STACK #126 Apr 2016

DVD & BD

FEATURE

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Writer Chris Chibnall has described his series Broadchurch as a labour of love – an effort to explore how a child's murder could affect the denizens of a local, compact community and the ensuing ripple effects of distrust, grief and media attention. Now there's more, in the show's hotly anticipated second series. BROAD ER CHURCH

S eries two of the brilliant British mystery series is out on DVD this April,

and speculation about a third is already swirling. “I don’t really have a formal trilogy in my head,” says creator Chris Chibnall. “I was just very glad to have one series, so everything else just feels like a bonus. With [the second series] I think I had a very clear concept for what I wanted it to be, and where I

wanted it to go. Some characters from series one return, some don’t, and there are a lot of new characters for you to get to know in series two.” Those who are returning include Olivia Colman and David Tennant, in their leading roles of Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller and Detective Inspector Alec Hardy. They're the pair in charge of the investigation into the death of 11-year-old Danny Latimer, who is found strangled at the foot of a cliff at the opening of season one. Chibnall was aware of the need to grow his leading characters, but clearly trusts their own instincts too. “When you’ve known you’ve got those great actors, you want to keep challenging them,” he explains, “so I think [the show has] more humour this year. [I wanted to] take advantage of how great Olivia is and how great David is, and how great the whole cast is: Charlotte Rampling and Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Eve Myles... it means that everybody’s really got to keep their game very high and it means that there are new dynamics to play with as well.” The new cast members imbued Chibnall with a fresh willingness to allow the story to progress where it felt it needed to go. “So often what happens in the writing is you know where you’re going to start, and you know where you want to end up, but the journey is never quite what you predict; hopefully the characters take on a life of their own and tell you where they want to go and tell you where they don’t want to go. I think that’s true as well once you start filming: you see what the actors are bringing to the

Above: Olivia Colman takes the stand. Main: New cast members Eve Myles and James D'Arcy.

relax. Funnily enough, on the first series it was a bit of fun not telling the actors who the killer was – so it was about secrecy, but it was also about keeping the project alive, and keeping some ambiguity in their performances. “This year it’s been a different project of secrecy,” he continues. “I think you don’t want to be secret just for the sake of it; the purpose of the secrecy is, 'Can we get this story to the audience without them knowing what it is before they see it?' Because nowadays there are so many spoilers and everybody’s fighting for space, so people reveal their stories early.” Chibnall feels audiences responded to the first series so well because they didn't know what was coming at all; the production team deliberately did not release any trailers or previews. “It felt like that was what connected with the audience, and they liked that experience,” he explains. “And we lay down clues and red herrings, and

Some characters from series one return, some don't, and there are a lot of new characters for you to get to know in series two.

characters, and again you make adjustments there. Because you suddenly think 'Oh my God, that person is extraordinary', or 'That combination is extraordinary', and I couldn’t have known that until I see the rushes. So you sort of have a grand plan and then you course-correct according to how delighted task, considering the shroud of secrecy surrounding all aspects of the show's narrative; but Chibnall reflects that the level of covertness surprised even him. “Oh, you have no idea,” he chortles. “Once the episodes start to air, obviously all [comes] clear and [everyone starts to] you are with the pieces as you go.” This probably makes for an easier

people engage with the show on a really exciting level; you know they’re looking for stuff, they’re not just looking for literal plot. They’re looking for all kinds of things.”

• Broadcurch: Series 2 is out on April 8

APRIL 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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