Marriage TV review: a poignant BBC drama about ordinary lives
Anyone in a long-term relationship will certainly recognise the ‘claustrophobia’ on show

Couples in prime-time dramas generally have designer fridges and marble-topped kitchen islands, said Christopher Stevens in the Daily Mail. How refreshing, then, to see no sign of any of that in this “utterly absorbing” BBC drama, about an ordinary couple living somewhere in Middle England.
Emma (Nicola Walker) and Ian (Sean Bean) have been together for 27 years; they drive a Ford Focus and bicker over jacket potatoes. But as the “layers of their marriage” are peeled back, we learn that their relationship is under strain: from a bereavement; from a job loss; from the pressure of caring for an elderly parent.
It’s “everyday stuff”, but beautifully written and acted. Anyone in a long-term relationship will certainly recognise the “claustrophobia, inertia and quotidian poignancy” on show in Marriage, said Nick Hilton on The Independent. “But why would we want to watch that on television? It’s bad enough living through it.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The show is sure to win lots of awards, but “if I wanted to watch a man in his underpants drinking milk straight from the carton, I could provide myself with a live performance”.
It’s true that the drama could be said to be “lacking in pace”, said Carol Midgley in The Times. But I loved it all the same. At its heart, it’s “a portrait of the fascinating mundanity of ordinary human existence, of pain pushed down, of the quiet dysfunctionality of family relationships”. Marriage isn’t flawless, but it’s “a strange joy to watch; small, uneventful lives writ large”.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Sweden's Soft Hooligans: the fans who brought 'good vibes' to the Euros
Under the Radar Formed to create a fun fan atmosphere, the Swedish football supporter group has been bringing the party to the championship
-
Crossword: July 18, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Codeword: July 18, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
6 peaceful homes near small towns
Feature Featuring doors with local topographical maps in Oregon and a 1850s homestead-turned-house in Vermont
-
Too Much: London-set romantic comedy from Lena Dunham
The Week Recommends Megan Stalter stars as a 'neurotic' New Yorker who falls in love with a Brit
-
Apocalypse in the Tropics: a 'troubling' portrait of modern Brazil
The Week Recommends Petra Costa's sobering documentary examines the rise of right-wing evangelical Christianity in Brazilian politics
-
Murderland: a 'hauntingly compulsive' book
The Week Recommends Caroline Fraser sets out a 'compelling theory' that toxins were to blame for the 1970s serial killer epidemic
-
The 2025 James Beard Award winners
Feature Featuring a casually elegant restaurant, recipes nearly lost to war, and more
-
Film reviews: Superman and Sorry, Baby
Feature A hero returns, in surprising earnest, and a woman navigates life after a tragedy
-
Music reviews: Lorde, Barbra Streisand, and Karol G
Feature "Virgin," "The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two," and "Tropicoqueta"
-
Laura Lippman's 6 favorite books for those who crave a high-stakes adventure
Feature The Grand Master recommends works by E.L. Konigsburg, Charles Portis, and more