'Life Begins' shows promising start

'Life Begins' is much better for the quality of its cast.

Life Begins (TV One, 8.30pm) sounds like a drama poised on the starting blocks ready to sprint into action.

Last week's debut episode of the ITV show, however, had some rather dreary business to get through first - the bleak matter of the marriage breakdown and separation from husband Phil which catapults lead character Maggie (Caroline Quentin) towards that promised new life.

The six-part serial is up for best new television comedy at the British Comedy Awards (Quentin is a nominee for best television comedy actress), but on the strength of just one episode it was hard to tell that this was a comedy at all.

Husband Phil broke the bad news to Maggie that he was unhappy and wanted out on the first day of their family holiday.

Maggie packed the family back up and headed home to get the big break-up over and done with. "At least your packing's already done, that's handy," she snarled.

The rest of the episode was devoted to her learning that being on your own means having to fix things around the house, like flooding taps, and having to find a job after 12 years out of the workforce raising kids.

Other trials of being left by her husband included the stares and gushing expressions of sympathy from the other mums outside the school and the knowledge they were gossiping about her out of earshot.

Not to mention the tactful comments from Maggie's mum, such as, "Men don't walk out on their family for no reason - was it something you did?" and "Do you know you are the first person in my family to have a failed marriage?"

Life Begins is a "bittersweet" drama. While bitter was the stronger flavour last week, it did have a few jokes. When Phil told Maggie he wasn't happy, she replied: "Well, you are on holiday."

When their mate worried that his son Freddie, 4 and fond of wearing his mother's hats, might be gay, his wife said: "He's not gay. Just a bit artistic."

And Maggie pondered why it might be worse if her husband left her for nobody rather than someone else: "That means he prefers nothing to being with me."

Like the rash of bog-standard Brit dramas which have broken out for the silly season, Life Begins is much the better for the quality of its cast. Quentin can more than carry a show singlehandedly. And her character, Maggie, who seemed a bit wet and woeful at first, soon proved herself more conniving and capable than you would have thought possible.

By the time she got down to the job recruitment office, things were looking more promising in the humour department, with the condescending young consultant telling her, "We love a challenge".

Whether Life Begins rises to its own challenge and say something interesting about the lot of the fortysomething woman staring a failed marriage in the face, or opt instead for a few feelgood cliches, remains to seen.