''Exile'' is a British psychological thriller

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

dealing with the topic of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

against a background of

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

. It stars

John Simm John Ronald Simm (born 10 July 1970) is an English actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Sam Tyler in ''Life on Mars'', the Master in ''Doctor Who,'' and DS Roy Grace in ''Grace.'' His other television credits include '' ...

and

Jim Broadbent James Broadbent (born 24 May 1949) is an English actor. A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 1972, he came to prominence as a character actor for his many roles in film and television. He has received various accolades ...

and was broadcast on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

. The series received varyingly positive reviews.

received a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

nomination for his role as Tom Ronstadt, as did the director John Alexander.

Cast

as Tom Ronstadt *

as Sam Ronstadt *

Olivia Colman Sarah Caroline Sinclair ( Colman; born 30 January 1974), known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Award ...

as Nancy Ronstadt *

Claire Goose Claire Goose is a Scottish actress who first gained attention playing Tina Seabrook on the long-running BBC One medical drama '' Casualty'' (1997–2000). Her other roles include DS "Mel" Silver in '' Waking the Dead'' (2000–2007), Insp. ...

as Mandy Jackson *

Nico Mirallegro Nico Cristian Mirallegro ( ; born 26 January 1991) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Barry "Newt" Newton in the soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' (2007–2010), Finn Nelson in ''My Mad Fat Diary'' (2013–2015), Joe Middleton in ...

as Teenage Tom Ronstadt *

Shaun Dooley Shaun Dooley is an English actor, narrator and voice-over artist. Early life and career Dooley attended Barnsley Youth Theatre in 1989 before going on to study at the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester between 1992 and 1995. Dooley's ...

as Mike Eldridge * Daryl Fishwick as Wendy Strawbridge *

Kate Magowan Katie Victoria "Kate" Magowan (born 1 June 1975) is an English actress and producer. Her film and television roles include Yvette in ''24 Hour Party People'' (2002), Sonya in '' It's All Gone Pete Tong'' (2004), Princess Una in '' Stardust'' (20 ...

as Jane Dutton *

Timothy West Timothy Lancaster West (20 October 1934 – 12 November 2024) was an English actor with a long and varied career across theatre, film, and television. He began acting in repertory theatres in the 1950s before making his London stage debut in 19 ...

as Metzler *

Allan Corduner Allan Corduner (; born 2 April 1950) is a British actor. Born in Stockholm to a German mother and a Russo-Finnish father, Corduner grew up in a secular Jewish home in London. After earning a BA (Hons) in English and Drama at Bristol University ...

as Geller * Abby Greenhalgh as Hayley Cousins * John-Paul Hurley as Kevin Richardson *

Ned Dennehy Ned Dennehy (born 8 December 1965) is an Irish actor in films and television. His credits include ''The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog'' (1998), '' Blitz'' (2011), ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'', '' Downhill'' (2014), '' Luther ...

as Ricky Llewelyn *

Denise Black Denise Black (born 16 March 1958) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles in ''Coronation Street'' and ''Emmerdale''. Early life and career Black was born in Emsworth, Hampshire. After attending Portsmouth High School for Gir ...

as Belinda Pocock * Alex Clayton as Young Tom Ronstadt

Episodes

Reception

In mostly positive reviews, script and performances were praised, with criticism directed toward clichéd elements of the story. Reviewing the first episode,

Amol Rajan Amol Rajan (, ; born 4 July 1983) is an Indian–British journalist, broadcaster and writer working in the United Kingdom. Formerly the media editor of BBC News, he has been a presenter on the '' Today'' programme on BBC Radio 4 since 2021 and ...

of ''The Independent'' found the storytelling "glorious", and that "it engaged very directly with highly topical issues." He stated that Broadbent confirmed "his position alongside Ian McKellen, John Hurt and Michael Gambon as one of the greatest English actors of his generation", and praised the "outstanding performances, from a bewitching John Simm (playing his son Tom) and the reliably wonderful Olivia Colman (his daughter Nancy)." ''The Daily Telegraph'' referred to the series as "a powerful family drama trapped inside a clichéd tabloid thriller", and "so close to being brilliant. Instead, it was more of the same." But the review praised the "magnificent performances by Broadbent as a man in the grip of Alzheimer's, and Olivia Colman as the daughter left alone to cope with it, seeing her life passing before her, and Simm's Tom driving back into their lives cursing the emptiness of his London media career ... ''The Guardian'' review found "only a few missteps in Danny Brocklehurst's otherwise impeccable script", and part of the series "too pat", with "by-numbers triumphalism", but praised "the ingenious conceit of a mystery story in which the quest for the truth is foiled by an Alzheimer's sufferer catalysed a well-plotted drama, executed without exploitativeness and, in Simm's case, played more tenderly than I'd have thought him capable."Jeffries, Stuart (4 May 2011)
"TV review: Exile"

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

. ''Radio Times' Alison Graham wrote'', "A tremendous piece of drama; subtle, intelligent, powerful and adult. Writer Danny Brocklehurst and creator Paul Abbott have achieved something wonderful by blending a touching human story with a riveting thriller. This is as good as TV drama can be.. On every level Exile delivers." ''Caitlin Moran, The Times, 7 May, On TV.'' "Danny Brocklehurst's script shamed most of his peers - keeping the dialogue real, yet without pouring out the can marked Genuine Real Northern Dialogue. Minute by minute this was exhilaratingly good television. It's hard to know at whom to throw the greatest plaudits. There wasn't a single thing wrong with this programme."

References

External links

* * {{Danny Brocklehurst BBC television dramas 2010s British drama television series 2011 British television series debuts 2011 British television series endings BBC high definition shows British thriller television series 2010s British television miniseries British English-language television shows Television shows set in the United Kingdom Television series created by Danny Brocklehurst Television series created by Paul Abbott