Broadchurch

Broadchurch
Genre	Crime Drama
Created by	Chris Chibnall
Starring	David Tennant Olivia Colman Jodie Whittaker Andrew Buchan Vicky McClure Arthur Darvill David Bradley Pauline Quirke Jonathan Bailey Simone McAullay Matthew Gravelle
Composer	Ólafur Arnalds
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	8
Production
Executive producers	Jane Featherstone Chris Chibnall
Producer	Richard Stokes
Cinematography	Matt Gray
Running time	44-46 minutes
Production company	Kudos Film and Television
Original release
Network	ITV, STV, UTV
Release	4 March 2013 (2013-03-04) – present

Broadchurch is an ITV detective series, produced by Kudos and starring Olivia Colman and David Tennant. Casting was announced in June 2012, with filming commencing in Bristol in August as well as in West Bay in Bridport. In January 2013, the series was bought by BBC America for airing later in the year. Broadchurch premiered on Monday, March 4, 2013 at 9:00pm on ITV.

Development

Series creator Chris Chibnall describes the project as a labour of love; he always wanted to create a big ensemble drama exploring how a death might affect a community set in an area where he has lived for the last decade. In 2011, he wrote the first episode and asked ITV drama commissioner Laura Mackie to read the script. Soon afterwards, she greenlit production. The series was filmed between August and November 2012, predominantly on the Jurassic Coast at West Bay in Dorset, with the town of Clevedon just outside Bristol doubling as the fictional town of Broadchurch, with interior scenes of the police station shot in studios in Bristol. Olivia Colman confirmed in an interview with Graham Norton that only four cast members knew who the murderer was during filming. The actor playing the murderer was only told shortly prior to filming the final scenes. The location of the police station is the building in West Bay, designed by Western Design Architects. The complete series of Broadchurch will be released by Acorn Media UK on May 20, 2013.

Characters

Police Officers

• Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (David Tennant) - Alec has recently arrived in Broadchurch, wanting a quiet life after a scandal tinged work history, after being involved with a major murder trial, in which the suspect was released free of charge after DNA evidence was found to have been tampered with. He is immediately thrown into the deep end with the case, and is unwilling to trust anyone, including Ellie. He appears to have something wrong with him medically, and at one point, blacks out and collapses in the bathroom of his hotel room, later begging hotel owner Becca not to speak about the incident. He could have PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) from the last case.

• Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) - Ellie is Alec's colleague, and has a personal connection to Danny's murder, after being friendly with the Latimer family for a number of years. She has lived in Broadchurch all of her life, and her son Tom, who houses a dark secret of his own, was best friends with Danny. Ellie is deeply affected by the murder, and resents Alec for taking the job she was promised by Superintendant Jenkinson. She liases with the Latimer family, relaying an information which is given to her, and attempting to piece together the events leading up to Danny's death.

• Superintendent Sandra Jenkinson (Tracey Childs) - Sandra is Alec and Ellie's boss, and tries to settle Alec into life in Broadchurch. Although she is aware of his past, she does not use it against him, and offers him Ellie's job in her absence, having been on maternity leave after the birth of her second child six months ago. Ellie is furious when she learns Sandra has given her job to Alec, despite being promised the promotion herself. She has never been referred to as Sandra by Ellie.

Latimer Family

• Beth Latimer (Jodie Whittaker) - Beth is Danny and Chloe's mother, and Mark's wife. She is a receptionist with the Broadchurch Echo. She is completely overwhelmed by Danny's death, and struggles to cope, telling Ellie that she is the furthest away from herself than she has ever been before. She struggles to trust her husband, who was unable to account for his whereabouts on the night of Danny's disappearance. She is currently pregnant with her third child; Beth confides in Reverend Coates about her pregnancy. She also finds solace in Steve's information about Danny's death.

• Mark Latimer (Andrew Buchan) - Mark is Danny and Chloe's father, and Beth's husband. He is a plumber, electrician and general handyman. After Danny's death, he began desperately grieving for his son, becoming determined to find the killer. His alibi is called into question when he is unable to account for his whereabouts on the night of Danny's death, but has a secret which he needs to keep - he has been having an affair with hotel owner Becca. He is also best friends with employee Nige, and asks Nige to provide an alibi for him on the night of Danny's death. Beth later discovers his affair with Becca.

