The 7.39

Partnered commuters Sally and Carl meet on a train and begin a secret affair, exploring themes of love, infidelity, and modern relationships against the backdrop of a mundane commute.

The 7.39 (2014) is a British two-part romantic drama miniseries created by David Nicholls for BBC One. Partnered commuters Sally Thorn (Sheridan Smith) and Carl Matthews (David Morrissey) meet on a train during the daily journey into London and begin a secret affair that quietly pulls them away from their established lives. Sally and Carl each carry the weight of long-term commitments, and the engine of the story is the tension between the comfort of home and the thrill of a clandestine connection that grows one commute at a time. Olivia Colman plays Maggie Matthews, whose marriage forms the emotional counterweight to the affair, while Sean Maguire and Lashana Lynch round out the principal cast around the lives the lovers are juggling. Each part runs sixty minutes and follows the rhythm of ordinary weekday routines, with stations, platforms and crowded carriages standing in for the stuck feeling of middle age. The tone is intimate, wistful and often uncomfortable, with an observational realism that treats infidelity as messy rather than melodramatic. Fans of Brief Encounter, Normal People and Doctor Foster will find resonance in its adult emotional honesty and its focus on romance complicated by domestic life. Viewers seeking a short, character-driven British drama about love and routine will find it absorbing.

Audience reception is mixed, with praise for its emotional honesty about midlife relationships and its writing, tempered by a modest viewer following.

• Brief Encounter (1945)adult romantic drama, infidelity and marriage strain, British television drama
• Normal Peopleintimate two-hander romance, emotional realism, midlife relationship drama
• Doctor FosterBritish romantic drama about adult relationships and emotional fallout

Created by

David Nicholls

Release Date

2014-01-06

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

7.0 / 10 (65)

What is The 7.39 about?

Two commuters who meet on a train begin a secret affair that tests their marriages and their sense of what they want from love.

What is The 7.39 like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The 7.39 as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is The 7.39 violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The 7.39.

What did critics think of The 7.39?

Audience reception is mixed, with praise for its emotional honesty about midlife relationships and its writing, tempered by a modest viewer following.

Which shows are like The 7.39?

Shows with a similar feel include Brief Encounter (1945), Normal People, and Doctor Foster.

How long is The 7.39?

The 7.39: 1 season, 2 episodes.

Is The 7.39 still running?

No, The 7.39 has ended.