Sally Wainwright

Writer Sally Wainwright has left behind the mean, crime-soaked streets of Manchester and Scott & Bailey to return to the kind of warm-hearted family turmoil she first explored in her hit series At Home with the Braithwaites.

Last Tango in Halifax is a rather sweet love story with, at its heart, an unconsummated romance that reaches back decades. Celia and Alan (Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi, both great) first knew each other as teenagers. But, after a misunderstanding, their burgeoning relationship collapsed and they married other people. Donkey's years later, when they're single once again, the pair re-establish contact through Facebook.

They both have grown-up families now, each member of which has a secret sorrow, or just a secret. There are times when Last Tango in Halifax will make you gasp in disbelief, but because the cast is so good and works so hard to make it all credible, you'll probably be won over.

The titular allusion to Brando, butter and anonymous '70s sex is the worst thing about this new romantic comedy starring Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid. Widowed and in their seventies, a pair of Yorkshire wrinklies reconnect on Facebook having once fancied each other in their teens. Thankfully few obvious gags are made at the expense of these 'silver surfers', with the scenes featuring them messaging each other proving particularly well handled. There's also a canny nod to Jacobi's RSC pedigree when his character Alan Buttershaw quotes Shakespeare in a casual, almost unknowing way. Trying to avoid it becoming As Time Goes By 2.0 though, writer Sally Wainwright puts their respective kids and grandkids through some particularly wild and eyebrow-raising dramas - including lesbian flings among teachers, drunk one-night stands and even the odd unexplained death. It works though, and this first episode nicely sets up a series that could end up becoming an unlikely source of rather cheeky and subversive fun on BBC1.

The ever-wonderful Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi lead this 'it's never too late' love story from writer Sally Wainwright (At Home With the Braithwaites, Scott & Bailey). Celia and Alan fancied each other at school 60 - yes, 60 - years earlier but nothing came of it. Now, thanks to the wonder of Facebook, these silver surfers are back in touch and can finally act on their feelings. That's if they can get over the lifetime of baggage they've got trailing behind, notably grown-up daughters (prim Sarah Lancashire, bolshie Nicola Walker) who have issues of their own.

There hasn't been a good series about "second time around lovers" since Nineties sitcom As Time Goes By. This charming comedy-drama ends that drought in style. Celia Dawson (Anne Reid) and Alan Buttershaw (Derek Jacobi) are both widowed and haven't seen each other for 60 years. When the old flames are reunited via Facebook, their feelings are reignited - and they discover that it was a twist of fate that separated them in the first place.

This is superior fare, based on writer Sally Wainwright's (Scott & Bailey) own mother's internet romance. It's also directed by Doctor Who alumnus Euros Lyn and made by estimable production company Red. However, it's the performances that truly elevate it - not just from classy leads Reid and Jacobi who are amusingly irascible and sweetly bumbling, respectively, but a strong supporting cast which includes Sarah Lancashire, Nicola Walker, Tony Gardner and Ronni Ancona. All come into their own over the six episodes, as the lovers' families are thrown together amid sub-plots involving bisexuality, alchoholism and a murder mystery. Watch out for a neat surprise in the final scene of this opener.

Anne Reid interview

Anne Reid tells TV Choice more about the comic drama written by Sally Wainwright.