• Chloe Latimer (Charlotte Beaumont) - Chloe is Beth and Mark's daughter. She is a student currently studying for her GCSEs. Chloe is overwhelmed by her brother's sudden death, but her relationship with an older boy, Dean, is a more stressing problem on her mind - he has been dealing drugs, and has been using Chloe as a go-between between himself and hotel owner Becca. Chloe stashed a wad of money from the deals under Danny's bed, is it possible that Danny discovered what was going on, and threatened to blow cover? She is also the first to be interviewed by the national press in relation to Danny's death.

• Danny Latimer (Oskar McNamara) - Danny is Beth and Mark's only son, and the victim of the murder. Shortly before his death, a consignment of petrol was stolen from a nearby farm, and he was spotted on CCTV riding through the town centre on his skateboard at 3AM. Moments before he died, he was seen bleeding, standing atop the cliffs which he was found at the bottom of. The police were informed by newsagent Jack that Danny had an argument with a Royal Mail delivery driver on the morning of his death, a fact which currently seems insignificant but may hold a clue as to the motive behind his murder.

• Liz Roper (Susan Brown) - Liz is Danny and Chloe's grandmother, Beth's mother, and Mark's mother-in-law. She is a bursar at the local school which Danny attended. She is completely at a loss following her grandson's death, but manages to become the person who holds her family together. She suspects that Mark may be involved in Danny's death after he is hauled in by the police for questioning, although later changes her mind when he is released without charge. Does she hold any secrets?

Miller Family

• Joe Miller (Matthew Gravelle) - Joe is Ellie's husband, and Tom and Fred's father. He does his best to support his wife throughout the murder investigation, staying at home to support their two children. Joe is a house-husband, but before the birth of his children, was a qualified builder. Joe appears non-sensed at his son Tom's strange behaviour, perhaps due to the fact that he has secrets of his own that he wants to keep. Does he know the person or persons who killed Danny?

• Tom Miller (Adam Wilson) - Tom is Ellie and Joe's eldest son, and Danny's best friend. He is a student in the final year of primary school. After Danny's disappearance, Tom began to act strange, and wiped his entire mobile phone and hard drive of contact with Danny. When interviewed by the police, he also clams up about the circumstances surrounding Danny's death. Could he be aware of anybody who was involved in the killing, or does he have some information about the death of his own?

• Fred Miller (Benji Yapp) - Fred is Ellie and Joe's youngest son, who is just six months old when Ellie returned to work as a police officer. Joe looks after Fred after he became a house husband and gave his job as a full-time qualified builder.

Journalists

• Maggie Radcliffe (Carolyn Pickles) - Maggie is the editor of the Broadchurch Echo. She is furious when her junior reporter, Olly, makes the decision to tweet the identity of the murder victim and make it common knowledge. She is determined to work with the police rather than against them, and takes a motherly approach to her relationship with Olly. When she uncovers information about Susan, she confronts her, and tries to discover why she has been leading a double life. However, Susan threatens her, and warns her to keep her nose out of her private business. What is she trying to hide? When they first met, Karen White congratulated Maggie on her reporting of the Yorkshire Ripper case. Is there a connection between Maggie and the North Yorkshire cold case?

• Olly Stevens (Jonathan Bailey) - Olly is Ellie's nephew, and a budding reporter for the Broadchurch Echo. An early mistake, in he tweets the identity of the murder victim, leads the mainline press to stream into Broadchurch, a decision which strains him from his aunt and his boss, Maggie. He soon forms a relationship with Herald reporter Karen, and attempts to use her to uncover information about Danny's murder. When he confronts Jack with the information about his former sex convictions, Jack threatens to kill him.

