The Driver TV Mini Series Review

5 Star TV Drama, stuck in a rut? Don’t try this at home.

From the Popular TV Director Jamie Payne, (Dr Who, Ashes to Ashes, Primeval) comes a tale of a bored husband stuck in a job he now hates.

The Driver is the superbly told story of the decisions a person makes when they are at the end of their tether and the repercussions for him and his family.

Vince McKee, (David Morrissey, Blitz) works as a taxi driver taking people where they want to go, and those that have been there and are incapable of getting home on their own and don’t even know when they arrive home. Home life isn’t much better as there is an air of disquiet within the family home. Rosalind Mckee, (Claudie Blakley, Gosford Park) has turned to her work-from-home job and her hobby of marathon running, so the house is always ringing to the sound of shoes pounding the treadmill. His daughter Katie (Sacha Parkinson, The Mill) is like most teenage girls with her head in a phone or plugged into a I-pod and on the end of a boys arm.

Whilst out at work he gets a call telling him someone wants a pick up from the other side of town, when he finds out that it is his old mate he readily agrees.

Colin, (Ian Hart, Klondike)  has just got out of prison after doing a long stretch inside. They chew the fat and down the drink as they catch up on each others lives. Col tells him about the guy that he used to work for, The Horse, (Colm Meaney, Con Air) who may need a good driver. Vince declines the offer but takes Col home, much to the annoyance of Ros, who can’t get past the fact that his is a criminal, so Vince hides him in the shed.

The days just seem to get worse and finally he is attacked by two drunken girls who reveal they have no money, then he is hit in the back of the neck with a stiletto heel. It’s the last straw, so he makes the call and he is introduced to Horse, who says he is in and so is Col once again. Vince is given a phone and he will be contacted via that device.

All is well as he does fetch and carry jobs earning him loads of cash that he hides from the family in their sons art box. This is where we find out about Tim (Lewis Rainer, The Rise), who went off to a commune (Cult) five years ago and this is what is wrong with this family, as Ros puts the blame squarely on Vince’s shoulders. But the money makes his job go easier and he starts to enjoy himself, even going as far as paying for driving lessons for Katie and remembering their 18th wedding anniversary (Ros didn’t) but they make the effort an go for a meal, only for Vince to called away by Horse. However, it isn’t Horse, it’s Col, who just wanted company while he does a job for Horse. What happens turns Vince’s stomach as a youth is severely beaten and then thrown into a pit with a barred door. With this event going round in his mind he goes and retrieves the badly injured youth. This is the start of Vince’s problems.

A Fantastic study into the thought processes of a family and its members as things lead into a tree of experiences. Superbly acted by all, fun at times and hard to watch at others. Highly recommended.

Available to Order on DVD Now.