Screw arrived on C4 this week, and it seems viewers are already invested in the stories told within the fictional men’s prison Long Marsh. The new series is part comedy, part drama, and it's already off to a chaotic start.
In the first episode, we meet prison officer Leigh Henry (Nina Sosanya), who's so dedicated to her job that she appears to have made herself a home in one of the prison wings, sleeping inside one of the free cells. It's clear she doesn't want to say goodbye to the prison or her job and is hoping to get a promotion to custodial manager and to make matters worse if she doesn't get the job her current role will be made redundant.
Speaking about her role as Leigh, Nina said: "Leigh absolutely lives for her job, which ordinarily makes my heart sink when you hear that in a character breakdown. But when you look at what this job actually is, it's completely fascinating. She utterly believes that she can and should be trying to make a difference within a system that she sees as broken."
But of course, Leigh's job is far from easy and in the first episode alone we see an inmate stripping off and running down the stairs and the arrival of new recruit Rose Gill (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) who has done most of her training for the job via online courses, with little real-world experience! As a result of this, she's initially regarded with skepticism among some of the officers and just adds to a list of ongoing stresses.
So far, fans seem impressed with the pilot episode and our introduction to the characters, with one viewer even calling it "unpredictable" and "beautifully told". Another also praised it, saying it had a "promising storyline".
Rob William's #screw on @Channel4 from @CarolineHollick is really bloody good. Unpredictable, beautifully told, witty. A really pacey tense through story with smart prisoners with their truthful tales. Great entertainment whilst bringing warmth to the genre. Great work all roundJanuary 6, 2022
Well, #Screw was brilliant and off to a good start. What a cast, too...January 6, 2022
Enjoyed episode 1 of #Screw! Nice pace. Clearly a Prisoner fan had a hand in those titles sliding across the screen to the sound of slamming cell doors!January 6, 2022
Really enjoyed the first episode, strong characters and promising stroryline #ScrewJanuary 6, 2022
I enjoyed #screw very different.January 6, 2022
With six episodes in total, there's still plenty of drama to come as we follow the lives of those working and incarcerated inside the prison. It seems it's off to a promising start, so we'll have to wait and see what happens next!
Screw continues on Channel 4 on Thursday 13th January at 9pm. Episodes are also available as a boxset via All4. Check out our best Channel 4 dramas guide.
