Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Cast: David Tennant, Olivia Coleman, Andrew Buchan, Jodie Whittaker, Arthur Darvill, Tracey Childs, Matthew Gravelle, Peter De Jersey, Will Mellor, Jonathon Bailey, Charlotte Beaumont, Adam Wilson, Oskar McNamara, Joe Simms, Carolyn Pickles, Joe Sims, Jacob Anderson. Tanya Franks.
The cliffs that surround the town of Broadchurch have kept their secrets for eight weeks and the series has gripped a television audience in a manner that rarely happens in the fast paced and multi channel world of 21st century Britain. In years gone by Broadchurch would have had half the nation watching avidly week in-week out trying to piece together any fragment of clue, a sliver of luck in detection that would point to the killer of Danny Latimer. By comparison to have achieved the type of viewing figures the show has recorded; the amount of column inches given over in the national papers and in its fan sites has surely made Broadchurch one of the most watched programmes of its genre for decades, no mean feat.
The final gripping instalment of the I.T.V. show went further than other detective programmes by showing the aftermath of the murder, what it does to a town, the people and the relationships that have become fractured through a moment of madness or brutal anger. Revealing the murder quite early into the finale left time for this approach to be used to its logical conclusion, viewers finally had their why, the how and the who but it was the after that perhaps sums up best why this particular series has been so well received and admired for the quality of the story line and the actors who have made it such compulsive viewing.
From David Tennant’s brilliant portrayal as D.I. Alec Hardy, the incredible and superior support from Olivia Coleman, Pauline Quirke, Jodie Whittaker and Andrew Buchan through to those that showed the heart of the town and they way they all come under the spotlight, including a very gracious support role by Arthur Darvill and the two young boys who bought this drama to life in Adam Wilson and Oskar McNamara, outstanding performances by all.
Surprisingly there is a second series of this drama to be filmed and whilst this is great news for the fan, the amateur detective in every viewer, it has to have a word of warning attached that it will need script of absolute brilliance to top what viewers have been privy to the last couple of months. If Broadchurch doesn’t win a television award for what it brought to the screen then Chris Chibnall will surely feel cheated. Phenomenal.
Ian D. Hall