lankeela - //I enjoyed it once i had got into it, did feel it could have been done in about thee quarters of the time, lots of pensive looks which for me don't add to the drama at all, just prolong it. //
My view is the exact opposite.
I think the unspoken communications are the backbone of dramas like this, and you need time to put them without them looking rushed which dilutes their impact.
That is why this drama is going to need time to stretch out, and for the audience to watch the tensions develop, often silently, which is so much the British way when faced with lives being demolished out of the blue.