DVD Review by Maggie Woods

Cape Wrath

SUPPOSING YOU'D SEEN SOME-THING you wish you hadn't. Something that could have serious repercussions for you and your family. So they put you on the Witness Protection Programme, change your names, tell you to forget the past and move you away to a place where they assure you you'll be safe.

Enter the Brogans in the drama series Cape Wrath. Or rather, the family who have become the Brogans. Attractive Evelyn, husband Danny, deeply disturbed son Mark and his troubled twin sister Zoë — all trying to put the past behind them in a seemingly pleasant and exclusive development called Meadowlands.

Meadowlands is a hotbed of sexual repression — some a little less repressed than others! Take Brenda, the frustrated and lonely widow next door, her daughter Jezebel — and an unlikely womaniser in the guise of handyman Jack (of all trades) Donnelly.

There's the apparently sadistic police officer who suffers hallucinations; and Danny's 'handler' Samantha, who hangs out at an orange-coloured motel who may not be all she seems. Then there's the local doctor, David — who is attracted to Evelyn — and his neglected wife Abigail. And the mysterious Tom.

The sinister undertones keep you guessing and everybody is a suspect. Flashbacks hint at past lives. But if you live in Meadowlands you don't mention the past, don't think about leaving and in return, you are assured of safety. Samantha tells Evelyn: "I make sure the cards fall kindly for you and Danny."

But does she? And are they as safe as everyone insists they are? The Brogans soon discover that everyone in Meadowlands has their own secrets — and a growing paranoia threatens even the tendrils of their happiness as their new life turns into a nightmare.

A series of curious incidents and strange phone calls add to the in-trigue. Sooner or later someone will want to start digging. Digging to find a body; or to discover the truth. What hold did Jack have over Abigail? What is really going on in Meadowlands? And what is Cape Wrath? The truth is shocking.

The acting is believable — especially Lucy Cohu as Evelyn and the marvellous Melanie Hill as Brenda. Some of the lines are a treat — when Danny says: "They're just like us", Evelyn responds: "What—miserable, paranoid and dysfunctional?" and Tom: "The past is not another country. It's another planet."

Cape Wrath is directed by Duane Clark (CSI), Andrew Gunn (Life on Mars) and Paul Walker (Shameless). Produced by Caroline Levy and written by Robert Murphy (Murder City, Rebus, Losing Gemma), Cape Wrath stars David Morrissey (The Deal, State of Play, Blackpool) and Lucy Cohu (Becoming Jane, The Queen's Sister).

In a world where deep suspicion lurks at every corner, Cape Wrath explores the nature of identity and memory, asking if anyone can ever really wipe the slate clean. The plot twists and turns, leading you up one trail before ending up in another. In spite of the sometimes unnecessary graphic violence — not much, thank goodness — you just won't want to stop watching.

To complement the series, the DVD includes a fascinating Behind the Scenes featurette and a commentary with director Duane Clark.

• Cape Wrath is available now, priced at £24.99 (2 discs | Cat no: 2EDVD0157).

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