Mum

Mum finale review

Slowly, clasped hand by clasped hand, writer Stefan Golaszewski has dismantled Cathy's barriers and subtly probed the levels of her grief.

Mum, Series 3 finale, BBC Two review

Tears of laughter and sadness.

Mum review - the mouse that roared, and about time too

Finally it came and, lord, it was about time. A retort of only eight words, but enough to shift the power balance in Mum and, at last, relieve the viewing public's cancerous knot. For three series Cathy (Lesley Manville), a picture of forbearance in a sensible blouse, has failed to push back and let rip at the family grotesques who blithely misuse and diminish her.

The magnificent final series ends exactly as any fan would like, with relief and new tenderness in the aftermath of Cathy (Lesley Manville) and Michael (Peter Mullan) going public with their love. The last shot is a peach, and there are tiny payoffs in every scene as the show's principle of not vocalising its emotions is relaxed by just the right amount. In the middle, though, is one heart-stopping moment of sadness and rage to remind us that all this sunny kookiness is underscored by grief. Exquisite.

Mum, series 3 finale, review

A perfect end to a perfect show - bring on the Baftas.

Stefan Golaszewski's subtle sitcom brims with home truths in an episode characterised by unspoken flirtation and tender yearning. Tired after a "fun-packed" day in Canterbury, Cathy steals away for a secret cigarette, tempting a forlorn Michael: "We should run off into the woods together, just the two of us." Well written.

The quiet genius of this sensitive comedy rolls on. After three days trapped in the luxury house, Cathy and Michael try to escape for some fresh air. Beautifully observed moments include Mum trying to explain the point of a walk to Jason and Kelly, Pauline's outbursts, and Derek continuing nervously to unravel. Glorious scenes all round.

Stefan Golaszewski interview

"The essential problem that Cathy has - the loss of self and how, across the three series, she can find that self again".

Dorothy Atkinson on playing Pauline in Mum

When fans recognise Atkinson in the street - "When I'm usually holding a boiled egg, or a packet of crisps, looking gormless..." - they don't just want a picture, they want to know about Pauline's inner life.

Lesley Manville interview

The Mum actor talks to Alexandra Pollard about starring in a Paul Thomas Anderson film, growing up in a working-class family, and how 'masses of people have brought up children on their own with far less privileges than I had'.