• Karen White (Vicky McClure) - Karen is a high-flying reporter for the Daily Herald, who is determined to get the bottom of the murder, and to uncover the whole story. She is not fazed by the sensitivity of the murder, and instantly locks horns with Alec, and threatens to expose his shadowy past about a former case in which he failed the family of the victim. On the instructions of her boss, Len, she manipulates the Latimer family into revealing information about Danny's life, and uses Beth as an empathatic figure to try and coax information out of the public about Danny's murder.

• Len Danvers (Simon Rouse) - Len is Karen's boss at the Daily Herald, and is desperate to get an exclusive on the murder before any of the other national papers. He is upset at Karen's interest in the case at first, but soon agrees to play along. When Karen manages to uncover information that is yet to be reported, he uses her to get an exclusive from the Latimer family, and is the first to have an exclusive interview and a photo shoot with Beth after Danny's murder.

Townsfolk

• Reverend Paul Coates (Arthur Darvill) - Paul is the resident vicar in Broadchurch. He is the first person who Beth confides in following Danny's death.. He also tutored the local computer club, which both Danny and Ellie's son Tom attended. After being spotted by Ellie and Beth in the early hours of the morning, Alec suspects that he has a secret of his own regarding Danny's murder, but soon discourages the accusations by claiming that he suffers from insomnia and sleep deprivation. Could he be the person who killed Danny?

• Susan Wright (Pauline Quirke) - Susan is a local busybody, a former assistant for the sea brigade, cleaner and a physical marketing assistant for the local tourist industry. She prefers to observe Broadchurch's day to day business from afar, but takes particular interest in Danny's death, which happened not far from her home. Also the police are yet to discover it, but Susan has Danny's skateboard tucked away in her caravan and also denies all knowledge of Mark ever fixing a burst pipe in a property which she cleans on the clifftop. Susan is often filmed smoking, which could be relevant given forensics' discovery of the cigarette butts at the site of Danny's body in episode 5. Susan is also known to go by a different name, Elaine Jones.

• Steve Connolly (Will Mellor) - Steve is a telephone engineer, who initially stumbles upon the investigation when he is called to fix a broken telephone in the police station. He is also known to Mark through his work as a handyman. He soon finds himself deep in the case, when he reveals information to the police that he has been sent to him psychically - Danny was killed in a boat, and that he was murdered by somebody that he knows. Alec threatens to arrest him if he does not stay away from the Latimer family, and continues to provide them with false hope about finding evidence relating to Danny's death.

• Jack Marshall (David Bradley) - Jack is the owner of Broadchurch's only newsagents, where Danny used to work, doing a a paper round. When it is discovered that Jack has previous convictions for having sex with a minor, he is called in for questioning. He is also seen burning photos of his time with the sea brigade, and photos of Danny taken when he was a member. It is also notable that he was living in North Yorkshire at the time of a similar murder being committed, and that both incidents occurred after the death of his wife. He also reported Danny's argument with a postman to the police.

• Nige Carter (Joe Sims) - Nige is Mark Latimer's employee at his plumbing firm, and is also his best friend. He is very close to the Latimer family, and often helps out with everyday activities such as cooking and cleaning. He is seen to have a number of dangerous weapons in the back of his van, including a crossbow and an axe, and a confrontation with Susan about "what happened" possibly highlights him as a suspect in Danny's murder. But what motive would he have for killing him?

• Becca Fisher (Simone McAullay) - Becca is the owner of the local hotel, where Alec is staying during his time in Broadchurch. She is also having an affair with Mark Latimer, which is later discovered by his wife, Beth. She has also dealt drugs to Mark's daughter, Chloe, to give to her boyfriend and fellow dealer, Dean. She is also keen to talk to the newspapers after the initial reports of Danny's death, although doesn't appear to hold any information. Does she know something?

• Dean Thomas (Jacob Anderson) - Dean is a sixth form student, studying for his A-levels, and is also Chloe Latimer's boyfriend. He is much older than Chloe, with Chloe yet to have taken her GCSEs. He is involved with dealing drugs, and uses Chloe as a go-between between himself and hotel owner Becca. He has several dangerous connections, including some of the most respected people in town. Did Danny catch on to what was happening, and did Dean try to get him to keep quiet about it?

