Broadchurch A new drama for ITV

Introduction ...... Pages 2 – 3 A foreword by writer ...... Pages 4 – 5 Producer Richard Stokes ...... Page 6 is DI Alec Hardy ...... Pages 7 - 8 is DS Ellie Miller ...... Pages 9 -10 is Mark Latimer ...... Pages 11 -12 is Beth Latimer ...... Page 13 - 14 Vicky McClure is Karen White ...... Pages 15 - 16 is Rev Paul Coates ...... Pages 17 - 18 is Susan Wright ...... Page 19 Cast and production credits ...... Page 20

For further information please contact:

Lisa Vanoli – 07899 060230 / [email protected]

Sarah Woonton – 0207 157 3066 / sarah.woonton@.com

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Patrick Smith, ITV Pictures 020 715 73044 / [email protected]

Broadchurch

Broadchurch is a new drama series by Kudos Film and Television for ITV. The star-studded cast includes David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Andrew Buchan, Jodie Whittaker, Vicky McClure, Pauline Quirke and Arthur Darvill.

Broadchurch is written and created by Chris Chibnall (United, Law and Order: UK) and explores what happens to a small community in when it suddenly becomes the focus of a police investigation, following the tragic and mysterious death of an eleven year old boy under the glare of the media spotlight.

Bloodied and dirty, Danny Latimer (Oskar McNamara) has been found dead on an idyllic beach surrounded by rocks and a jutting cliff-face from where he may have fallen. While his death remains unresolved, the picturesque seaside town of Broadchurch is at the heart of a major police investigation and a national media frenzy.

The sadness of losing a child consumes the family, Beth and Mark Latimer (Jodie Whittaker and Andrew Buchan), their daughter 15 year old Chloe (Charlotte Beaumont) and Beth’s mum Liz (Susan Brown) as they attempt to cope with their grief, everyday normal life and the abruptness of the unwarranted attention heaped upon them. Devastated by their loss, it’s the most stressful and emotional time in their lives as they struggle to relate to their friends, neighbours, the church, the press, and the police.

David Tennant takes the role of DI Alec Hardy; an out-of-town, newly promoted police detective who takes the job local girl DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) believes should have been hers.

Ellie has to find reserves of patience and toughness to negotiate a professional relationship with the difficult and unyielding Hardy. Yet as the drama progresses, Hardy’s own secrets are laid bare.

Ellie is also emotionally involved with this case. Ellie’s son Tom ( Wilson) was the dead boy’s best friend and she’s known Danny all his young life. How could she not be drawn in? But Hardy’s clinical methods force Ellie to see the community she grew up in through a different prism.

One by one the community of Broadchurch are drawn into the police enquiry. The village vicar Paul Coates (Arthur Darvill) tries to offer his support, but with press snooping, Broadchurch Echo junior reporter Olly Stevens () and editor Maggie Radcliffe (Carolyn Pickles), and particularly national newspaper journalist Karen White (Vicky McClure) who has come to Broadchurch with a special interest in DI Hardy, everyone is ill at ease. Hotelier Becca Fisher (Simone McAullay) and local business people are implicated as the effects of a death in the community begins to impact on their hard-earned livelihoods. Telephone engineer Steve Connelly () finds himself in deep when he admits he has a special connection to the case.

Pauline Quirke takes the role of Susan Wright, a suspicious and scruffy character who appears to observe the goings on in Broadchurch from afar. Susan lives in the local caravan park and has a lonely existence. There’s a sense she’s hiding something, but what could she possibly know about Danny’s demise?

Broadchurch was commissioned for ITV by drama commissioning team, Laura Mackie and Sally Haynes.

James Strong (United, , Silent Witness, ) and (, Doctor Who, Upstairs Downstairs, Sherlock) direct the series. Richard Stokes (Silk, Law & Order: UK, Torchwood) is the producer. Jane Featherstone (The Hour, Life on Mars, Law & Order: UK) and Chris Chibnall are the executive producers.

