Skip to content
No Return does feel a bit like Groundhog Day. We’re only just into February, and this year, it’s the third multi-part drama we’ve had on TV in 2022 starring Sheridan Smith in the lead role, following BBC1’s Four Lives and Channel 5’s The Teacher. I don’t know if she filmed them all around the same time, or it’s just the way they’ve been scheduled.
Kathy (Smith) and her family go on holiday with another family, to an all-inclusive resort in Turkey. Before long, son Noah (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) goes out for a date with Rosie, who he meets while out there. He gets back late, and everything seems fine at first… but the whole family get a rude awakening in the middle of the night when the police thump at the door and arrest him, with it transpiring that he’s sexually assaulted another boy.
I’m posting this review after the first episode has aired, and apart from the fact that the lawyer they have to deal with is a joke, as well as rather a Flash Harry, I’m not going to detail any potential evidence that comes us, as you can watch the programme, yourself, for that.
However, it’s safe to say that this opener doesn’t really give us too much to go on, and feels quite pedestrian in the telling. I do hope it improves. Unlike the Channel 5 drama, this one is weekly, rather than nightly. Also, where last week, Sheridan’s character in The Teacher was accused of being invovled with a young lad, this week, the same has happened to her character’s son.
As an aside, the hotel balconies aren’t family-friendly, as there’s no railings over them to stop kids from climbing up. Maybe that was filmed somewhere to which residents wouldn’t normally have access, just so it can give an unrestricted view of the location in the background.
As No Return is a weekly drama, if it’s all on the ITV Hub from day one, then I may check out more in advance of the next episode airing normally. If I have to wait a week, then given that I’m not massively sold on this from the opener, I may well skip it.
UPDATE Episode 2:
UPDATE Episode 3:
UPDATE Episode 4:
No Return continues next Monday at 9pm. The whole series is now on the ITV Hub. It’s not yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD.
Episode 1 Score: 4/10
Episode 2 Score: 5/10
Episode 3 Score: 4/10
Episode 4 Score: 6/10
Director: John Alexander
Producer: Farah Abushwesha
Writer: Daniel Brocklehurst
Music: Adrian Johnston
Cast:
Kathy: Sheridan Smith
Noah: Louis Ashbourne Serkis
Martin: Michael Jibson
Megan: Sian Brooke
Ismail: Murat Seven
Steve: David Mumeni
Fred: Jack Chorley
Jessica: Lily Sutcliffe
Rico Karvalci: Philip Arditti
Zeph: Maximilian Henhappel
Demir: Atilla Akinci
Hayley: Funlola Olufunwa
Batur: Sarp Doga Celik
Brendan: Alan McKenna
Tara: Jade Jordan
Reynan: Rosie Hilal
Dectective Ozal: Nathan Altai
Derya Soylu: Elif Knight
Judge Ersoy: Cosh Omar
Maria Pandolis: Dilek Rose
Milo: Adrián Baena
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.