When word of a Shane Meadows' and Stephen Graham collab comes out, you take note. The writer and director is known for his viscerally real characters and gut-wrenching storylines, while the actor is often praised as one the best of our time - and if early reviews are anything to go off, The Virtues, is no different.
The four-part Channel 4 drama, which premiered on Wednesday night, follows the story of Joseph - played excellently by Stephen Graham - who falls into despair when his nine-year-old son leaves for Australia with his ex and her new partner.
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Joseph is then forced to confront the demons of his past as he heads to Belfast in Ireland.
Graham - who is fresh from playing John Corbett, an undercover police officer in Line of Duty - has been praised for his performance.
The Virtues was written co-written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne, whose most famous credits belong to 2006's BAFTA-winning This Is England, and draws on Meadow's own traumatic childhood.
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The director revealed to The Guardian that the drama was his first work since dealing with repressed memories of his childhood sexual abuse, something he has since diagnosed with PTSD for.
The Virtues continues on Wednesdays at 9pm on Channel 4
Featured Image Credit: Channel 4Topics: Entertainment News, TV & Film