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Kudos Film and Television is the UK's most successful and original producer of popular, award-winning scripted television, supplying broadcasters domestically and internationally. Shows include the era-defining Spooks, Hustle, Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes; successful, returning series The Hour, Law & Order: UK and M.I. High and critically acclaimed mini-series and single films such as Occupation and We'll Take Manhattan. Current and forthcoming productions include (written by Dennis Kelly for ), Sky One's The Smoke (Lucy Kirkwood) and the Ben Court and Caroline Ip-penned Mayday (BBC One). In 2007, 2010 & 2011 Kudos was voted the UK's most admired independent by its peers in Broadcast magazine. Formed in 1992, it has been part of the Shine Group since 2007.

An Introduction by writer and creator Chris Chibnall

Broadchurch is a hybrid: a cocktail of stories. A drama about a community racked by grief and suspicion. A whodunnit, packed with suspects. A character-driven, emotional thriller, thick with twists and turns. When I was writing Law & Order:UK, I always used to worry for the victim’s relatives we would bring in for one scene: what happened to them when they left the screen. Broadchurch is, in part, an answer to that, a desire to honour those people more fully.

It's also a love letter to the landscape of West Dorset, where I've lived for the best part of a decade. The landscape informs the drama: the cliffs, the sea, the beach are all key elements of the story. I've put dinosaurs on spaceships (on screen, not in life, that would be ridiculous), but nothing has given me the satisfaction of seeing the on screen in all weathers, all times of day, and night. Our cast and crew adored Dorset too -- especially in the high sun of early September. Oh, they loved me, then. At the end of November, at 2am on a cliff side battered by wind and sea-spray, less so.

For me, the whole project has been a labour of love. I'd been ruminating on a big ensemble drama, exploring the way a death might impact on a community, for the best part of a decade. In 2011, after working with a US network, I was desperate to write an authored, uncompromised story set close to home. I wrote the first episode, on spec, just for myself: no company, no broadcaster. When it was written, I called ITV drama commissioner, Laura Mackie, from a Rome hotel (United, a film I wrote for BBC Two, was screening in the RomaFictionFest and I wanted to appear high class). I told her I had a new script, would she like to read it? Thankfully, she said yes.

An early writing mentor of mine, Barrie Keeffe (exceptional playwright and screenwriter of The Long Good Friday), taught me the most crucial demand on any dramatist: "Write good parts for actors". One story, told throughout the series, gives actors more space to create complex, real people. I feel lucky and proud of these performances: led from the front by David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan, Vicky McClure, Arthur Darvill, Will Mellor, Pauline Quirke - sorry, couldn't stop typing. And in addition to the people you know, I hope you'll also love newer faces like Jonathan Bailey, Joe Sims, , Charlotte Beaumont and .

And none of them knew who the killer was. We made a decision early on: we wouldn't tell the actor(s) or actress(es) playing the person(s) responsible for Danny Latimer's death that they were the killer(s). (I know, the parentheses are annoying. They’re over now. Oh.) It added an extra level of intrigue to the production: the cast and crew started their own sweepstake, the make-up truck kept a rogues’ gallery of photofit pictures on their wall, with comments on the suspected motives for each character. David Tennant merrily harangued me in a location car park, "I'm annoyed you won't tell me and I think you're absolutely right not to!"

We hope part of the joy of Broadchurch is the unfolding of the story. We've deliberately not put "Next Time" trailers at the end of each episode. We'll be keeping as much information to ourselves as we can. And we'd really, properly love it if you - the advance guard - would keep the secrets you discover along the way to yourselves, so the audience can experience them, unspoiled.

Because this one is from the heart. And I hope these characters, and their stories, find a place in yours.

Behind the scenes with Producer Richard Stokes

Filming predominantly on location in the West Country provided high and low points for producer Richard Stokes and his team.

“Filming on location is always a challenge. If you're in a studio you have control over the elements and everything is contained in one purpose built room. Step outside and you lose all that control. You can be affected by the weather, the environment and the public. However, the advantage of stepping outside is the look of authenticity. You can't build the Jurassic coastline in a studio, you have to go there and film within that space. And that's what we did. As a result we hopefully have a show that looks like the whole thing takes place in our fictional world of Broadchurch on the South Coast.

“When the weather was kind we were able to shoot for a week in glorious sunshine which was all we needed to suggest the first two episodes were at the height of a wonderful British summer. At its worst the November storms drove us off the side of a cliff - we couldn't raise lights, the actors were in danger so we had to decamp from the South Coast and head back to to do some interior scenes until the storms abated.

