Of course this is excellent professional stuff, shown tonight on BBC 4 to showcase Liz Smith. What was said before here I can only endorse fully and what a surprise to find Ben Kingsley appear quite unexpectedly, as a mini-cab controller, showing early flashes of brilliance. Great BBC Play For Today almost polemic in depth of social anthropology conveyed in simple scenes with sparse but exceptionally naturalistic and believable dialogue.
Scare alert - there is a real yuck moment where Liz Smith is required to massage her old husband's extremely hairy back that must have been revolting for her, the unexpected sacrifice of acting. Bernard Hill turns in as usual a convincing performance as an under the thumb husband to Alison Steadman's control freak.
Old style pubs and seedy streets add to the time capsule value of this production which I thoroughly enjoyed, an unexpected treat as I had never heard of this at all before.