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Bodily Harm

Bodily Harm

Stand back, he's about to blow!

2002Miniseries1 season2 episodes~175 min/epMidcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

Bodily Harm is a two-part British miniseries written by Tony Grounds, and produced by Tiger Aspect Productions for Channel 4. Airing in June 2002, it stars Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville, Annette Crosbie, and George Cole. On the eve of his 44th birthday, mild-mannered suburban stockbroker Mitchel Greenfield spirals out of control after losing his job, finding his wife in flagrante with a sleazy neighbour, and discovering his father is dying of cancer.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Bodily Harm?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Bodily Harm streaming on Acorn TV via Prime Video.

Subscription

via Prime Video

Reception

Is Bodily Harm worth watching?

Bodily Harm's Midcredits score is the 33rd percentile of all shows, from 127 ratings across 2 sources. 65% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

33rd percentile

Better received than 33% of shows

28th percentile among Drama28th percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)28th
Approval (how many liked it)40th

Acclaim

Mixed: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

65 /100

28th percentile of all shows

25th percentile among Drama24th percentile among 2000s

Rating distribution

Big peaks at both ends — people either love this or bounce off it hard.

Approval

How many liked it

65% liked it

40th percentile of all shows

32nd percentile among Drama35th percentile among 2000s
65% rated it 7–1035% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

19th percentile

124 ratings across platforms

8th percentile among Drama12th percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 17% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

A brutally honest, low-budget British drama about ordinary people facing extraordinary misfortune.

Fans praised

  • Timothy Spall's raw emotional performance as a man unraveling
  • bleakly comic tone that balances suicide, cancer and infidelity with tenderness
  • cast chemistry, especially Spall and Manville as blisteringly good leads

What stands out

Emotional impact92

made reviewers wail like babies; described as life-changing and deeply moving yet strangely uplifting

Acting88

Spall's career-best performance; Manville and ensemble equally praised as 'blisteringly good'

Characters85

frayed losers rendered with laconic tenderness; misfits feel like the only normal ones

Dialogue80

excellent script that balances comedy and tragedy

Plot and story75

everything falls apart in a few short days for a depressed man

Humor72

bleak black humor encompassing sneaky blowjobs and botched suicides

Episodes

1 season

Miniseries · 2002 · 2 episodes

  • S1E1
    S1E1

    Episode 1

    Oct 14, 200287 min
  • S1E2
    S1E2

    Episode 2

    Oct 15, 200287 minFinale

Watch experience

What is Bodily Harm like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, dark and intense — an even-paced watch that leaves you hopeful.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
TenseMelancholicCold
Heaviest: late
Dark humor
Register
Bleak · 3% of showsMelodramatic · 9% of shows: Heightened emotion, played large.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.SerializedSingle-season story
ToneThe material is played straight with a dark, unflinching eye, but the bleakness is undercut by black humour and tender moments, lending it a wry distance.
The rideThe early blows (job, wife, father) generate a sustained tension that likely deepens toward a bleak conclusion.
StructureThe synopsis describes a linear descent over a few days, typical of a three-act structure without narrative tricks.
Episode formatWith only two episodes forming one concluded story, the series is a compact serial.
Season formatOne season tells one complete story; the series is a limited run.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
HopefulDevastating · 1% of shows
Why it leaves you this wayThe series leaves you wrecked by the pain it depicts, yet with a strange sense of uplift and affirmation of resilience.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Tragedy
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4% (this title): Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1% (this title)
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40%

Tragedy: A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin. · Crushed by fate: Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.

4% of shows fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe story follows a man whose life disintegrates through a cascade of personal and professional disasters beyond his control, fitting the tragedy archetype loosely; the coming-of-age for his daughter is a minor strain.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfIdentitySelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27% (this title): Identity 20% (this title) · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% (this title) · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% (this title) · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Self

IdentityGrief · 4% of showsBetrayal · 3% of shows
Mourns its theme: Grieves its theme, or what has been lost of it.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeA man's sense of self is shattered by the simultaneous loss of career, trust, and a parent.
StanceThe focus on one man's total collapse suggests a stance that grieves the fragility of identity and security.

The world

ContemporarySuburbanInstitutionalRealistic
Orchestral modernAmbientSupportive music · original score
Settingsuburban London at the turn of the millennium

Content guide

Is Bodily Harm okay for kids?

Ratings in 1 other country
  • UK15

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does Bodily Harm have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Bodily Harm?

Cast

Timothy Spall
as Mitchel Greenfield
Lesley Manville
as Mandy Greenfield
Annette Crosbie
as Sheila Greenfield
George Cole
as Sidney Greenfield
Sadie Thompson
as Nic Greenfield
Eddie Marsan
as Bernard Chalk
Emily Hillier
as Alice
Elizabeth Berrington
as Belinda Chalk
Jay Simpson
as Tintin
Leo Gregory
as First Trader

Crew

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