BBC Radio 4, June 29 2017

Events spiral out of Vincent’s control…

I was two-thirds of the way through this final episode when a small news story caught my eye – about a mayor in France who has banned the burkini at a new leisure park (https://www.thelocal.fr/20170628/french-mayor-sparks-anger-with-burkini-ban-at-swimming-lake) despite the fact such bans were ruled illegal in 2016. There aren’t many times when a piece of science fiction seems to be coming true in front of your eyes, but with Siege, writer Adrian Penketh and director Marc Beeby have really got their timing right.

The first two parts of this play were up there with some of the best material that Dangerous Visions has produced, and there’s much to commend in the finale – not least Vincent reading his proposed resignation letter – but the plot veers a little too far into pulp territory towards the end. We know from the way things develop that Mayor Vincent isn’t going to have a long and happy reign, but the way in which he’s brought down feels a bit hackneyed.

There are very strong performances from all involved in this, and despite the reservations above, think it’s a story that needed to be told – you may well find some of the facts (about all parties involved) that underlie it to be eye opening.

Verdict: A tense finale for a powerful drama. 8/10

Paul Simpson