Episode 3 [HD]

Sweet dreams are made of this...
"The Syndicate" is not for anyone, just for those of us who enjoy a fairy tale, broken hearts, broken dreams, happy endings, and thick Northern England accents. Set in the rather grim industrial city of Leeds, the five-episide mini-series tells us about five ordinary, mostly decent, working class individuals, all employees of the same discount supermarket, who form a lottery syndicate.

Their future seems a bit bleak, the supermarket has been acquired by a larger chain and all five face redundancy, that horrible British euphamism for out of a job and up a creek. Each character accepts the news differently...some with stoicism, others with panic, some are driven to acts of desperation. This is soap opera manipulation at its best, and within the first 20 minutes, I was hooked.

Just when things look especially dodgy for all concerned, lightning strikes and The Syndicate's lottery numbers come up. Each member wins one million pounds, about $2.5 million...a lot of...

8 million lottery win fuels co-worker dysfunction
If this was a novel, it would be a bestseller, then adapted into a mini-series.
The Syndicate, a grocery lottery ticket buying group, wins. How will millions change 5 lives, and those closest to them. It's what we ask ourselves while scratching tickets, or checking numbers, praying for THE BIG WIN. This 2012 TV series vividly details the price of wealth. Kudos to the writer (also sometimes director, producer) Kay Mellor.

The Syndicate is a character study extraordinaire. You become enraptured with 5 leading roles, plus people close to them. Viewer emotions may include hate, love, endearment, despair, disdain, and more. You WILL be moved. The lucky winners: Brothers Jamie (Matthew Lewis- Harry Potter) & Stuart (Matthew McNulty- Lark Rise to Candleford); Leanne (Joanna Page- Love Actually); Denise (Lorraine Bruce); and Mgr Bob (Timothy Spall- King's Speech). Series filled with star actors.

SDH SUBTITLES optional for five 54min hard-pausing-between...

Fabulous series
Real drama, pathos, human emotions. Amazingly well written and acted. My wife and I were absolutely engrossed from the first minutes.

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