Screen One: One Way Out (BBC-1 1989, Bob Peck, Denis Lawson)

In marital drama One Way Out (made for the BBC’s Screen One single drama strand) James and Lyn are separated but not divorced, both though are with different partners. Sue, James’s new partner is unhappy about the amount of time she has to spend looking after James’s four children whilst Lyn has an abusive relationship with Bernard, who on the surface is a popular bloke but very quickly begins to dominate Lyn, even going so far as to hit her and smash up her house when he thinks she has not been paying him enough attention. Even though Lyn attempts to take out an injunction Bernard is still playing games. As matters come to a head James contemplates taking matters into his own hands, a colleague then suggests that he might have the answer to be rid of him once and for all.

Ooh a thoroughly nasty chappy is Denis Lawson here, a real change of pace for him as he often plays the good guy. Peck and Lawson would go on to appear in thriller Natural Lies together a couple of years later. He makes a great baddie though. A very real script by former actor Mick Ford and strong playing from an accomplished cast make this a very good piece of drama. Very tense and with an ending that you don’t see coming…

production details
UK / BBC-1 / 1×90 minute episode / Broadcast 10 September 1989 at 9.05pm

Writer: Mick Ford / Script Editor: Sarah Curtis / Costumes: Pat Godfrey / Production Design: Graeme Thomson / Music: Richard Harvey / Director: Robert Young

cast
BOB PECK as James
DENIS LAWSON as Bernard
SAMANTHA BOND as Sue
LESLEY NIGHTINGALE as Lyn
DAVID SWIFT as Beddow
BILL WALLIS as Reece
ENN REITEL as Rick
ROBERTA TAYLOR as Athene
ROBERT HICKSON as Edward
CAROLINE HOLDAWAY as Ann Tregeen
DAVID FIRTH as Alex
JOHN CLIVE as Prudoe
EDWARD LYON as Roger
GEOFFREY DREW as Tutor
ULRIC BROWNE as Marcus
BILL MOODY as Hit Man
RICHARD PESCUD as Cochrane
BARRY WOOLGAR as Patrick
JOAN WHITE as Mary
JOANNA PHILLIPS-LANE as Policewoman
PEGGY ANN WOOD as Lady in Hospital
GEMMA STREET as Gemma
HANNAH MORRIS as Hannah
ROBERT CHALKLEY as Robert
KATHARINE YOUNG as Katie