“Shooting a major television series is a massive undertaking and it does feel like a circus has come to town when huge articulated trucks full of make-up rooms, dressing rooms, costume trucks, production offices and catering facilities take over a car park the size of half a football . A small town can't cater for that amount of production personnel for any length of time and it would be unfair of us to ask them to. So we doubled the heart of our fictional town in , just outside Bristol. The high street, Hill Road, was perfect for us and the businesses along the road were incredibly accommodating. We also found numerous locations in the surrounding area including the church and domestic houses.

Our only studio set was the inside of the police station and a couple of domestic interiors where it was impractical to expect to be able to get a camera team.”

Why should viewers tune into Broadchurch each week?

“It has the best elements of a murder mystery but it also has at its heart a local community which feels authentic, grounded in a reality we will all recognise and bonded by a grief we can only imagine and hope never to experience. The cast are wonderful, turning in outstanding performances episode after episode, and there are some great cliff-hangers.

“I have seen some of the most dedicated work and extraordinary performances in this production from a cast who loved the scripts, loved the idea behind the show and gave their all when they stepped on to set. In that respect it was a bit of a dream gig for me.”

David Tennant is DI Alec Hardy

David Tennant was hooked from the first time he read an episode of Broadchurch and knew he wanted to play DI Alec Hardy, a big fish in a Dorset backwater in the ITV drama.

Talking about his character David says: “He is a cop from a big city – presumably Glasgow – who for reasons that become evident as we go through the story, has been moved to a small out of the way police force where hopefully he can go under the radar. Events conspire fairly early on in the story which mean this isn’t the case and very soon the national spotlight will be shone on him. He is not without some secrets and troubles which is why he has ended up in this little Dorset town.

“Hardy is good at what he does and he’s very motivated and driven to solve this crime, and we come to understand that is more than just a professional drive as the story unfolds. He is not the most sociable chap; he doesn’t have a myriad of social skills so he is someone who expects things to be done a certain way and can’t quite understand why other people don’t always meet his exacting standards. He lacks people skills – that’s his main problem.”

During the investigation Hardy has to work alongside local DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) which isn’t always an easy alliance…

“He and Ellie are not particularly similar as people and I think Hardy initially has a sort of big city disregard for small town police practises and imagines that they really don’t know what they are doing. He thinks he has to whip them into shape single-handed as he continues to be exasperated with the way things are run in Broadchurch.

“They come from very different places, and circumstances have thrust them together and the way the plot develops by default they end up working much more closely than they imagined they would be able to at first.”

What initially drew David to the role?

“I have worked with writer Chris Chibnall before and I am a big fan of him both personally and professionally. And I was always keen to work with director again so when the scripts arrived with their names attached it was already something I would be inclined to be involved with. Olivia was already signed when I first heard about it which was another great appeal to me. I had two scripts to look at with the knowledge that subsequent scripts would be appearing throughout the process and we wouldn’t get final scripts until months into the shoot – which is a gamble. But the fact I read it from cover to cover in one pass and was left at the end of the first episode desperately wanting to know what happens next was telling. That initial response is always worth noting; the first time you read the script is the closest you will be able to watch it as a viewer. If it grabs you and you want to know more, and if you’re intrigued by the characters in that first moment, that’s always something to be pursued.”

And the parallel between actors and viewers didn’t stop there as the story unfolded before the cast on set…

“If you are playing someone who is investigating a crime and the crime is actually unfolding as you go from an acting point of view, that’s very helpful as you can’t second guess. When you’re playing those initial interviews with characters and you genuinely don’t know what the truth is you can’t load those scenes with ‘actorly’ tricks; you have to play it for what it is which can only make it more real. You can be as exasperated about the mystery of the characters as the audience will be.”

How do you approach a drama with such sensitive subject matter? How realistic should it be?

“I think you have to be very careful. The truth is it’s a drama of course so for us to compare it to any real life event just looks opportunistic and in rather poor taste. Obviously it reflects the world and human experiences – that’s what drama does – I hope it does that truthfully and effectively. As we are hoping to intrigue and entertain I don’t think we are making an effort to present what it’s really like or to make too many references to what people have seen in the news. That would make us a hostage to fortune.

