0/5

Our House

A good cast is wasted in a UK melodrama that promised much more than it delivers.

If you ever needed a reminder that good actors can still wind up in rubbish then Our House is here for your consideration.

This 4 part UK drama stars Martin Compston (Line of Duty), Tuppence Middleton (Black Mirror, The Defeated) & Rupert Penry-Jones (Spooks) and presents as a “gripping story of intrigue, conspiracy and betrayal.”

Tuppence Middleton plays young mother Fi Lawson who returns one home to find strangers moving into her stately home. Infuriated and confused she becomes even more speechless to find her possessions gone and replaced by boxes deposited by removalists.

‘New owner’ Lucy (Dinita Gohil) insists she has the paperwork and refuses to budge. But while calls from Fi to her husband Bram (Martin Compston) go unanswered, viewers are transported to flashbacks of the happy couple moving in and falling apart.

These scenes constitute around 50% of the story, becoming more and more detailed around a marriage split and an agreement to ‘bird nest’ their home for the sake of their childen. This sees each agree to rotate parenting in the home and live elsewhere for alternate periods.

Flashback scenes are juxtaposed with the present-day in which Fi is still arguing with Lucy over rightful ownership -the latter scene even extends into the second episode which is a helluva suspension of real time for the viewer.

The various twists and turns ramp up the melodrama but not in a good way. Added to this there are some weak performances from supporting cast and signposted plot moves.

It’s a shame because aside from some actors of note the premise itself, adapted from a novel by Louise Candlish, is rather fun. But it feels like it shoul be an episode of a mystery anthology rather than this drawn out dross.

Check your brain at the door and be prepared for a silly melodrama if you take up tenancy on this one.

8:30pm Wednesday on BBC First.

9 Responses

  1. I watched this a couple of months ago on a streaming site and did enjoy it as a leave-your-brain-at-the-door melodrama, which is all I’m really capable of viewing due to life stuff. My big problem was that the wrap-up was underwhelming; felt like a differently story entirely to the rest of the show. I’ve not read the book, but I’ve read other books by Louise Candlish, and they all have similarly had trouble sticking the landing. I’d love to see “Those People” by her adapted to TV. It’s a fun neighbours-from-hell story.

  2. I really wanted to enjoy this. I love Tuppence Middleton and thought the premise was interesting. There was even a case of this happening to someone in Perth about 10 years ago. The problem was it just descended into stupidity far too quickly and just got worse after that.

  3. The name reminded me of the former Channel Nine lifestyle program Our House, with the late Shirley Strachan as host. A potential for a Friday flashback one day.

      1. Look it was good to me, i take it for what it is, Television. Of course it was a wee bit far fetched, but it has probably happened to some poor sole somewhere in the world.

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