• Lucy Stevens (Tanya Franks) - Lucy is reporter Olly's mother, and Ellie's sister. She was formerly an assistant to an important banker, but was made redundant from her position, leaving her bankrupt and heavily in debt, leading to baliffs repossessing her assets, much to the dismay of her son. Although she appears to know nothing about Danny's death, the amount of money found in Danny's room may be related to her need for cash. She hasn't spoken to Ellie for a number of years.

Episodes

#	Title	Director	Writer	Original airdate
1	"Episode 1.1"	James Strong	Chris Chibnall	4 March 2013 (2013-03-04)
The quiet seaside town of Broadchurch is rocked by the murder of eleven year old boy Danny Latimer (Oskar McNamara). DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) is put out when Superintendent Jenkinson (Tracey Childs) hires DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) to head up the investigation. Having known the Latimer family quite well for some years, Ellie has to deal with her own personal struggles, and well as those who are broken following Danny's death. Budding reporter Olly (Jonathan Bailey) tries to squeeze information out of the police and local personnel, in order to better his own career, while Danny's sister Chloe (Charlotte Beaumont) leases with her boyfriend Dean (Jacob Anderson) about the possibility of his drug-dealing and money laundering activities getting out. Meanwhile, Alec links a possible theft of petrol from a nearby farm with Danny's death, and journalist supremo Karen (Vicky McClure) tries to persuade her boss, Len (Simon Rouse) to allow her to get an exclusive on the death. Reverend Coates (Arthur Darvill) tries to comfort the community, while the mystery of Danny's missing skateboard, which caught on CCTV at 3AM with him riding it, is solved when Susan (Pauline Quirke) is revealed to have it stashed away in her caravan. With onlookers, journalists and police all trying to get the bottom of Danny's death, the entire town are brought into question as suspects.
2	"Episode 1.2"	James Strong	Chris Chibnall	11 March 2013 (2013-03-11)
The investigation into Danny's death continues, but takes an unlikely turn when his father, Mark (Andrew Buchan) is outlined as a suspect, after his alibi fails to prove his whereabouts, and incriminating evidence of fingerprints and blood found at a summer house up on the cliffs is put against him. Meanwhile, Ellie (Olivia Colman)'s son Tom (Adam Wilson) struggles to keep a secret from his mother, and suddenly decides to wipe both his mobile phone and computer to remove the evidence. What is he trying to hide? Meanwhile, Danny's mother Beth (Jodie Whittaker) breaks down after an eye-opening experience in the supermarket, leading her to confide in Reverend Coates (Arthur Darvill) that she is three months pregnant. Things soon become tense between Ellie and Alec (David Tennant) when her nephew Olly (Jonathan Bailey) manages to extract information from her for his press report, and the pair soon come to blows when a surprise witness comes forward with information surrounding Danny's death. Danny's sister Chloe (Charlotte Beaumont) has to think fast when forensics find cocaine in her room, and a stash of £1,000 under Danny's bed. Attempting to throw the limelight off her boyfriend Dean (Jacob Anderson), she reveals that hotel owner Becca (Simone McAullay) has been dealing drugs for some time. However, in order to keep her licence to run the hotel, she agrees to provide information.
3	"Episode 1.3"	Euros Lyn	Chris Chibnall	18 March 2013 (2013-03-18)
Mark (Andrew Buchan) is hauled to the police station for questioning, after being unable to account for his whereabouts on the night of Danny's death. That is, however, until Ellie (Olivia Colman) is rocked, when she discovers his true alibi - he was meeting hotel owner Becca (Simone McAullay) for illicit sex. Will Beth (Jodie Whittaker) discover his affair? As she confides in Reverend Coates (Arthur Darvill), Steve (Will Mellor) approaches her with a message from beyond the grave, and information that Danny (Oskar McNamara) was killed in a fishing boat. When the boat is found burning out at sea, questions are raised as to who the owner could be. Meanwhile, Susan (Pauline