Tonight , BBC First unveiled its much-anticipated tennis drama Fifteen-Love.
When Fifteen-Love opens, teenage protégé Justine Pearce (Ella Lily Hyland) is in
the quarter finals of the French Open, a match she doesn’t go on to win after
sustaining a wrist injury.
Flashing forward 5 years, we find Justine now enjoying a partying lifestyle. Meanwhile her former coach Glenn Lapthorne (Aidan Turner) is flourishing and coaching the sport’s next big thing, Luca (Lorenzo Richelmy). Now working as a physio at Longwood Academy, where she trained with Glenn, Justine soon crosses paths with her former coach and accuses him of previous sexual misconduct.
Is Justine telling the truth, or is there more to this story than meets the eye? Over the
course of six episodes, that is the story that Fifteen-Love explores.
Writer Hania Elkington pens the first episode offered for this review and provides an
engrossing set-up that allows Turner and Hyland to give compelling performances
and keep viewers guessing.
It’s a tough subject to cover, but Fifteen-Love gives it a good shot.
3.5 Stars
Fifteen-Love airs at 8:30pm Sunday on BBC First/Binge, with the first episode now
available for catch-up.
