Karen Meagher

In the early family scenes of Threads (1984), Karen Meagher lets Ruth Beckett be occupied with her own difficulties. She does not make her unusually wise or agreeable so that we will worry about her. That matters in Mick Jackson's nuclear-war drama, where ordinary Sheffield lives must hold our attention before their safety is threatened. Meagher's unforced performance is a substantial reason to see the film.

Barry Hines's writing gives Ruth and Jimmy Kemp concerns that do not stop simply because a larger danger has arrived. Meagher and Reece Dinsdale respect that, allowing the early family drama its own importance rather than treating it as something to get through. We were frightened by Threads because these two had made the families' everyday troubles feel worth our attention. The restraint makes the threat harder to dismiss: it concerns people we have spent time with, whose lives were already complicated enough. Meagher does not need to sweeten Ruth to make that work.

Meagher had played Paula in Experience Preferred... But Not Essential (1982) before taking the central role in Threads. Her later career is largely one of guest and supporting appearances, including work in programmes such as Heartbeat and Casualty. There is also the smaller part of Carpark Civilian in 28 Weeks Later (2007), a considerable change from being someone whose everyday concerns help establish a film. For a sense of what she can do with a substantial part, we would still send someone to Ruth.

What we value here is easy to overlook when discussing acting: Meagher does not keep announcing the seriousness of the story. Jackson's sober approach benefits from her willingness to let the family scenes remain ordinary, without insisting that every exchange prepare us for something worse. The limitation is in recommending the evening rather than the performance, since this is punishing drama with little room to recover. Start with Threads, but leave it for an evening when neither of you needs cheering up.