By Josh Crooks
The words: 'ITV' and 'Drama' have become synonymous with British audiences over a number of years, but unfortunately the words: 'ITV' and 'Quality' are rarely used in the same way. Looking to change that is the new, big budget drama Broadchurch, boasting the acting talents of not only David Tennant (Doctor Who) and Oliva Colman (Peep Show), but a who's who of renowned British television and cinema actors. Thankfully, being in the business that I am, there are plenty of chances for me to be pleasantly surprised by the unlikely, and I can't help but feel enamored by a series that (so far) has yet to break boundaries in the same way that similar shows such as Twin Peaks did back in the nineties, but has proven itself to be more than competent in its own regard.
The words: 'ITV' and 'Drama' have become synonymous with British audiences over a number of years, but unfortunately the words: 'ITV' and 'Quality' are rarely used in the same way. Looking to change that is the new, big budget drama Broadchurch, boasting the acting talents of not only David Tennant (Doctor Who) and Oliva Colman (Peep Show), but a who's who of renowned British television and cinema actors. Thankfully, being in the business that I am, there are plenty of chances for me to be pleasantly surprised by the unlikely, and I can't help but feel enamored by a series that (so far) has yet to break boundaries in the same way that similar shows such as Twin Peaks did back in the nineties, but has proven itself to be more than competent in its own regard.
Shot in the style of the artiest of Wes Anderson films, and playing out like a good old-fashioned murder mystery, Chris Chibnall and director James Strong have managed to create a compelling story that's told in an intriguing way. We find detectives Hardy and Miller (played by Tennant and Colman respectively) playing well-worn roles (one a hardened detective playing off a relative n00b) with style and the respect they deserve. We leave the first episode with considerably more questions than answers, such as: Who killed Danny Latimer? What happened in Tennant's past that ended with him transferring to the eponymous seaside town? Why is he so ruggedly handsome in everything he's in? Whilst I can't comment on whether all (or none) of these questions are answered throughout the series just yet, the marvelous thing about the two central performances and furthermore the ensemble is that they all elude to this and more.
As I previously mentioned, Broadchurch has been shot in a way that is arguably unnecessary for a story of this caliber, but huge props to director James Strong and cinematographer Matt Gray for elevating the drama above shows such as A Touch of Frost or Midsummer Murders with beautiful cinematography. Opting for a very soft focused (almost dream like) nature to the footage, we see a stark contrast to the powerful performances on display. Furthermore the performances are often captured in unconventional methods in what is typically referred to as arthouse framing, which, much like the soft focus feel goes a long way to emphasize characterization; the loneliness and isolation the actors go a long way to show.
As I previously mentioned, Broadchurch has been shot in a way that is arguably unnecessary for a story of this caliber, but huge props to director James Strong and cinematographer Matt Gray for elevating the drama above shows such as A Touch of Frost or Midsummer Murders with beautiful cinematography. Opting for a very soft focused (almost dream like) nature to the footage, we see a stark contrast to the powerful performances on display. Furthermore the performances are often captured in unconventional methods in what is typically referred to as arthouse framing, which, much like the soft focus feel goes a long way to emphasize characterization; the loneliness and isolation the actors go a long way to show.
It's these two things that initially brought me to the show, as I was lucky enough to see the trailer linked below in the cinema last week, and what surprised me most was just how well it stood out from the crowd, my only hope is that others will see the same qualities that I did and take a chance on genuinely quality programming. The only problem I have with the series so far has much more to do with ITV than anything else: principally that its shown on Monday Nights and contains three distinct adverts throughout. Firstly, this is Saturday night programming if ever I saw it and deserves the opportunity for a larger audience to enjoy it, I wish ITV had the confidence to know that they are on to a good thing and bump it up to prime time viewing. Also, and I admit openly that Netflix, the BBC and HBO have tarnished my tolerance for adverts, but three in an hour... Really ITV... Really?
If you can move past these superficial issues though, you'll see that taking a trip to Broadchurch was much more than just a good idea.
If you can move past these superficial issues though, you'll see that taking a trip to Broadchurch was much more than just a good idea.
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