I picked up the complete DVD set from a charity shop a month back.
Just finished the 4th full story (disc) on it To Be A Somebody, whilst I did watch it on television when it aired I figured it would have maybe dated badly, but no, that is some superb psychological televisual drama right there.
Finishing up watching the last episode right now. Was surprised it name checked 9/11 because to me this was a 90’s series. It’s a fantastic TV show, no episode touches the Robert Carlyle one, but they are all exceptional.
It was 93-96 but Coltrane was offered a lot of money to reprise much later. The two later specials are quite bad, but the three series are, I’d argue, the best British TV drama ever made.
Obviously some of the content is pretty distressing. The Robert Carlylse episodes are great, you’re right, but I think Men Should Weep is arguably superior. I don’t think the actor who played Floyd was ever in anything else.
Geraldine Somerville’s just astonishing in it. One of my favourite characters of all time. The Penhaligon/Beck storyline’s one of the most affecting things ever acted on television for me.
The later reprisals are bobbins. Would swerve them entirely.
Location based chat:
I always talk about Cracker in my work as a snapshot of the city immediately prior to a huge tipping point from deindustrialisation to postindustrialisation - the start of the reprisal even opens reflecting on the enormous change in the 4 or 5 years since the original shows ended. So it is a 90s show for sure. I know its not about Manchester, the setting is pretty incidental imo but i always love that shock contrast between Cracker of 96 to Queer as Folk of 99.