Paul Pitman [Character Review]

Character Review - Paul Pitman

Paul Pitman makes his first appearance in the episode Spoil of War, when he offers the first community at the Grange some crucial advice on agricultural methods. Although Greg initially feels threatened by his expert knowledge and does a poor job of hiding it, Paul very soon becomes a valued friend to both him and Abby and Jenny. Despite his intially forthright and brave criticism of the survivors first farming efforts, Paul is for the majority of the time laidback and sensitive in nature. His gentle character does not naturally lead him to be a man of action, but he is coerced into this role by Greg in the latter part of Spoil of War when they stakeout the quarry occupied by Vic, and later in The Future Hour, to some degree of success. As the series progresses he appears more and more to be at Greg's right hand, as the pair discuss events and solutions to the problems that face them. In the final episode of the first series, A Beginning the character of Ruth Anderson is introduced. She is a medical student who will become both Paul's lover and friend. In Birth of A Hope it is clear from early scenes that Paul has formed a close friendship with the pregnant Jenny. When her life is threatened due to an afterbirth infection it is Paul who displays Greater Love in his final episode, by risking a trip into Birmingham to find drugs to save her life. However it is clear that Paul also has another motive for volunteering for this dangerous trip, namely to impress Ruth. Ultimately Jenny is saved, whilst Paul succumbs to a terrible disease himself and Ruth is thrown into almost suicidal despair by his death. Jenny names her child after Paul, so in a small way he lives on with the survivors for the rest of its run. It is interesting to note that of all those characters who die as the series progresses (and there are many), it is perhaps Paul's death which rocks the survivors the most. He is certainly referred to as late as Reunion, some 17 episodes later when Jenny once more muses on what he did for her and what a terrible waste it was.

Other Paul Pitman / Christopher Tranchell pages on this site...