Quirke) denies all knowledge of Mark ever repairing a burst pipe at the house up on the cliffs, and Ellie's son Tom (Adam Wilson) is brought in for questioning. Will he finally tell the truth about the texts and the hard drive content? Karen (Vicky McClure) sheds some light on Alec (David Tennant)'s past, and reveals her true reason for being in Broadchurch - she wants to discover the truth about Danny's killer first. Newsagent Jack (David Bradley) reveals that he saw Danny having an argument with a postman on the day of his death, and suggests that the postman may have information. Nige (Joe Sims) struggles to provide an alibi for himself on the night of Danny's death, while Beth uncovers the extent of Mark's lies.
4	"Episode 1.4"	Euros Lyn	Chris Chibnall	25 March 2013 (2013-03-25)
Echo journalist Olly (Jonathan Bailey) uncovers information about newsagent Jack (David Bradley), including the secret that he was jailed for sexually assaulting a minor before he lived in Broadchurch. Meanwhile, Maggie (Carolyn Pickles) discovers a photo of Susan (Pauline Quirke) in her archive, where Susan is listed as Elaine Jones, throwing suspicion on a possible double life. Meanwhile, Nige (Joe Sims) confronts Susan, telling her to keep shtum about what happened. Does he know more than he is letting on? Meanwhile, Beth (Jodie Whittaker) finds comfort in Steve (Will Mellor)'s information, but Alec (David Tennant) believes he is simply a loony, and warns him to stay away from the Latimer family. After a pleasant dinner with Ellie (Olivia Colman) and Joe (Matthew Gravelle), Alec heads home, only to pass out on his bathroom floor, and to be found by hotel owner Becca. Distraught by the lack of national press coverage, Beth and Mark (Andrew Buchan) are persuaded into getting news of Danny's murder into the newspapers by journalist Karen (Vicky McClure), only for the idea to completely backfire and the invasion of national press arriving on their doorstep. Reverend Coates (Arthur Darvill) acts suspicious when questioned by Alec and Ellie, but the shock revelation arrives when Nige informs Mark that he saw Jack and Olly fighting, after he revealed his sex conviction to the police. And when Jack arrives to try and convince Mark and Beth that is he is not responsible, all hell breaks loose.
5	"Episode 1.5"	Euros Lyn	Chris Chibnall	1 April 2013 (2013-04-01)
As Hardy and Miller come under fire, the people of Broadchurch start to turn on each other. Will a vital new piece of evidence lead the detectives to the killer?
6	"Episode 1.6"	James Strong	Chris Chibnall	8 April 2013 (2013-04-08)
Files are piling up at the police station but, with no fresh leads or witnesses, the case is becoming stale. Hardy is stunned when he's told to scale back resources and feels his hope of catching Danny's killer is slipping away. However, at the Broadchurch Echo, Maggie grows determined to solve a mystery that has taken a very personal turn for her. How will her efforts affect the official investigation? Read more at http://www.tvguide.co.uk/detail.asp?id=152738376#hqLHhShCud3c50GQ.99
7	"Episode 1.7"	James Strong	Chris Chibnall	15 April 2013 (2013-04-15)
8	"Episode 1.8"	James Strong	Chris Chibnall	22 April 2013 (2013-04-22)

Ratings

The series launched it to 6.15 million viewers with a 25.2% share, with an extra 716k (4.4%) switching on to watch on +1. It won its time-slot beating Mayday and Embarrassing Bodies. The second episode continued to perform well pulling in 5.78 million viewers with a 23.2%, with an extra 606k (3.7%) watched on +1. It once again won its competitive time slot beating Embarrassing Bodies and BBC One's Shetland. The third episode climbed to its biggest audience so far pulling in 7.30 million viewers with a 30.9% share, adding an extra 241,000 (1.1%) on +1. Once again it won its time slot. The fourth episode continued to a massive audience, pulling in 6.88 million viewers with 28.1% share, and further 308k (1.79%) watched on +1.

Summary of episode ratings

Episode	Date	Official ITV rating (millions)	Weekly rank ^1	Share (%)	Official ITV HD rating (millions)	Total ITV viewers (millions)
Episode 1	4 March 2013	7.43	6	25.2	0.73	8.16
Episode 2	11 March 2013	7.38	6	23.2	0.70	8.08

External links

• Broadchurch at IMDb