The Gallows Pole review: Shane Meadows' BBC drama packs a punch

• 📺 Where to watch The Gallows Pole: BBC Two and iPlayer from 31 May
  

• ⭐️ Our rating: 4/5
  

• 🍿 Watch it if you liked: This Is England, This Is England 86' This Is England 88', This Is England 90', The Virtues
  

• 🎭 Who's in it?: Michael Socha, Samuel Edward-Cook, Sophie McShera, Ralph Ineson
  

• ⏰ How long is it? 3 x 60 minute episodes
  

• 📖 What’s it about? Follows David Hartley as he assembles a gang of weavers and land-workers for a criminal enterprise that will capsize the economy and become the biggest fraud in British history.

Dragging a sack behind him on the long road back home from Birmingham, David Hartley (Michael Socha) receives no hero’s welcome from his Calder Valley brethren - only urges to make amendments from ancient apparitions or face The Gallows Pole.

Adapted by writer director Shane Meadows (The Virtues) from Benjamin Myers novel, The Gallows Pole is as much a redemption tale, as it is a spit and sawdust smash and grab. One defined by economic struggle, visceral performances, and stripped back production values, as befits the visionary nature of the man behind this material.

By bringing back This Is England alumni Michael Socha and Thomas Turgoose as brothers, there is an improvisational sheen which colours The Gallows Pole. Crucial plot points and essential interactions feel organic, as this grounded ensemble breathe life into the infamous Cragg Vale Coiners.

Read more: Shane Meadows: ‘This is as scary a time as I can remember’ (The Guardian, 3-min read)

A group of West Yorkshire villagers who intentionally defrauded, deceived, and duped the industrialists who were threatening their textile industry. Not only pushing these people into acts of deception borne from desperation, but making their plight ripe for dramatisation centuries later.

However, for audiences looking to be entertained by this BBC drama, The Gallows Pole might prove somewhat divisive amongst certain demographics as this is no romantic period piece, defined by dashing actors untouched by outside elements, who spend their time sweeping maidens off their feet and into wedlock.

This a world of working-class language, where knife wounds, hard drinking, and fornication distract from the inherent poverty which defined the time. Where friendships are forged through families, transgressions are punished with impunity, and villages face adversity together.

Read more: Pagans, folk rock and no script: the making of The Gallows Pole, the BBC’s wacky new historical drama (Evening Standard, 6-min read)

This is the sucker punch approach which Shane Meadows employs from the outset, depicting this roster of unique creations as a disparate band of characters all drawn together in a common cause. Seeking to right the economic wrongs inflicted on them by those looking to profit from their way of life.

From that deep rooted connection comes a camaraderie, which is galvanised by Hartley, who takes on an almost messianic demeanour – while Meadows exploits his suffering for dramatic purposes and colours that struggle with audacious visual flourishes. Ultimately elevating The Gallows Pole into the realms of Greek myth, as this joint production between the BBC and A24 proves to be nothing short of riveting.

The Gallows Pole premieres on BBC Two on Wednesday 31st May at 9pm, when all episodes will also arrive on iPlayer.