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Renegade Nell review: A family-friendly romp full of Happy Valley writer's wit and swagger, writes CHRISTOPHER STEVENS

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: Holy olde folklore, Batman! Great Britain just gained a historical superhero to rival Spiderman or Captain America - and she's a girl.

Sally Wainwright, the screenwriter behind Happy Valley and Gentleman Jack, has created an extraordinary English heroine, woven from tales of highwaymen, fairy stories, Gothic novels and a dash of Shakespeare. We’ve seen some astonishing TV on streaming channels such as Netflix and AppleTV+ this year: Guy Ritchie’s posh gangster escapade The Gentleman, megabudget sci-fi in 3 Body Problem, sweeping historical adventure with Shogun, wartime spectacle in Masters Of The Air. Renegade Nell looks so convincingly real, it’s hard to remember that Billy Blind isn’t actually fluttering around a highwaywoman’s head as she gallops across the open fields of Tottenham with the dome of St Paul’s on the horizon.

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