Fans of British TV drama were given a treat on Monday night, with the return of Broadchurch. The third series of the hit drama is filmed on location in Dorset, with the Jurassic Coast providing a stunning backdrop to the hard-hitting story-lines.
The writers wasted no time in getting down to business, with the opening scenes showing the aftermath of a serious sexual assault. Lead characters David Tennant and Olivia Colman were thrust straight into the sharp end of the new case. Tennant’s character, the broody and morose DI Alex Hardy and his wise-cracking sidekick Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller were tasked with unravelling the few words uttered by victim Trish Winterman, played by ex-Corrie actress Julie Hesmondhalgh.
Many of the characters from the two previous series also made an appearance, including Beth Latimer (played by Jodie Whitaker) and her deeply-troubled husband Mark (Andrew Buchan). Also returning were local vicar Paul Coates, who couldn’t behave less like a clergyman if he tried. The finger of suspicion hovered menacingly over him in series one, after the murder of the Latimer’s son Danny.
Local Newspaper Editor Maggie is also back, having a written a book with Mark Latimer, the content of which is deeply troubling (isn’t everything?!) to him.
As well Hesmondhalgh’s monosyllabic character, her husband will make an appearance in episode two. Charlie Higson has been given the role and I can’t wait for him to draw inspiration from his portrayal of ‘Swiss Tony’ in The Fast Show. Or maybe not, but wouldn’t that be brilliant!
Lenny Henry also pops up, playing a surly shop owner who clearly hates all his staff, one of whom is Cath Attwood (Sarah Parish). It is at Cath’s 50th birthday party that Trish is assaulted and Jim Attwood, Cath’s husband, immediately leaps into the frame as evidence from the crime scene turns up in his car.
The subject of rape is always a tricky one for script-writers and recent high-profile cases in the real world, mean the subject is high in peoples’ minds. The way in which the writers portray the ‘processing’ of the victim, is clearly the result of a lot of painstaking research by the production company. Tennant and Colman take us through each stage of the process with tact and empathy, something that DI Hardy seems to struggle with!
Episode One was a strong start to the series and it’s clear that a number of devious sub-plots will intervene along the way. We were treated to one of these early on, when DS Miller was called to her son’s School, after he was discovered supplying porn videos to other pupils.
Broadchurch remains a hugely popular franchise, and the opener in series 3 promises much in the way of intrigue and suspense. Tennant and Colman work well together and the interaction between them and the other characters is developing well.
Broadchurch airs every Monday evening at 9pm, on ITV
The post Thanks ITV, Broadchurch is Back! appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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