Review of Linda Green

You really have to be have been locked in your house for 40 years not to appreciate the wry, honest account of 30-something Linda Green's attempts at relationships, friendship and sex. Earthy without being vulgar and set in Manchester, England, the ensemble cast work wonderfully together, with each having their moment over the series. Linda (Lisa Tarbuck) works as clerical manager in a car-repair workshop, has a regular "jump" (sex) with Jimmy the mechanic (subtly played by the always excellent Sean Gallagher). In the evening, Linda sings (live and, like everything else, not perfectly) at the local social club where Jimmy and Linda's other friends join her for a gossip and to sort out each other's problems. The songs comment naturally on the story without being crass and the dialogue sparks. Lisa Tarbuck is not a showy star and allows the rest of the regular cast as well as the guest actors to breathe, but it's her natural portrayal as a funny, modern, complicated woman that really makes this work. In two words, hugely satisfying.