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Close To Me begins with Jo Harding (Connie Nielsen) having collapsed, and landed on the floor of the hallway in her house, subsequently hallucinating as she’s wheeled in the hospital. After being discharged, a week or so later, she realises she’s lost the last year of her memories, the last thing she can recall being her son going to University, and thinks it has only just happened.
Taking steps to piece back together her memories, she tries to write out the months of the year on the wall. I know one thing I’d try is to go through old emails and text messages, and seeing what I could recall, but where did she put her phone?
Has Rob (Christopher Eccleston) had an affair, she wonders? Or… has she? Or has no-one? She’s got zero clear recollection of anything! I was Confused.Dom!
In fact, the more the opening episode plays out, the more she learns, and the more she’s confused about why everything normal in life just isn’t making so much sense. Plus, she feels like things are being hidden from her.
By the time I got to the end of the opener, I did rather enjoy it to a degree, but I was left with more questions than answers… clearly to be answered as the series goes on, but it did feel a bit odd. This series has also been shown in full in September, in Sweden, so I wonder why it’s taken two months to come to the UK.
Sweden may seem an odd choice to premiere an English-speaking drama, but there is a brief bit of dialogue within, which I presume was Swedish. However, it is a co-production with the Swedish channel Viaplay.
Close To Me begins on Channel on Sunday November 7th, and after broadcast, each episode is on All 4.
The series can be pre-ordered on Blu-ray and DVD, ahead of its release on December 13th.
Episode 1 Score: 6/10
Director: Michael Samuels
Producer: Alison Sterling
Novel: Amanda Reynolds
Writer: Angela Pell
Cast:
Jo Harding: Connie Nielsen
Rob Harding: Christopher Eccleston
Sash Harding: Rosy McEwen
Finn Harding: Tom Taylor
Mr Hashmi: Oliver Gatz
Wendy: Ellie Haddington
Cathy: Susan Lynch
Owen: Jamie Flatters
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.