“Hard
on the heels of the highly
successful first series of British drama Broadchurch, Broadchurch Series 2
continued to captivate television
audiences with its intriguing storylines
and now makes its home
entertainment debut...”
WELL PACED AND EXCITING and set against the spectacular Dorset coastline, Broadchurch
follows two detectives hunting down the killer of eleven-year-old Danny Latimer
(Oskar McNamara), whose body was found at the foot of the cliffs in the fictional
West Country seaside town of Broadchurch.
Leading the hunt is DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant: Dr Who), who has been
diagnosed with heart arrhythmia but is determined his illness will not stop
him solving the case. His partner, DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman), is resentful
of him as she had expected to be promoted and Alec has been brought in from
outside.
“Broadchurch
Series 2
is as engrossing,
intriguing and irresistible
as the first series with
first class character
development.
Bring on the third!”
Danny's
parents Mark (Andrew Buchan) and Beth (Jodie Whittaker) were Ellie's close friends
and Ellie faced a tricky situation when her husband Joe (Matthew Gravelle) confessed
to the murder of the youngster, a friend of their son Tom (Adam Wilson).
A former Paramedic, Ellie's husband stayed at home looking after their sons,
13-year-old Tom and 2-year-old Fred and had befriended Danny, to whom he became
close. Ellie's sister Lucy Stevens (Tanya Franks) has a gambling habit and in
her desperation she blackmails Ellie as she has some information that could
be vital to Danny's murder case.
Broadchurch Series 2 begins where the first series ends; with Joe sensationally
retracting his statement and pleading not guilty at his trial, presided over
by judge Sonia Sharma (Meera Syal). The Latimers have persuaded well-respected
barrister Jocelyn Knight (the wonderful Charlotte Rampling: Dexter) to
come out of retirement to prosecute Joe, while her former protégé, Sharon Bishop
QC (Marianne Jean-Baptiste: Without A Trace), is defence counsel.
Alec has already been traumatised by the unsolved killing of 12-year-old Pippa
Gillespie (Hollie Burgess) in the town of Sandbrook. He took the blame for the
disappearance of vital evidence his now ex-wife DS Tess Henchard (Lucy Cohu)
had lost, as he wanted to protect their 15-year-old daughter Daisy (Hannah Rae).
The detective had discovered Pippa's body in the river but her cousin Lisa Newberry
(Eliza Bennett), who was looking after her, has never been found.
Chief suspect in the Sandbrook murder case was Lee Ashworth (James D'Arcy: Cloud
Atlas), whose partner Claire Ripley (Eve Myles: Torchwood) knows
more about the case than she will admit. Now being protected by Alec in an isolated
house near Broadchurch, she has agreed to testify against Lee.
Close-knit Broadchurch is, unsurprisingly, a town of secrets and suspicious
characters. Beth no longer talks to Ellie and the Latimer's 15-year-old daughter
Chloe (Charlotte Beaumont) is keeping secrets from her parents while seeing
17-year-old bad boy Dean Thomas (Jacob Anderson). When Ellie discovers drugs
and money in her bedroom she lies about where they have come from.
Mark's affair with hotelier Becca Fisher (Simone McAullay) comes out when he
is shockingly accused of murdering his own son and she confirms his alibi. His
best friend and co-worker Nigel Carter (Joe Sims), also has secrets and is not
about to open up to anyone.
The reclusive Susan Wright (a suitably-sinister Pauline Quirke), who lives in
a caravan close to where Danny's body was found, believes her own son could
be a child killer like his father, who killed their daughter. Even the Reverend
Paul Coates (Arthur Darvil), now romantically involved with Becca, has his demons.
If Joe's claims of innocence are true, who is the real killer? Or was his confession
merely a ruse to protect someone else? Will the two detectives find out the
truth and will Alec finally uncover the mystery of the Sandbrook murders?
Set against stunning Dorset scenery beautifully photographed, Broadchurch
is hailed as the game-changing British crime drama television series that had
the nation on the edge of their seats. A genuine television phenomenon, the
series drew critical acclaim and attracted large numbers of fans.
Mooted to become the thriller of the year, the eight-episode crime series Broadchurch
Series 2 looks at the aftermath of the murder of a young boy from a close-knit
community, the bereaved parents' attempts to get back to some sort of normality
and the effects of the tragedy on the townspeople.
With its clever twists and turns, guilty secrets and red herrings, the story
progresses well in the capable hands of writer Chris Chibnall. Broadchurch
Series 2 is as engrossing, intriguing and irresistible as the first series with
first class character development. Bring on the third!
Along with the fine acting talents of Charlotte Rampling, Marianne Jean Baptiste,
Eve Myles, James D'Arcy and Meera Syal, Broadchurch also features a terrific
support cast that includes: Carolyn Pickles as Maggie Radcliffe, Editor of The
Broadchurch Echo; Jonathan Bailey as Lucy's reporter son Olly; Phoebe Waller-Bridge
(Bad Education) as Abby Thompson, Sharon Bishop's junior barrister; William
Andrews as Ben Haywood, Jocelyn's junior barrister; Amanda Drew as Cate Gillespie
and Shaun Dooley as Ricky Gillespie, Pippa's parents.
Music is by Ólafur Arnalds; Vocals on So Far Arnór Dan; Director of Photography
is John Conroy; Created and Written by Chris Chibnall; Produced by Richard Stokes;
and Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky, James Strong, Mike Barker and Jessica Hobbs.
*
The
West Country-set drama Broadchurch Series 2 aired on ITV (from 5 January
2015) and is released by RLJ Entertainment's Acorn label on DVD and Blu-ray
on 16 March 2015. At the same time, a Box Set with both Series 1 and 2 is released.
"Broadchurch Series 2 is as engrossing, intriguing and irresistible as
the first series with first class character development. Bring on the third!"
—Maggie Woods,
MotorBar
"An ingeniously seamless reboot" —The Guardian
"The plot lines are absorbing, characters well-drawn, the cinematography is
even more stunning" —The Independent
"For the next two months, the whole country will be agog as one by one the secrets
are unravelled" —Daily Mail
“Hard
on the heels of the highly