Prisoners’ Wives

Series two, episode one
With Francesca’s life taking a very unwelcome turn, and Harriet remaining blissfully unaware of her son’s predicament, series two of ‘Prisoners’ Wives’ begins pacily, introducing some new characters along the way. Kim sees her husband unjustly imprisoned after he’s falsely accused of a crime, while Aisling is a woman on the verge of marriage who’s forced to deal with her father’s repeat offending.

The performances are impressive across the board, from Pippa Haywood’s turn as the incredibly naïve Harriet, to newcomer Sally Carman’s performance as Kim, a woman whose world is suddenly shattered. ‘Prisoners’ Wives’ does suffer slightly from cliché and cheese, whether it’s the generically hateful ‘family next door’ or the protracted Bible passage reading, but this is still eminently watchable TV, which impresses far more than it disappoints.