Stephen Graham’s Powerful New Drama Is Leaving Audiences Speechless

😱💔 Viewers thought they were prepared for another powerful Stephen Graham performance… but nobody expected THIS. His latest drama is leaving audiences emotionally shattered, with many calling it the most heartbreaking role of his entire career. 🎬

If you’re a Stephen Graham fan, you’ll already know that his performances can often leave you profoundly moved, but one that takes things a step further is his role as recovering alcoholic Joseph in The Virtues. The terrific drama, which sees Joseph confront the demons of his past, is as heartbreaking as it is thought-provoking, featuring a performance from Stephen that will genuinely leave you speechless.

When his ex-partner moves abroad with their son, Joseph relapses and, upon waking up with the hangover from hell, he makes the decision to walk away from his current life and board a boat bound for Ireland to face the many troubling memories from his childhood. Co-written by Adolescence creator Jack Thorne, it’s a deeply moving series with Graham’s powerhouse performance easily one of his best to date.

With the series now available to stream on Channel 4, here’s everything you need to know about The Virtues, including the plot, cast, trailer and how to watch it.

What is The Virtues about?

The emotional four-part drama transports us to Liverpool where we meet recovering alcoholic, Joseph (Stephen Graham), who’s in the clutches of despair when his ex-partner Debbie (Juliet Ellis) emigrates to Australia with their nine-year-old son. Distraught, he presses the self-destruct button after two years of sobriety. When he wakes up with a physical and mental hangover from hell, he decides to board a boat to Ireland and confront years of suppressed and painful childhood memories from his upbringing in care.

Upon his arrival, Joseph is reunited with his sister, Anna (Helen Behan), who can hardly believe her eyes since she has not seen her brother since they were small. Anna persuades her husband, Michael (Frank Laverty), to take Joseph in and to offer him work in their family’s building company. It’s here that Joseph comes face-to-face with fellow labourer, Craigy (Mark O’Halloran), a murky figure connected to his past.

His new family set-up is further complicated when he meets Dinah (Niamh Algar) a “wild-child” who comes onto the scene with a bang, after punching her boyfriend out of Anna’s front-door. An instant connection sparks between the two troubled souls, as Dinah is also haunted by a buried past. As the episodes unfold and Joseph pieces together his fragmented trauma, he ultimately faces a dilemma between forgiveness and vengeance.

Stephen Graham told Channel 4 about the extensive research he did before taking on the role, explaining: “I watched a lot of documentaries about people who had been victims in that situation, as well as looking into alcoholism and the reasons behind it. And I also looked into why and how people might repress things.

“The mind is an amazing thing, it can potentially block something out, put it in a box and never open it. But sometimes you get little flashes of what may have happened in your head.”

Who’s in the cast of The Virtues?

The cast of The Virtues includes:

• Stephen Graham (Adolescence) as Joseph
• Niamh Algar (The Iris Affair) as Dinah
• Helen Behan (This is England) as Anna
• Frank Laverty (Raw) as Michael
• Mark O’Halloran (Garage) as Craigy
• Deirdre Donnelly (Barber) as Susan
• Niamh Cusack (Heartbeat) as Janine
• Juliet Ellis (Ruby) as Debbie

Is there a trailer for The Virtues?

Yes, you can watch the trailer for The Virtues below.