The Inheritance

I liked the opening device with the family introductions done via a video taken at a family Xmas party by the soon to die Larry Lamb.

This is an easy watch all round that isn't going to win any awards but does what it says on the tin. If you're looking for a pacey little family thriller full of twists and turns and dirty hidden secrets give it a twirl.

I couldn't quite work where it was set, seemed to be 'generic up north' with a patchwork of regional accents.

Original and ground-breaking no, a brilliant cast no, a bit soapy yes, but it had some good hooks and it lured me in. Worth a look if you enjoy family dramas.

Just watched the first episode. The characters are getting established and the casting looks really good. Interesting narration with hooks in the right places. Looking forward to the next episode. Acting is really good by this star-studded cast, with the character personalities being brought out brilliantly by the actors in the series. The storyline is interesting, if slightly predictable at the moment. Hopefully there will be some interesting twists and a tidy ending. Would highly recommend watching it at the moment. The direction is good. The proof of the pudding will be in the further narrative.

I enjoyed the concept of this series and found it very interesting and relatable. I have a similar situation in my family with a split family and siblings though in my case it wasn't a shock that came out at the reading on the will! I liked the dynamic among the siblings and the first two eps especially kept me hooked. Like many mysteries it lost its way a little toward the end and didn't know how to resolve in a clever way but it didn't spoil my enjoyment. Good Christmas viewing on my5 and I recommend it with the caveat that you take it for what it is. Final question that went unanswered- where was it meant to be set?

I'm a fan of 4 part dramas, enjoy them more than the longer running ones which really should be compacted into less episodes. So with that in mind The Inheritance definitely scores in my estimation as the storyline didn't drag. With all murder mysteries everyone is given a motive and one by one the most obvious suspects are eliminated. That's where it comes a little undone as the final reveal seemed a bit weak in the motivation department. On the plus side full praise must go to James Collier. He's terrific in this and very strong leading man material so I hope he gets more roles as a result. I'd love to see him carry an entire series on his own.

I'm not sure precisely what it was about this that made the "journey" enjoyable. There was definitely a feeling of the characters being given time to breathe and events were left to unfold at a sensible pace.

The problem, of course, is that much is made of the "secrets" that various characters are keeping from various other characters. So you're encouraged to believe that maybe several of the characters had the motivation to murder. But, of course, at the end, they reveal the actual culprit and all that potential collapses to a single not very significant point.

So, enjoy it for the ride, but expect to be disappointed by the ending.