Brassic review – a tale of northern ne’er-do-wells with humour and heart to spare - Lucy Mangan

"Like Shameless, this double bill begins mostly as pure caper – the chaos the boys generate had me prostrate with anxiety as quickly as the Gallagher’s shenanigans ever did. And, like Shameless, by the end of the first few episodes, the thing has thickened and deepened, fleshed out its characters, started delicately mapping the relationships between them all and drawn you into their world. Occasional heavy-handed moments (“They call us Blair’s forgotten youth – kids who grew up in a town that offered nothing. No opportunities, no prospects, no hope – but what they’ll never understand is that it’s a different way of living”) give way to organic narrative that never flags or hits a false emotional note."

"There are fine performances all round from the central gang"

"It is a hilarious, warm, brutal melange that works because it has heart without sentimentality and authenticity without strain. Let’s hope Brassic gets as long as Shameless did. Let us live with and love them all – even as we want, like Erin, to batter sense into their heads and stop their slide towards oblivion."

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