Broadchurch

Broadchurch is a new murder mystery drama starring Olivia Colman and David Tennant. When an eleven year old boy is found dead on a beach in Dorset, the police try their best to solve the mystery of his suspicious death.

 

 

 

 

I had very high hopes for this as a big fan of Olivia Colman. Ever since her fantastic performance in Tyrannosaur I’ve kept an eye out for her other work. David Tennant is obviously also a very talented actor, so from a cast point of view Broadchurch had great potential.

I’m very pleased to say it didn’t disappoint. The acting is great as expected and the story line is absorbing, I’ve no doubt it will keep us guessing until the very end. The very Hot Fuzz-esque representation of Dorset people gets a bit frustrating; it’s the unnecessary exaggerated accent that tips it for me, and the whole small town, ‘everyone knows everyone’ feel that is verging on creepy. Being from Devon, very close to Dorset, I can honestly say that not everyone talks in an “I’ve got a brand new combine ‘aarvester” accent and the constant exaggerated accent did get a tiny bit annoying.

There are also a number of small details that didn’t quite ring true for me, but it could just be me. For a start, the kid that is found dead is supposed to be eleven, and presumably his best friend is the same age. We never see the dead boy alive, so it’s hard to judge him but the friend has a Macbook and a mobile phone…at eleven? Well, kids these days! The child actors seemed older than eleven too, something about that didn’t quite ring true about that for me. Also the time frame, the episode spanned just one day but it felt a lot longer, a lot happened and progressed within that one day, it felt like it was at least two.

Aside from a few small details that didn’t quite feel right, and the irritatingly stereotypical representation of people from Dorset it’s a very good watch. As expected Olivia Colman is fantastic, and the other performances are great too. It’s gripping and interesting and it’s also beautifully shot. I’m sure it will keep me guessing all the way through and I’m interested to see how it unfolds; it’s definitely got me hooked, so bring on the rest of the series!