Warning: This articles contains discussion of sexual abuse and alcoholism that some readers may find distressing
With today’s release of Stephen Graham’s A Thousand Blows, many will tear through it all in one day and want to immediately move on to more.
The actor was recently called one of ‘the best actors on the planet’ in our exclusive interview with A Thousand Blows and Peaky Blinders creator Stephen Knight.
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While everyone loves his performances in The Walk-In, This is England and Boiling Point, it is actually one of his lesser known roles for which he arguably got the highest praised.
The series is based on the writer’s own personal trauma and was at one point described as ‘the most realistic drama ever’.
The show, which is free to stream, is called The Virtues and follows Graham as a recovering alcoholic who goes back to Ireland to confront his demons and past trauma.
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Graham stars alongside Niamh Algar, Frank Laverty, and Helen Behan, and writer/director Shane Meadows drew directly from his own personal experiences.
The series has a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a whopping 92% fan score and 8.1 on IMDb.
To say reviews of the series are effusive in their praise is an understatement.
One fan review of the series said: “Absolutely heartbreaking but this one of the most realistic dramas I have ever seen.”
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One 9/10 review on IMDb said of Graham’s acting in the series: “Stephen Graham, give that man an award. Some people are born to act and Stephen is one of them. I am an avid fan of his and have seen most of his work and I can honestly say this is his best yet. A must watch! Be prepared to be affected by this long after it has finished.”
Scott Bryan of the BBC made a loft claim in their five star review of the show, saying: “This is Stephen Graham's greatest thing he's ever been in. This is his finest work.”
Jack Seale of The Guardian also gave the show five stars, saying in their review: “The concluding episode of The Virtues saw Meadows working on a new level, blending raw feeling and technical mastery to create drama that will live in viewers' minds for days, weeks, maybe years to come.” Seale also said it left them ‘gasping for air’.
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Creator Shane Meadows, who also made This Is England, drew heavily from his own life to create the series, saying in an interview with The Guardian that his father was wrongfully accused of murder. The resulting media furore around this brought him a great deal of attention, and caused two brothers to come up and bully him.
He ran into the woods to try and get away from them and an older brother sexually abused him. He was nine years old.
Meadows drew from this when creating the series, saying in the interview that he fully blocked the event from his memory, something more common than you’d think among victims of sexual abuse. The main character, played by Graham, was a stand-in to a certain extent for Meadows and his journey with his trauma, saying: “From my point of view, this was a chance for me to create a safe space, to face my abuser.
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“All I wanted was to be able to sit down with this guy, via Stephen Graham. I’ve always been honest about where my stories come from, how personal they are.
"It would obviously have been easier for me not to talk about this one, but I’m not making an exception. I’m not scared or ashamed any more.
“Plenty of people have been through far worse and they’ve told their stories. What happened to me is the reason the series exists.”
The Virtues is free to watch on Channel 4.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: Stephen Graham, Mental Health, Channel 4, TV and Film, TV
Michael Slavin