Why Last Tango in Halifax isn't just for old people

Sally Wainwright's BBC One series might centre around a 70-year old couple - but age doesn't matter when the drama is as good as this says Kasia Delgado.

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Radio Times review

Caroline has to adapt to her dramatic new family circumstances and she's finding it hard, but for once her mum Celia is kind and sympathetic. Of course, Celia refused to attend her daughter's wedding to Kate, but life ebbs and flows, and grievances can't be nursed for long.

Writer Sally Wainwright is so gifted and assured when it comes to calling out to our emotions: no one is more precise at picking apart the mechanics of relationships, particularly relationships between women. She's blessed with a great cast and there are some scenes tonight between Anne Reid and Sarah Lancashire (Celia and Caroline) that will take away pieces of your heart.

But Last Tango isn't just about a mother and daughter; it's about the trials of a big extended family, including Gillian (Nicola Walker), who's about to take a big leap.

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Radio Times review

Newlyweds Caroline and Kate are so happy together, even Celia's small-mindedness can't dent their celebrations.

But of course, life has a nasty way of upsetting everyone's plans; Celia is increasingly stubborn while Alan, the old softie, is caught between mother and daughter, and just can't get it right. Besides, he has problems enough of his own with his unforgiving wife.

Sally Wainwright's drama treads into some dark territory as both families struggle to deal with the unwelcome and the unexpected. But there are shocks around the corner that will test everyone. It's one of Wainwright's great talents, making sure we are comfortable thinking we know how it's all going to work out, then she throws a bucket of cold water at us, leaving us shivering and wailing, "Why did she do that?"

Is Sally Wainwright's series getting too dramatic?

This week viewers were plunged from the heights of joy into the depths of despair all in the space of an hour.

Sarah Lancashire shines in a fantastic instalment!

When series three of Last Tango in Halifax first started I definitely had my reservations especially in regards to the character of Alan's long-lost son Gary. However, Sally Wainwright's script has taken the story into a whole direction.

Last Tango in Halifax began it's third series late last year and reunited us with Alan (Derek Jacobi) and Celia (Anne Reid) as well as their respective broods. I've been a fan of Last Tango since it first began and particularly liked the darker second series which explored the past of Gillian (Nicola Walker) in a lot more detail. With Last Tango's writer Sally Wainwright busying herself with Happy Valley in 2014, I felt that she may not have enough time to wholly devote herself to a third series of this excellent family drama. These fears were compounded by the major story running throughout the first episode in which it was revealed that Alan had a secret son, Gary (Rupert Graves), who was the result of a brief affair Alan had conducted. The introduction of Gary to me felt like a way of just putting another obstacle in the way of the drama's central couple's happiness. However, after a lacklustre opener, Last Tango really kicked in in episode two as the emotional fallout from Gary's arrival started to take its toll on Celia. Celia's realisation that Alan wasn't completely perfect left her reeling and as a result she decided not to attend the wedding of her daughter Caroline (Sarah Lancashire) and her partner Kate (Nina Sosanya). This second episode completely restored my faith in Wainwright's storytelling abilities and it's clear that she knows her characters inside out, a fact witnessed by the icy way Caroline ejected Alan from her wedding.

Indeed, as somebody who has watched the series since it first started, I feel like I know these characters and therefore their reactions feel utterly genuine. That's possibly why I initially rejected the introduction of Gary into the series, however episode two gave Rupert Graves the opportunity to flesh out the character a little more. But Last Tango in Halifax wouldn't be nearly as good as it is if it were not for the drama's four central performers. Last series I found that both Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid had taken somewhat of a backseat to their younger counterparts, however the opening episodes of series three have really put them back in the spotlight. Reid has been particularly good in bringing out the pricklier aspects of Celia's character and in particular her truly feelings about Caroline's sexuality. One of Reid's strengths is her ability to convey her emotions through a couple of facial expressions that allow the audience to know exactly what she's thinking. Though she's not been as prominent a presence as she was in series two, Nicola Walker has still been magnificent and showed a skill for comic timing during a particularly memorable scene in episode two. But so far this series has belonged to the excellent Sarah Lancashire who, as Caroline, has presented her frustration with Celia in a believable manner. Lancashire portrays Caroline as a formidable yet vulnerable woman whose cool exterior has started to melt thanks to her relationship with Kate. Ultimately, after a shaky start, it's great to have our Yorkshire friends back with us for a third series of Last Tango. Whilst I hope that Wainwright finds a way to reunite the characters once again, I feel that the actors are doing a great job of telling the writer's brilliantly constructed story and I for one hope the series runs and runs.

Following the "happily ever after" plot tie-ups of the last run, it has been intriguing to watch Sally Wainwright's attempt to sustain interest in series three of her mostly wonderful two-family drama. The introduction of Rupert Graves as Alan's surprise son has yet to really take, but with a cast this good (particularly Anne Reid as Celia) there's little cause for concern.

Radio Times review

Caroline and Kate's big day is approaching, but snippy Celia still refers to her daughter's upcoming nuptials as if they are written in italics, or with inverted commas, as in "It's the day before the... wedding".

Oh dear, the prickles on Celia's personality are drawing blood all over the place in Sally Wainwright's bittersweet family drama. Wainwright - and the mighty Anne Reid - are so clever. Celia could easily have been written and acted as a nice, comfy old dear who's found late-life happiness.

Instead she's a complicated woman made brittle by betrayal, wounded by the antics of an adulterous husband. The scars have never healed and Celia judges everyone by the toughest of standards. It makes her hard to like, but it also makes her only too human. Her husband Alan tries to make peace but he's unwisely keeping a big secret from her.