Accused (TV Series) Tracie's Story (2012) User Reviews

in a word? brilliant

[jas_webb · 9/10 · 14 August 2012]

I really didn't know what to expect when i tuned in to watch tracie's story, I openly bat for the rainbow team and believe to my core there is a place for all in this world, gay straight black white pink blue - all of the above, so long as its not illegal and doesn't have a detrimental effect on others then people should be able live their lives how they wish. In saying all that i have had very little experience or contact with transvestites, I've seen them out in clubs, and admit i have had the odd discreet giggle over shoe sizes and bad wigs, i suppose its difficult to understand what we don't know but I have to say this drama has been a revelation to me, it has opened my eyes to the person behind the make up, the bravery it must take to just be yourself, something we all take for granted. It has also shown the darker side of their lives, I've known for years that "straight" men will go to gay clubs and pick up a woman, I've never given much thought to their other lives, with wives and kids til now, the lies and heartache that goes with it. anyway, put aside your prejudices if you have any and immerse yourself in a seedy messed up world for an hour. brilliant writing and performances from everyone

Sean bean and Stephen Graham you should be very very proud of yourselves. excellent.

Sean Bean in drag? Yes, Sean Bean in drag!

[steven-222 · 9/10 · 16 August 2012]

I started watching this show not knowing anything about it, and when I saw Sean Bean in drag I was totally floored! Where is this drama going and can they possibly pull it off? I found myself completely drawn into the story, hoping for a happy ending, dreading a tragic one...and isn't that the test of a drama, to make the viewer care deeply about people he's never met before?

Many kudos to Sean Bean, in what may have been the most challenging role of his stellar career, but a special shout-out to co-star Stephen Graham, who in a way has an even trickier role, upon which the success of the drama equally depends.

My advice: read nothing more about this story, but don't miss it if you have the chance to see it.

Brave, daring work from all involved and for the most part, they pull it off

[wellthatswhatithinkanyway · 7/10 · 21 August 2012]

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Simon Gaskell (Sean Bean) teaches English by day, but by night transforms himself into Tracie Tremarco, a tarty, brassy madam with a big front. He finds herself drawn to Tony (Stephen Graham), a married man who finds Tracie's allure irresistible. But when their relationship becomes more intense and Tony is forced to choose between his wife and his lover, Simon finds himself up in the dock on a murder charge.

I'm pretty sure it was Robbie Coltraine's Cracker? that Jimmy McGovern is best known for, and I never really followed that, so I was pretty unfamiliar with his style of work and what to expect from it. I think the main attraction here was the novelty of seeing Sean Bean in drag, and it's weird watching such a masculine actor in a role like this, ditto Graham in support as a closet gay. They're daring roles for the respective actors to play, more than anything else, and thankfully the quality of the writing and the execution of the story are sharp and thrilling enough to make the whole thing pay off.

Aside from acting as a psychological thriller, there may also be an element of it that serves as an eye opener to the worlds of the respective characters, that like many 'alternative lifestyles' is sort of brushed to the sidelines in society, and often gets washed up in a sea of ignorance and preconceptions. While McGovern hasn't necessarily crafted the most sympathetic characters, he does create a scenario and a set up that feels as if it could be real and is therefore more affecting.

Unexpected in every way, this is also surprising in more ways than one. ***

Oscar worthy

[janewarren2 · 10/10 · 16 August 2012]

I am not often moved to write a review, but felt I had to in this case, the other reviewers have given a lot of details, but what made me feel I had to write was the quality of the performances by the main characters, and gut reaction to the story.

Sean Bean continues to surprise and his portrayal of Simon/Tracie was so moving and unexpected. The poetry, tension, and direction from the golden city streets, to the bleak lakes and so much more make this something to remember. I am rambling a bit now but it is late at night and I am trying to write ten lines, when two words will do:- Oscar worthy.

Thank you BBC I Player, I would have missed this without you.

Sean Bean is Amazing

[Rainey-Dawn · 9/10 · 21 January 2020]

The extremely versatile and talented Sean Bean plays Simon/Tracy. Simon is a man with a mundane teaching career by day, by night he is Tracy a drag queen that satisfies men. One day he meets Tony - a man fascinated by Tracy. Tracy and Tony begin to see each other and one night Tracy tells Tony that he/she believes he is married - Tony lies and says his wife died. They continue their relationship and the begin fall in-love. What happens in the end I cannot reveal - but I can say this episode is well worth watching - just have a couple of handkerchiefs handy.

9.5/10

Knickers down

[xmasdaybaby1966 · 10/10 · 16 October 2021]

A strong story here which may have been done for laughs but does have a serious and sensitive side.

Sean Bean is brilliant as Tracie and Stephen Graham is a great supporting actor.

The story is about the life of crossdresser Tracie whom like Twitter profile @willowmistress, loves to dress in stockings, skirts and heels in order to gain the attention she would never receive as a man.

A brilliant series opener.

Confused view of cross-dressing in order to make an unconvincing controversial drama

[benjamin-twist · 4/10 · 20 August 2012]

The acting in this opening episode of the new series of The Accused was superb, but the whole premise of the story was seriously flawed. Jimmy McGovern appears to have little knowledge of the subject he is writing about. Most transvestites are straight and enjoy the experience of cross dressing with their female partners, and not just for sexual gratification. Cross dressers do frequent gay bars but only because it enables them to drink in a non- threatening environment. The idea that a man like Simon/Tracie (Sean Bean) would drink in a city-centre bar dressed like a cross between Mae West and Madonna is totally ludicrous. What planet is Mr McGovern living on? It was not made clear exactly what Tony (Stephen Graham) was doing when he visited Tracie. Were they having sex, if yes then why not show it (perhaps McGovern didn't know what they would do to each other). But why would Tracie start a relationship with what was obviously a married man without discussing it and laying down some ground rules? It just lacks credibility.

But perhaps the most bizarre aspect of this whole charade was the fact that Tracie was having a relationship with a psychopath who would rather violently stab his wife to death than tell her than he is gay - and not just an ordinary gay man but one who likes older men in unconvincing drag. Add to this ridiculous courtroom scene when Tracie addressed the court in full drag and you have all the makings of a really bad drama.

There were so many embarrassing moments in this grubby little play: The scene where Tony tells Tracie he will only be seen out with her if she looks more convincing as a woman, the scene where Tracie visits Tony's wife for a makeover and stares at her breasts and the fact that Tracie agreed to go away with Tony after he publicly humiliated him. What does it all mean? It means that Jimmy McGovern is a lazy writer and should do his research properly. I feels sorry for the actors who are no doubt proud of their performances but should really have looked at the bigger picture.

The problem with a lot of McGovern's scripts is that he can't make up his mind what he is writing about. In this case Transvestism or murder. He takes a controversial subject or story (no doubt lifted from the pages of a Sunday newspaper, in this from 1978 judging by the out-of-date concept) and twists it to suit his limited experience. If he seriously wanted to write about cross-dressing then why not talk to some real cross-dressers and use their experience to tell the story. That would certainly be a lot more realistic that this tosh.