The
lowdown: 'The Street' is an award-winning British drama
series that was broadcast on BBC1 between 13 April
2006 and 17 August 2009.
A total of 18 episodes were made, comprising three seasons, and each episode
focuses
on the members one family
living in a typical street in Manchester. Many characters are in more than
one episode,
although generally only
in brief appearances except for "their" story. The exceptions are Eddie
and Margie McEvoy
(Timothy Spall and Ger Ryan),
a couple who are the focus of one episode in each season. Spall is in 9
episodes in
total, while Ryan is in
6. Other well-known actors who appear in the series include Jim Broadbent,
Bob Hoskins and
Mark Benton (Clive in 'Rose'
way back in 2005). Written by the great Jimmy McGovern, the series was
a gritty look
at ordinary people's lives
as they deal with issues such as infidelity, domestic violence, prejudice,
homosexuality,
identity theft and true
love.
The
episode: Matt Smith features as Ian Hanley in the fourth
episode of series two, which was first broadcast on 29
November 2007, although
he appeared briefly in several scenes in the previous episode. Hanley lives
with his mother
and his sister, and enjoys
going out with his friends. His father has been arrested for selling heroin,
and is being held
on remand in prison until
his trial. Ian's cousin Gary, who lives with his parents across the road
from the Hanleys, is
about to join the Navy,
so he goes to a nightclub with Ian. However, Ian decides to leave early.
Gary follows and they
catch a taxi but when Gary
needs to be sick the driver gets angry and Gary assaults him. He flees
the scene, leaving
Ian to assist the badly-beaten
taxi driver. The police assume that he was the assailant and he is arrested.
He denies
that he had any involvement
in the assault, but he refuses to tell the police that Gary was responsible.
Gary's mother
realises what happened but
insists on protecting her son, even if it means her nephew goes to jail
for a crime he did
not commit. The driver dies
and the police arrest Ian. Gary's father walks out in disgust over his
wife's willingness to
let an innocent man face
a murder charge. He convinces Gary to do the right thing, who turns
himself in the police.
The final scene sees Ian
return home to his mother, while his aunt looks on.
Video
clips: Taxi driver
5.0mb Police
interview 2.6mb
Ian and Gary 3.7mb
Video
clips: Ian's
father 5.0mb
Ian is arrested
5.9mb |
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