Anyone watching without having read the book?

<From my experience it is usually a better plan (if you can manage it) to see the film/TV series before reading the book - of anything. When the book is read first there are in-built expectations of how we want the series to be, and what things we would emphasise or even leave out were we the film-makers. For instance, as nit-picking as this sounds, my mental image of Gary (while I was reading the book) was that he'd be small, wiry, and a bit rat-faced - so they cast Anthony Hayes, who is anything but small, wiry and rat-faced!!! And I also visualised both Rosie and Gary as having dark hair, and while I was reading the book I felt that Alex Dimitriades would make an excellent Hector. Now, on that last point, I think he is better cast as Harry, as he has played Harry as having a really threatening presence, even when he's being `charming'..........especially when he's being charming?

Actually in this case I think this is one of the rare instances where the way that the characters were portrayed in the TV series mostly proved to be better than the way they imagined them in the book (physically as well as personality wise). For some reason I had this image of Hector being quite ugly and lecherous and much fatter and older than Tsolakis probably intended us to imagine him, rapidly balding and with a moustache. The TV portrayal of Hector humanized him for me, made him seem like much more of an ordinary person and that in turn had an impact on how I viewed the story.

Having said that, I do agree with you on a few of the other points. I imagined Gary much differently -I pictured him as looking somewhere between a mixture of Gary McDonald (Norm Gunston, Mother and Son) and Kelvin Thomson, the Labor MP for Wills (I'll include a link to his parliamentary portrait to show you what I mean but he's shaved off his moustache with is irritating because it was him with a moustache that I imagined Gary to be quite similar looking to)
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/member.asp?id=UK6
I agree with you that I pictured Rosie with dark hair. Harry looked just as I imagined him to be. Anouk looked much nicer than I'd imagined her.

I think this was one of the rare instances where I wasn't disappointed with the way that the characters looked in contrast to the way I imagined them in the book

Replying in sequence here. Not read it do have it but a couple of friends who are avid readers (one is a parent one is not have read it)have had very mixed reactions to it - hating it immensely and loving it. Have enjoyed the series and just watched 'Rosie'. I have to say really well done to Melissa and the chap who plays Gary(sorry can't recall his name without going back to the cast list)superb acting this ep. I still dislike Rosie a lot and thought she got her just desserts, especially when the Muslim chap told her to stay away from them, he finds her toxic. Re how physically the characters look, not having read the book can't comment too much but was struck at what a lovely colour Gary's hair is that is the actor who plays him. I also think the actress who plays Anouk is very striking. Can't deal with the racism seen though unfortunately.