Relentless and shouty: BBC2’s Then Barbara met Alan reviewed

BBC2’s one-off drama Then Barbara Met Alan (Monday) told the true story of how two disabled performers on the cabaret circuit of the 1990s fell in love and campaigned together successfully for disability rights. Most of the cast and a lot of the crew were people with disabilities themselves, and the programme provided a startling reminder of how recently Britain was still a country that made little provision for the disabled – and, even more startlingly, of how controversial the idea of such provision then seemed. The central performances were rivetingly good, and the overall sense was of a heartfelt tribute being paid to a couple who did much to improve the lives of many thousands of people. In other words, this was the sort of show that it feels very awkward to question, let alone criticise – but (nervous gulp!) here goes anyway.

The most obvious flaw was that it never solved the traditional problems that come with writing agitprop: among them, relentlessness, lack of nuance and how to make the audience not feel they’re constantly being shouted at.