TV review

THIS is mum, who's going into detox next week to get off drink because she's an alcoholic or whatever it's called," says schoolgirl Nanza, introducing us to her parent.

As you can tell from that quote, there were a lot of issues being worked out in this, the first of BBC1's new documentary strand.

Mother-of-six Diane was a career drinker whose appearance, at 39, was testimony that too much alcohol is bad for your outer self as well as your inner body.

She began drinking to block out the mental and physical torture in her relationships - and couldn't put the bottle down again. An eight-day drinking binge was not unusual for her.

Nanza, 12, lives with her grandmother as social services won't let Diane's children live with her. Only visits, and not overnight, are allowed. The youngster was given a video camera to record her thoughts and film her mother.

Film-maker Min Clough had a personal interest too. Her father was an alcoholic, she confessed. He relapsed throughout his life and drink remained a problem until he died.

Whether the public arena of a TV documentary is the correct place to work out your personal problems is open to debate. You couldn't help feeling that Diane's willingness to be filmed, both drunk and sober, was part of her treatment, especially when the camera followed her into the detox centre during her three week stay.

What gave this candid film its heart was Nanza, a child wise beyond her years who clearly loved her mother but realised that getting her to stop drinking wasn't going to be easy.

She acknowledged her mother was always letting her down - even when the cameras were there, as she went missing just before she was set to enter the detox clinic.

"I hope she's going to get better because I want her to have a normal life," said Nanza. What was really preying on her mind was a remark made by a teacher that "we all turn out like our mothers". You understood why this worried the child.

Going into detox, Diane assured us: "This is different, this time I want to do it". You wanted to believe her, but she seemed caught in a downward spiral from which there was little hope of rescue.

Nanza herself confided: "It's like she hates us. She loves the drink more". And later, "She's going to end up killing herself". Even Diane's own mother doubted she could overcome her demons. "I don't think it's going to be any different. I think she's gone too far," she suggested.

So far, Diane is proving her - and others of us who didn't think she could do it - wrong. She hasn't touched a drop of booze for five months. There may just be a happy ending to this story after all.

Dead of Night, Forum Theatre, Billingham

WHEN the first half of a play includes armed robbery, perjury, contract killers, murder and adultery you have to wonder what surprises the second half can possibly pull out of the bag.

But this classic thriller by Peter Whalley just keeps the shocks coming.

A superb cast, headed by Christopher Ellison (best known as DI Burnside in The Bill), drags every last inch of suspense out of this intriguing storyline.

When we meet loud-mouthed Jack (Ellison), he has just been cleared of a murder charge after, he claims in court, a burglar entered his property and tried to shoot him. His girlfriend Maggie (Claire McGlinn) and neighbours Dennis and Lynne (Kevin Pallister and Carol Harrison) join him for a celebratory drink - but as the alcohol flows, so too do the revelations.

Why is it that wide boy Jack and his brassy bimbo neighbour seem more suited to each other than their own partners? Who was the mysterious third man on the night of the killing? And will boring Dennis ever get to the point?

The initial similarities between the recent real-life case of farmer Tony Martin give this play a special relevance and the characters' arguments about the lengths people can go to in defending their property make very interesting drama.

Ellison is a fantastic performer, and while the play has a slightly slow start, the pace soon quickens - culminating in an explosive ending.

Michelle Hedger

* Runs until Saturday. Box Office: (01642) 552663

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Newcastle Theatre Royal

OSCAR Wilde's spine-chilling tale of a man who sells his soul in exchange for eternal youth makes for a darkly fascinating evening's entertainment. Robert Powell heads a strong cast as the dissolute Lord Henry Wotton, mentor to the beautiful and nave youth Dorian Gray.

Lord Henry is undoubtedly the villain of the piece, but in Powell's hands, he has a rakish charm which is irresistible. The character has many of the best one-liners and Powell's personal charisma makes Lord Henry's corrupt lifestyle seem amusing and attractive. Certainly the young Dorian thinks so, and he enthusiastically embarks on a life devoted to pleasure, starting with the ruin and suicide of young actress Sybil Vane.

Dorian's friend, the painter Basil Hallward, tries to warn the young man not to get involved with Lord Henry and it is his concern for Dorian that leads to his own death later in the play. Simon Ward brings warmth and decency to contrast with Powell's character, and his dismay when he realises Dorian is slipping away from him is painful to see. Elizabeth Power provides some comic relief as Sybil Vane's actress mother, and Derren Nesbitt is a familiar face as world-weary Lord Fermor.

The part of Dorian Gray is ably played by Nick Waring, a suitably handsome young man who gives a good account of himself in the distinguished company of Powell and Ward.

It's a dark play, but the dialogue is witty and the cast is superb.

Sue Heath

* Runs until Saturday. Box Office: 0870 905 506