“But as an actor our job is to always empathise and think yourself into the emotional situation whatever that may be. The script has great humanity and I think Chris Chibnall shows immense understanding of the human condition in all the different characters and the way it impacts on the community. I think it will have emotional empathy which is what pulls the audience in whatever it is – whether it’s a murder mystery or something set in the future on Mars – it’s always that recognition of the human experience. That’s what makes us enjoy watching other people’s stories. I think the range of characters and the range of their responses to this extraordinary, horribly heightened situation is what will make this compelling as a piece of drama.”

Overall has David enjoyed filming Broadchurch?

“It’s been a very happy time, subject matter aside. What’s been great is working with the varied and talented cast. It’s great to be part of a genuine ensemble; dramas are often described as ensemble dramas, when they are not. It’s great to be part of something where all the characters have equally powerful stories to tell. There’s the whodunnit aspect but there are other stories going on at the same time and such wonderful people portraying those parts and seeing those characters and worlds develop.”

Olivia Colman is DS Ellie Miller

Filming Broadchurch on location in the West Country for four months had it’s highs and lows for Olivia Colman.

“It turns out I really don't like being cold! I had a bit of a sense of humour failure one particular day when I thought ‘I don't want to be outside anymore’. There was horizontal rain going into our eyes and it was freezing. Dorset is quite a rainy county but being on the cliff at in the sunshine during the first week of filming was just amazing. Idyllic. Then we went back in the winter and the sea was really dark and angry grey, it was freezing cold doing night shoots and that's when I started to wish I had a different job!”

So what drew Olivia to the role?

“From the off I really liked the idea of the story, a hard story and an upsetting one, but I liked the idea of a whole community being affected by something and I liked the character of Ellie. Then you hear David Tennant is going to do it and Vicky McClure and all these extraordinary people who you think are wonderful.

“And I liked Ellie. I find it hard to play a character if I can't feel any of me in them. Especially if you are going to be playing that person through the whole series you need to feel that connection.”

Talking about her character, Olivia explains: “I see Ellie as a jolly good egg and in it for all the right reasons. It feels like the best way to serve her community is to be part of the police force and she has worked her way up. She is from Broadchurch, knows everybody, loves her community and then is probably out of her depth when this terrible thing happens. But thankfully Hardy (David Tennant) joins the team and although they're not keen on each other she learns from him.

“There is definitely a personality clash between the two; they start off with a lot of animosity between them. She doesn't like him because he's taken the DI job she was promised. That's a stumbling block Ellie finds hard to get over. But as the case goes on she realises he really knows what he is doing even though his methods are socially difficult for Ellie to watch. I think they have a grudging respect.

“Everything about her is trust; giving people the benefit of the doubt and trusting yourself. So when he says trust no one it is hard to swallow.”

The sense of community in Broadchurch is familiar to Olivia.

She explains: “I grew up in north Norfolk, which certainly used to have an enormous sense of community. There are more and more second homes there now so I’m not sure how that has damaged it. But where I live in South there is a beautiful community; it’s the friendliest place I have ever lived which comes as a surprise to non Londoners. you find your community it is awesome. I know all the parents at the school gate, all our neighbours, everyone in the local shops. I love it there.”

Olivia had to adopt a West Country accent for the role of the Dorset detective. “It's only a very mild accent anyway; I didn't want people to spend their time going 'what the hell accent is she trying to do?', I just wanted it to be unobtrusive really.

“I didn't do any police-based research; I felt there was enough in the script. My character is a very different type of detective to Hardy. I didn't want to get too into the usual police speak, because Miller isn't like that. Hardy is a proper big city, done-loads-of-murders detective. He has no life outside work, so we had to have different speech patterns.”

So what were the most challenging aspects of filming for Olivia?

“I found it really hard doing the emotional scenes with Jodie Whittaker and Andrew Buchan, who play the parents of the dead boy, talking about their tragedy just because they are such beautiful actors and I had a hard time keeping it together. My character wasn't supposed to cry half as much as she ended up doing but I couldn't stop myself; it was so sad.

“But the worse thing was being away from home and on location for so long. I don't think I will ever be away for this long again. Stupidly when I took the job I didn’t realise it was all going to be filmed away from London. I thought we'd pop off and do the cliff scenes somewhere in the West Country but do all the internal stuff in London so it came as a bit of a shock!

“But David (Tennant) and I got on really well and he feels the same as me so on Friday nights after filming finished we'd leg it to get in the car and head home to our families. He totally understands and we’d be looking at videos of our kids on our phones keeping each other buoyant.”

