A Passionate Woman (2010 Antonia Bird, Kay Mellor)

Based on Mellor's own mother's experiences of  - when married - falling madly in love with a Pole called Craze in the flat below, who was killed in a fairground brawl, then buttoning up the experience for years. (So part 2 - the wedding etc., is fiction.) Interviewed at the time, Mellor says " the play opened in the West End to rave reviews. [It] .. has toured extensively all over the world. Film rights were fought for, but I held on to them tightly as I didn't want Cher playing my mum on a rooftop in Detroit."

Unfortunately the way it comes over to us is that Billie Piper's character is just stupid, and can't see Theo James's Craze as a shiftless, worthless womaniser.. (there are people chasing him, for Christ's sake!) and then it seems a lifetime for her to cotton on to this, culminating in ruining her son Andrew Lee Potts's wedding. (There's no way she would have been let to carry on as normal after the rooftop thing - sectioned, more likely.) It seems very serious too and lacks any of Mellor's trademark wit, as though the project was so personal it had to be dealt with reverentially.

Also I'm not sure about the wisdom of seeing a preview of everything at the beginning - the shooting at the funfair, maybe (a sort of Mildred Pearce beginning) but to show us everything?

My sympathy was with the Newcastle lass (Kelly Harrison young, Barbara Marten older) who was ostracised by everyone and who desperately clings to Piper as her friend (she isn't).

Great idea to cast Joe Armstrong as younger Alan Armstrong but Piper didn't really metamorphise into Sue Johnstone to me. Neighbours are Mina Anwar and Youkti Patel.

I am pleased to say that the Leeds Hyde Park Picture House is still there, and indeed still is an operating cinema  - it's Grade II listed.