Note: This article contains discussion of sexual assault that some readers may find distressing.
This is England's Shane Meadows and Stephen Graham have reunited for new drama The Virtues, which began tonight (May 15) on Channel 4.
The Line of Duty actor plays a father called Joseph, who discovers that his ex is moving to Australia and taking their son with him. A recovering alcoholic, Joseph hits the bottle hard after being devastated by the news.
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After a heavy night, he decides that he needs to go Ireland to confront the repressed traumas from his childhood.
But unfortunately for some viewers, the episode (or at least the first part) was marred by sound issues, with plenty of people complaining that it was way too quiet and they couldn't hear the dialogue:
Related: Stephen Graham reveals one Line of Duty regret
Those who managed to hear the show were full of praise for it, lauding Stephen Graham's performance as a father trying to maintain composure on hearing heartbreaking news, and then trying to mask the pain with drink and drugs.
The Virtues is based on Meadows' own experiences of being sexually assaulted by another child in his youth, and his discovery that he didn't even realise what had happened until later in life because he had repressed those memories so much.
The Virtues continues next Wednesday at 9pm on Channel 4.
Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct. If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
