TelevisionBanished

The BBC has uploaded 2 powerful clips for next week's penultimate episode of Banished. No Joseph sadly, but Major Ross features in What's On TV's preview of the episode.

Why are the convicts here, Governor?' asks Reverend Johnson. 'As punishment, or for punishment?' Another day, another moral dilemma for poor Governor Phillip. This time, a violent encounter between a convict and an officer has put the camp's leader in a quandary – should the offender pay, or are the grim conditions of the colony partly to blame? Meanwhile, Major Ross continues to veer between callously evil and amazingly tender, and James has to endure the darkest night he's known since arriving.

A thrilling episode that will leave you desperate for next week's finale. 

Are the broadsheets FINALLY coming onboard with Banished? I could never understand the initial negativity from them, since viewers clearly loved it - but at least today, the Telegraph, Digital Spy and the Guardian have tonight's episode in their highlights.

BBC Wordwide announced sales for Banished ahead of MIPTV in Cannes. 

Ahead of launching Banishedin Cannes, BBC Worldwide announces sales of the drama to Mexico (VEO), Poland (TVP1), Israel (Cellcom), Finland (YLE) and Croatia (HRT). Created by Emmy award winning writer, Jimmy McGovern (The Street, Cracker) the series isa compelling, character-led drama based on the lives of the inhabitants of the first penal colony in Sydney. Starring Russell Tovey, Julian Rhind-Tutt, MyAnna Buring and David Wenham, Banished debuted on BBC Two with a 17.6% share easily winning its time slot against all other competition in the UK and more than doubling BBC Two’s prime time average. The seven part series is the first local co-commission for BBC First in Australia.

A number of HQ stills for episodes 5, 6 and 7 of banished have been shared online by Far Far Away. Episode 5 airs on Thursday at 9pm on BBC2. Two preview clips (not featuring Joseph) have been shared on the Banished website.

If you missed tonight's episode of Banished, catch up via iPlayer. It was an incredible episode. 

The last 20 minutes of this episode is a cracking fable, full of brutal love and death, with the fierce dignity of convicts shipped to 18th-century Australia coming face to snarling face with their masters’ bogus authority. The final scene will leave you winded. Exactly what we hoped for from a Jimmy McGovern period drama, in contrast to the previous scenes, which feel merely like a stilted, perfunctory period drama, too glossy and gentle by half. Is it worth it? If you’ve come this far you’d probably say yes. Guardian