humour whatsoever. And I have to decide whether to ignore the label, and just suck it and see what I make of it.

This is a very English show with a meandering plot-line and a jarring tone that switches from comedy to dark crime thriller. The first episode is strong, introducing a motley crue of unusual characters. The back-story is interesting but there is little narrative thrust, it just goes nowhere. And this aimlessness continues into a pointless second series that is a slog to get through. It's a shame as it has a unique feel but the writing is nowhere up to scratch to keep you involved. Daisy Haggard is a highly actress so I feel bad dismissing her work in this but it feels like a great opportunity wasted.

What a wonderfully done show. The right amount of thoughtful humor coupled with the realities of life. The drama is there but it's such a great telling of a story i didn't feel like that's what it's limited to.