Olivia enjoyed watching the story unfold from inside the production…

"This was my first time playing a plain clothed detective and we had no idea who committed the murder. I hadn't worked like that before. Normally you do have a whole set of scripts before you start. But it was quite exciting, everyone looking at each other wondering who is the killer(s) - which is sort of what you would feel being in that community. We were all taking punts on who we thought it was as the whole cast and crew were in the dark!”

Andrew Buchan is Mark Latimer

Preparing for his role in Broadchurch Andrew Buchan spent time on the Jurassic coast where filming took place. “I wanted to nip down and see where I’d be spending the next four months of my life.” He explains. “It’s one thing reading the script but I needed to see it to understand it I suppose. “You spend half an hour in a taxi bumbling through cosy countryside and then arrive at these huge Jurassic cliffs; quite bleak and terrifying to look at. And quite unsettling with nine foot waves crashing at their feet and birds swirling over the tops. Just watching life unfold there seemed a drama in itself. The nests that people had carved out for themselves around these cliffs, brief flickers of life here and there, old people minding their own in coffee shops, a work van here and there, a crumpled up taxi, two ice cream vendors battling each other for business. It was all life in slow motion. Where any goings on are immediately amplified.” The authenticity of the script attracted Andrew to the role of Mark Latimer. “Chris Chibnall, the writer, has tried to encompass all the spheres that are affected by this one incident. “The community aspect of this is key, as all of a sudden people’s everyday lives are placed under a very large magnifying glass. People’s awareness is heightened and everyone is to blame. It's a very unsettling environment to be in, with everyone constantly on a knife edge, so people you previously had a friendship with or trusted have gone, and lots of bonds disintegrate.” He continues: “A part like this is so rare and challenging. You have to treat it with the utmost respect for people who have been through this in real life. You can research it 24 hours a day but still never really know the truth of what people have gone through. Jodie (Whittaker) and I did research it a lot and certainly tried to be as close and as accurate as we could. “When someone dies instantly there’s a well of grief and disbelief which is unfathomable. And when murder is involved, that just takes it into a whole new place. There is an extra dimension you just can’t understand, or deal with.” Talking about his character in the drama, Andrew says: “Mark is quite an angry individual on the inside. He does like to box things up and shelve them away inside himself. His first instinct is always to fly off the handle and maybe think about it later. “ key thing with Mark and Beth is that they are in a broken relationship. There's a distance between them, a coldness and great deal of regret. They married young. And nowadays barely communicate. For Andrew the biggest challenge is accurately portraying this level of grief. “There have been some hard scenes, some very hard scenes. There hasn't been one day where I have come in and thought ‘yeah, this will be fine’. I had a slight fear of each scene, it's not the kind of material you can relax into or make predictions about how it might play. You go into each scene not knowing if you're going to be a lump of tears at the end of it or grabbing your best mate by the throat.” So how did Andrew deal with portraying that level of grief? “It leaves you feeling pretty raw and exhausted, but nothing that a big tea and a hot shower couldn't sort. Some days you'd feel dry from crying so much the day before, and some days you wouldn't be able to stop yourself. We were all walking wrecks. Thankfully though, outside filming, Jodie is one of the funniest girls on the planet. So there was never a danger of spirits getting too low!"

Jodie Whittaker is Beth Latimer

The sense of community, which is paramount to the drama Broadchurch, is instantly recognisable to Jodie Whittaker.

“I can understand that close-knit community. I left when I was 18 because all I wanted to do was work in the city but I do sense it when I go back to my parents; they know everyone in the pub and the shops,” explains Jodie.

“There is an opening scene where Mark (Andrew Buchan) is walking down the street saying ‘hello’ to everyone and that is exactly like my dad and if something like this happened in that community, you would see immediately how it affects people. It’s like a piece of glass shattering and all the cracks start appearing in this seemingly safe and family orientated community. As a child you are less aware of it but as a parent, you would look at Broadchurch or where I was from and you would hope it would be a safe and a wonderful place to have kids which is what’s devastating about this.”

