The Street

Tuesdays at 10pm from 21st October

Any show involving Jimmy McGovern is sure to be dramatic, poignant and hard-hitting, but with the likes of Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent and Jane Horrocks also on board, it's bound to be very special indeed.

Jimmy McGovern's pedigree as a writer for television is second to none, with a stunning CV and a hard-earned reputation for bringing the lives of ordinary people to the screen without flinching, or whitewashing their everyday struggles. Having cut his teeth on Brookside, it was Jimmy's groundbreaking crime series Cracker that cemented his name for creating TV shows that combine gritty realism with unmissable drama. The Street can now be added to that impressive list of telly triumphs, with Jimmy having overseen the venture and given it its unique flavour.

Set in McGovern's native North-West, The Street is home to a host of very recognisable faces, and characters, whose lives and stories all intertwine. As ever, Jimmy's eye for detail and ability to create an authentic world without resorting to cliché or bland generalisations are in place, and the result is not only a deeply engrossing series, but also an important study of life in modern Britain.

The Street proves that TV drama is just as powerful a medium as film when it's in the right hands, and many of the stars will be familiar faces to fans of British movies. Jane Horrocks' emotional portrayal of Angela Quinn, the mother of three whose extra-marital dalliance leads to a devastating denouement, perfectly sets the tone, not to mention the standard, for the series as a whole.

From Jim Broadbent's flawless portrayal of the retired Stan struggling to cope with life on a paltry pension, to Timothy Spall's life-changing day as a well-meaning cab driver, The Street's light touch and heavy subject matter make for great viewing. As well as featuring well-established stars, the series also showcases the talents of some of the country's finest young actors, with Jody Latham and Christine Bottomley equally impressive as an aspiring footballer and a wife at the end of her tether. An enthralling, important and critically acclaimed series, don't forget to pay a visit to The Street.