Reader reviews: What YOU thought of Run

Sam Langan, 24, Norwich, says…

Channel 4 advertised Run as a fast, provocative, intuitive drama event running for four nights. On the first night, this is not what we got.

While it contained two of the most exciting TV actors of the moment in Olivia Colman and Neil Maskell, it also had a story that was unoriginal, morose and highly un-entertaining. While other television series have made the environment of a British council estate gripping, there was nothing engaging about the subjects it went over within this setting: Crime, domestic abuse, community, they’re all approached with a lack of invention. The successful Top Boy, which is returning for a second series on Channel 4 and the films of Noel Clarke are superior in tackling these issues. Hopefully good character development and a more precise exploration of key themes will ensure that Run becomes a more prevalent drama over the course of the week.

Margaret Connarty, 40, Shrewsbury, says…

Run - What a stunning programme, starring the incredibly versatile Olivia Colman (comedy, voiceovers and now grim reality). Yes, the violence was extremely hard to watch at some points, but I felt this was necessary to the authenticity of Carol's situation - diluting it down or even not showing it at all (as many programmes are wont to do with scenes of a violent nature) would not have been as hard-hitting.

I am interested to see how the other three episodes will weave themselves together with Monday night's. Judging by the first episode, there will be no happy outcome for any of the featured characters. Definitely not for a Sunday night - this is edge of your seat drama.

Lauren Baker, 21, Reading, says…

Olivia Colman has always stolen the show in comedic roles with her gormless but charming characters in shows such as Twenty Twelve and Green Wing. However, following the incredibly popular Broadchurch, Channel 4’s new drama Run allows the actress to once and for all cement her place amongst the best of Britain’s actors. Run focuses on Colman as a mother having to make the decision whether to send her ruthless sons to prison after they kill a passer-by in an unprovoked attack. Perhaps this violence shows a too painfully realistic view of rough South London life, but then this gritty realism allows for a tangible and sympathetic connection to Colman’s character. The fret and weight of this decision of morality versus motherhood is so strong that it carries the whole episode, leading to compelling viewing, making the audience wait on the edge of their seats as she decides their fate.

Naomi Obeng, 17, Loughborough, says…

Run was a slow-paced and understated drama based on tense relationships and characterised by what was not said. Nothing we haven't seen before then. Main character Carol talks little and shouts a lot, but her lack of ease in life does eventually justify her bleakness—especially when she reaches out to those who reject her. It seems, from a spectator’s view, that nothing Carol or her boys can do will stop the law from catching up with them, although, frustratingly, they cannot see this themselves. Carol is utterly powerless and the intensity of her initial anger and final terror became both moving and terrifying.

Seeing Katie Leung's character's story evolve phenomenally improved Run for me. The mystery surrounding her trapped life and how this will develop alongside the other stories brought some welcome, intriguing, complexity. It’s perhaps too early to tell but this series has the potential to be superb.

Thank you to everyone who sent in a review - we really enjoyed reading them! If you've got a taste for sharing your opinion, or these clever Radio Times readers have inspired you to put pen to paper (or, more accurately, fingertips to keyboard) keep your eyes peeled for the next Radio Times Reader Review....