I really enjoyed Ridley Road and a sign after the COVID 19 disruption the BBC is making drama you want to watch, and with an original subject, the clashes between Jews in the East End of London and neo Nazis.( Colin Jordan and his National Socialist Movement did exist for real in the sixties),
While part of the first episode was slow, the story started to really pick up when Jewish hairdresser, Vivienne Epstein, played convincingly by little known Agnes O Grady, finds her boyfriend has infiltrated the NSM and is persuaded to join him. Dying her hair blonde and turning up at Jordan's headquarters, she offers her support to the NSM and Jordan allows her to join.
A well acted drama, Rory Kinnear plays the part of Jordan quite chillingly and Gillian Taylforth is excellent as one of the Jews fighting the NSM. Also the NSM is shown as a ragbag of misfits, boot boys and fanatics like Jordan who are prepared to kill people and resort to terrorism when they bomb a Jewish organisation. Colin and Vivienne are finally outed in the last episode: Colin is beaten up and taken to a remote location to be shot, but manages to persuade a misguided young Nazi to let him go, while Jordan kidnaps Vivienne on a train when he finds she has stolen documents about the NSM's weapons stash and paramilitary training. She is saved when Jordan starts attacking her when she tries to escape and a group of men pull him away and he is arrested.
No real gripes about Ridley Road, as the characterisations are good, just watch past the first rather slow thirty minutes and enjoy a drama that is based on true events. Out of interest, Colin Jordan, the so called world Fuhrer, was jailed in 1962 for real for setting up a paramilitary organisation and jailed again in 1968 for stirring up racial hatred.
Ridley Road does have a happy ending as Vivienne's parents pay for her emigrate to Israel and she is joined by Colin on the plane.
While part of the first episode was slow, the story started to really pick up when Jewish hairdresser, Vivienne Epstein, played convincingly by little known Agnes O Grady, finds her boyfriend has infiltrated the NSM and is persuaded to join him. Dying her hair blonde and turning up at Jordan's headquarters, she offers her support to the NSM and Jordan allows her to join.
A well acted drama, Rory Kinnear plays the part of Jordan quite chillingly and Gillian Taylforth is excellent as one of the Jews fighting the NSM. Also the NSM is shown as a ragbag of misfits, boot boys and fanatics like Jordan who are prepared to kill people and resort to terrorism when they bomb a Jewish organisation. Colin and Vivienne are finally outed in the last episode: Colin is beaten up and taken to a remote location to be shot, but manages to persuade a misguided young Nazi to let him go, while Jordan kidnaps Vivienne on a train when he finds she has stolen documents about the NSM's weapons stash and paramilitary training. She is saved when Jordan starts attacking her when she tries to escape and a group of men pull him away and he is arrested.
No real gripes about Ridley Road, as the characterisations are good, just watch past the first rather slow thirty minutes and enjoy a drama that is based on true events. Out of interest, Colin Jordan, the so called world Fuhrer, was jailed in 1962 for real for setting up a paramilitary organisation and jailed again in 1968 for stirring up racial hatred.
Ridley Road does have a happy ending as Vivienne's parents pay for her emigrate to Israel and she is joined by Colin on the plane.