In 1997, Sunday night television in the UK usually meant one thing: cozy, lighthearted dramas with rolling hills and polite priests. Then came The Lakes. It was like a brick through a window. Suddenly, the BBC was showing us a version of the Lake District that wasn't just about hikers and Farrow & Ball paint. It was about gambling, sex, crushing guilt, and the kind of claustrophobic small-town secrets that make you want to scream. At the center of it all was a 26-year-old John Simm, delivering a performance so raw it basically launched him into the stratosphere.
Honestly, if you haven't seen it recently—or at all—you're missing out on a piece of television history that feels surprisingly modern despite the lack of iPhones and the very 90s haircuts. It’s back on iPlayer now, and it’s still as bruising as ever.
Who is Danny Kavanagh?
John Simm plays Danny Kavanagh, a Scouser who’s basically running away from his own life. He’s got a gambling addiction that's more like a physical weight, and he ends up in the Lake District looking for work at a hotel. He’s an outsider. That’s the core of the show. You’ve got this beautiful, serene landscape, but the people living there are just as messy and desperate as anyone in the city.
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Danny falls for a local girl, Emma (Emma Cunniffe), and for a second, you think, "Oh, okay, it’s a romance." It isn't. Not really. It’s a tragedy about how one bad decision, or even just one moment of distraction, can ripple out and destroy an entire community.
The "Accident" That Changed Everything
The turning point in the first series is genuinely hard to watch. Danny is working at a boat hire, and he’s supposed to be watching three schoolgirls. But he’s on the phone to a bookie. He’s distracted. The girls take a boat out, they skip school, and they drown.
The way Jimmy McGovern (the creator) writes this is brutal. Danny isn't a "villain" in the traditional sense, but he becomes the village scapegoat. The locals need someone to blame for their grief, and Danny—the unemployed gambler from Liverpool—is the perfect target. It’s sort of a "morality play" but without the preaching. You feel for him, even when you’re screaming at him for being so incredibly stupid.
Why The Lakes John Simm is a "Masterclass"
John Simm recently called the show a "masterclass in screenwriting" on his Instagram, and he's not just being nostalgic. There’s something about the way he plays Danny that set the template for his later roles in Life on Mars and Grace. He has this specific energy—a mix of vulnerability and a "don't mess with me" edge.
- The Dialogue: McGovern doesn't do "polite." The characters talk like real people. They swear, they lie, they make jokes at the absolute wrong time.
- The Setting: Filmed around Patterdale and Glenridding, the show uses Ullswater as more than just a backdrop. The lake is a character. It's beautiful, but it's also dark and dangerous.
- The Cast: You’ve got a young Kaye Wragg as the manipulative Lucy, and Robert Pugh as a priest who’s basically drowning in his own hypocrisy. Even the chef (played by Charles Dale) is terrifying in a way that feels way too real for 9:00 PM on a Sunday.
Series 1 vs. Series 2: The Shift
If Series 1 was a tight, emotional thriller, Series 2 went off the rails a bit—but in a way that's kind of fascinating to watch now. McGovern was less involved, and it turned into something much closer to a "gritty soap opera." We’re talking murder, castration (yes, really), and some seriously overheated plotlines.
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Some fans think it went too far. It got "lurid," according to some critics. But the chemistry between Simm and the rest of the cast keeps it grounded. Even when the plot gets wild, Danny’s struggle with his addiction and his marriage feels painfully honest.
Visiting the Real Locations
If you're a fan of the show, the Lake District hits differently when you know where they filmed. You can actually visit the spots where Danny’s life fell apart.
- The Ullswater Hotel: This was the fictional "Lakeside Hotel." It’s still there, looking out over the water.
- Patterdale and Glenridding: These villages served as the main setting. Walking through them, you can still feel that "close-knit community" vibe that turned so toxic in the show.
- Aira Force: There’s a romantic picnic scene here in the first episode. It’s one of the few moments of peace before the chaos starts.
The Legacy of the Show
The Lakes was a game-changer for British drama. It proved that you could set a gritty, adult story in a "pretty" location without losing its edge. It also proved that John Simm was one of the best actors of his generation. He brings a "rough-edged soul" to Danny that makes you root for him even when he’s stealing from his own family to place a bet.
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Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're diving back into the world of The Lakes or discovering it for the first time, here is how to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch on iPlayer: The BBC recently added both series. It's the best way to see it in its original, grainy, 90s glory.
- Look for the "Cracker" Connections: Both John Simm and Emma Cunniffe appeared in Cracker (another McGovern masterpiece). You can see the DNA of those performances in The Lakes.
- Listen to the Soundtrack: The show is soaked in Britpop and 90s vibes. It’s a perfect time capsule of that era in the UK.
- Read the Subtext: Keep an eye out for the recurring themes of Catholic guilt. McGovern is famous for it, and it's all over the relationship between the priest and Bernie (Emma’s mother).
The Lakes isn't always easy to watch. It’s bleak, it’s frustrating, and it’ll probably make you want to avoid gambling for the rest of your life. But as a piece of television? It’s pretty much essential. It reminds us that no matter how beautiful the view is, people are still people—flawed, messy, and constantly searching for a way to fix their own mistakes.
To see how Simm's career evolved after this breakout role, you can check out his more recent work in the Brighton-based detective drama Grace, where he trades the gambling addiction for a much more disciplined (but still haunted) detective's badge.