Broadchurch comes to a close tonight and sees the close of one of the best home-grown dramas to have hit the British airwaves in quite some time.
Unlike most mysteries on TV, we also still have no idea as to who it was that committed the heinous crime at the very heart of the show. While this is in part due to the fantastic writing and wonderfully complex and realistic characters on show, a whole heap of praise must go to one decision in production that hasn’t stopped paying dividends.
As revealed in our interview with Tanya Franks, who plays Lucy in the show, none of the cast knew who the killer was until they got around to filming the last episode of the show. Everyone was kept in the dark and played their scenes as if they were innocent according to her. It’s a key reason as to why we’ve not been able to put together the clues, as even subconsciously no one in the cast is trying to mask their character’s real actions.
This brilliant decision has been backed up be fantastic performances by the entire cast throughout the series, with David Tennant and Olivia Colman one again demonstrating why they are two of the brightest stars in British acting right now.
It’s not the only reason why the show has been so magnificent over the last two months though. The show’s characters feel so rounded and real because an incredible amount of time was taken over the creation of them. Creator Chris Chibnall wrote complete biographies for each of them while he was working on the script that took more than a year to create.
This focus on character has been the show’s biggest strength. Making the show about their reaction to the shocking events in the village and not just be about a series of plot twists and questions has meant that the entire mystery has felt more organic and engrossing as a result.
While we can’t wait to find out if our suspicions have been right or if the answer will come totally from left field, this is show that we will defiantly be remembering with more than just a fond memory. The impact of Broadchurch will be felt for some time in the world of British TV, just like the same footprint that has been made by The Killing, Game Of Thrones and Homeland.
We only hope it means that we get more fantastic crime dramas like this with wonderfully disguised endings sooner rather than later.
Broadchurch finishes tonight on ITV at 9pm.
Tagged in David Tennant Olivia Colman Broadchurch