Seven years between films. You don't know how much I missed Mike Leigh. Once the screen faded up to reveal a row of terraces in a suburban London street, the camera panning away to observe one of its residents embarking for work with a colleague, before slowly yet purposefully panning back to the house itself, I realised how much I had missed this Mike Leigh.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those who wasn't in favour of his…

Between Terry Nation's classic post-apocalyptic drama series Survivors ending in 1977 and its brief reboot in 2008 there was The Last Train.

Made by Granada in 1999 and created by Matthew Graham, the man who would go on to create Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes but was then hot from writing episodes of 90s landmark drama series This Life, The Last Train may wear its Survivors influence proudly, but it did in fact go on to influence much…

Featuring Clifford Barry of Knightmare (Lissard!) and Game of Thrones fame, who my girlfriend danced with at his daughter's wedding last year.

Victory to the Mimers feels like the kind of idea that might have been handled by The Comic Strip Presents - high praise indeed. It takes inspiration from the miners' strike, and its subsequent big screen dramatisation such as Brassed Off and Billy Elliott, and puts a satirical spin on it by having the proud, beaten but unbowed…

My advice is to go in as blind as possible.

Billed as a drama about stalking, I was initially a bit dispirited by the casting of Jessica Gunning as the stalker. Let me be clear, I love Jessica Gunning. I think she is a phenomenal actor. But I did worry that her taking this role, irrespective of whatever the real person she is portraying may look like, was evidence once more of how creatives and casting directors view anyone over…

A disability advice centre, three jobcentres, A charity helping ex offenders find employment and get straight on their release, two local initiatives that helped people from all backgrounds into employment and education.

These are just some of the places I've worked at that involve helping people into work, getting people 'job ready' or dealing with people's benefit claims.

Jobseekers allowance, Incapacity benefit, Employment and allowance, Carers allowance.

These are just some of the benefits I've claimed since (and between)…