Write about what you know they say. Or failing that get some writers in to write about what you know. In The Long Run, set on a London council estate in the 1980s is based on the childhood of its star Idris Elba. And it is pretty good.
Once you have the set-up In The Long Run hits the ground running. Elba plays Walter Easmon, a hard-working family man who takes in his ne'er do well brother Valentine (Jimmy Akingbola). Cue lots of beige-y brown wallpaper and furniture, add some comedic scrapes and a little light dusting of racism.
In the first episode we also meet Walter's upstairs neighbour Bagpipes played well by Bill Bailey. Walter runs upstairs when there are drops coming through the ceiling. Bagpipes is in the shower we are told, but the makers missed a comic trick - he is in his dressing gown by the time Walter arrives. Maybe Bailey has a strict "no-nipples" clause in his contract.
Walter has to go off on the nightshift but Valentine is soon making new friends in the local pub until Walter's son Kobna (Sammy Kamara) has an asthma attack and the mood changes. Not for long though. The overall tone is decidedly upbeat. Period music punctuates the action. I assume at one point we will hear some Madness – the title presumably comes from their song Yesterday's Men - "it must get better in the long run".
The programme certainly doesn't shy away from racism, with a neighbour talking about "Coloureds" and a friendly greeting from new arrival Valentine being met with a "Faaack off", but in the first episode it is very much in the background, in the same way that we only see the Brixton riots on the television.
Strong performances all round, particularly Madeline Appiah as mum Agnes, great music, good script by Elba, Grace Ofori-Attah, Claire Downes, Ian Jarvis and Stuart Lane. Some potentially interesting plotlines are set up in the first of six episodes. It'll be interesting to see how they play out.
In The Long Run, Sky One, Thursdays, 10pm from March 29 and all episodes available online on Sky and streaming on NOW TV.
