Banished

www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/11448033/Why-is-Australia-so-ashamed-of-its-founder.html

This is a good review of the series, also looking at the known historical facts.

I would agree with the original OP, but lack of anything else to watch found me with one eye on that and one eye on my knitting!!

It was not at all how I imagined the early days of the penal colony; no depth to it at all, wrongly situated and in fact it had quite a political undercurrent.

The last episode was probably the best but was it true to the historical facts?

Well I enjoyed it! nothing to do with lusting after the Major

I gave up quite early in the series. Apart from depressing the hell out of me, I felt it was going nowhere.

I enjoyed last night's episode - at least it was a relief from the political debate!

I rather like the sergeant
Me too - what else has he been in, he looks familiar.

Tommy didn't ring quite true for me; although he was supposed to be a rough convict, probably Cockney, he looked too upper-class for the part, although I thought he acted it well.
The crashing waves were still very annoying, as was the view out to open sea - they are in Sydney Cove in lovely Sydney Harbour - too much artistic licence for me!

I think they have left it open for another series.

Ignore 'can'!!! I must read a message through more thoroughly before posting!

Well, I can enjoyed it, imperfections (there were many!) and all! The only people I found a tad tedious were the clergyman's wife and 'Mystic Meg'!!!! Apart from that I had a happy hours viewing.

Thank goodness that's finished. I stuck with it, but tonights final episode was so melodramatic. The sound effects of choral music was ludicrous, and to my mind, Russell Tobey is a poor actor, a very flat rendition! If there is a further series, count me out.

It's the magic of film Rosequartz, in answer to your questions, haha.

I don't mind it but I am not looking for historical perfection, or indeed perfection of any kind, it's just a drama series.

I rather like the sergeant !

I am really enjoying it too. I am, however, puzzled by the stilted speech of the convicts, is that the way people spoke in those days?

Anyone else still watching this?
This weeks episode was a very emotional one for so many different reasons, I really enjoyed it, and the acting is good too.

Here it is today, just a couple of hundred+ years later!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Cove#mediaviewer/File:Circularkey.jpg

I thought it was a bit of a wasted opportunity as there is such a wealth of information and a lot of stories recorded about that period. I have read a lot, some non-fiction, some good fiction and some tosh.

Were they supposed to be in Botany Bay or had they moved on to Sydney Cove?
If so, how come they had a lovely beach just down from the camp?
Where were all the other convicts? There only seemed to be a few. I think 11 ships went out in the First Fleet.
Elizabeth Quinn wasn't transported until 1832 so how come she was there in 1788 doing the cooking for all those people?

The First Fleet of 11 ships, each one no larger than a Manly ferry, left Portsmouth in 1787 with more than 1480 men, women and children onboard. Although most were British, there were also African, American and French convicts. After a voyage of three months the First Fleet arrived at Botany Bay on 24 January 1788. Here the Aboriginal people, who had lived in isolation for 40,000 years, met the British in an uneasy stand off at what is now known as Frenchmans Beach at La Perouse.

Or am I just

I`ve just watched it and quite enjoyed it, so will be tuning in next week.

I just watched it and I thought it was okish. Maybe because I'm quite smitten with the dark haired sadistic soldier who was a doctor in Holby a while ago!

I liked it to and am looking forward to the remainder of the series.

I liked it..... even with her magically not sore back and the imperfections

Forgot to video it. Won't bother now as you Gransnetters are usually spot on.

One of the critics (Sam Wollaston) has described Banished as I'm A Convict, Get Me Out of Here, and wonders how Russell Tovey could possibly starve with all those witchetty grubs to go at.

Going back briefly to Supervet, do you remember the characters in (I think) The Fast Show, who were always sort of going off into the wilderness in 4wd vehicles with cries of "Yeah! Let's off road!!" ..............

The ending was ridiculous. She had just been given twenty five lashes, her back was badly cut yet she doesn't flinch as he flings her over his shoulder and strides off no doubt to fling her on her back and have his wicked way with her.

What tosh!

I saw an interview with some of the cast and they said that they didn't think it was historically accurate, just a Jimmy McGovern work of fiction.

DH thought that a gallows was an apt place to get married

I usually like Jimmy McGovern's stuff and I was looking forward to this, but I did find this disappointing and rather ludicrous, grim and overwrought. A lot of it just didn't make sense to me and the hanging scene that suddenly transformed into a marriage scene was, to my mind, quite ridiculous.

I'm not keen on dramas where there are out and out "baddies" and out and out "goodies". It seemed a bit pantomimish to me.

Given that I like the writer so much, I'll give it one more go.

But what about the w word?