The prospect of working on a truly ensemble drama was a major draw for Jodie… “I only got the first episode for the audition and I found that quite nerve-wracking not knowing where it was going. In fact none of us knew who had done it, even the person who did it didn’t know, which is a really great thing to do because it keeps you anxious the whole way through. It keeps you guessing and makes you not trust any of the other characters; which you wouldn’t do in that environment. That first episode was heart-breaking to read but also you met so many interesting characters. When I came on board Olivia, David, Vicky and Andy were already attached. Every week, new names were signed to it which was really exciting to think you would be working with them on an ensemble piece. Not a lot of dramas are ensemble and there are about 20 of us.”

Talking about her character Beth’s journey through the series, Jodie says: “It’s quite an immediate thing for her because Danny’s body is found and then confirmed within the first 20 minutes of the first episode, so from there it is a huge emotional journey because of the shock and the upset. That never goes away because it’s a murder case and the family are just left in limbo waiting for answers. It’s a weird grieving process then and it’s as if the family have been halted in what they might want to be going through because they don’t actually know what or why it has happened. Apart from the very first two scenes in the whole thing, it is just completely grief ridden and devastating for Beth. But within that come different stages; anger, numbness and being completely broken. It’s quite a difficult role to play particularly as we filmed from August to December. It’s a long time to sustain such emotion, but as the writing is so good you are immediately helped along the way.”

And working with co-star Andrew Buchan was a real bonus explains Jodie: “We were both in Cranford but never actually had any scenes together. I have known Andy for ages as we were in different drama schools but graduated the same year but is has been absolutely brilliant to work with him and he is just phenomenal inBroadchurch.

“As the dad in the Latimer family he is so emotional. One minute he has to be the rock, and the next he is so angry and just to watch the process he goes through makes it really easy for me in a scene as I never know how he is going to do it, which is life; it’s real. It’s been a long slog as there has been a kind of responsibility not to glorify this or make it popcorn – this happens all the time and you just have to think ‘this could be someone’s life’ and we are doing this for television. The commitment of everyone involved has been amazing to be around.”

For Jodie the biggest challenge was the constant emotion shown by her character, grieving mother Beth Latimer.

“Sustaining that real heightened sense of emotion without it being the same in every scene has definitely been a challenge. There would be mundane things like trying to find a packet of crisps to eat when there is no food in the house, as why would anyone have gone shopping in the aftermath of such a tragic event. But it’s not just ‘Where’s the food?’ it’s ‘WHERE’S THE FOOD?!’ and it is keeping that real anger, the numbness, the raw emotion all together and making sure it is there, but that every scene doesn’t become the same sequence or the same mood.”

She continues: “It is upsetting, especially the first episode. It was difficult for everyone the day we filmed finding Danny’s body, especially as it was filmed on a public beach. But good stuff should be hard, I think. In that sense we all knew what we were taking on. But the thing got me through is that there is such a supportive cast. So, if you wanted to sit in a corner and not speak to anyone, that’s respected. If you wanted to sit and have a cuddle and cup of tea, that’s catered for. If you want a bit of a laugh after work, you go straight for a drink and that’s good. And, we are lucky it isn’t real for us.”

How was filming location in the West Country?

Says Jodie: “I think Bristol’s an amazing city – so much filming goes on here so it’s completely catered for. And I have really enjoyed filming around Bridport even though the weather really battered everyone towards the end. I think this part of the country is beautiful, especially being down by the coast. The first time I went down there it was still warm enough to go swimming, and the Jurassic coastline is absolutely perfect. As the writer, Chris Chibnall, lives here, the epic-ness of that really serves the piece.

“And I always enjoy filming on location as there is that feeling that you can be in it the whole time; you are staying away, you don’t have to deal with normal life when you get home from work so it’s been a great experience.”

Vicky McClure is Karen White

Journalism is not a career that Vicky McClure was cut out for but in Broadchurch she plays a national news reporter on the trail of a story.

“It was never something I thought about doing nor would it be something I'd want to get involved in. I think it takes a very specific person to be a journalist and I'm just not that person,” says Vicky.

“But in Broadchurch I think you will see that Karen is very dedicated to her job, but also conscious of the position she holds. She can be ruthless but I wanted to try and show she felt real sympathy for the family too.”

Talking more about her character Vicky continues: “I think Karen probably started off on her local paper in the Midlands and made her way up to the Herald. She is a determined woman, who really enjoys her job but she is also very human.

“With the Leveson inquiry going on while we were filming it was quite interesting portraying a reporter on this sort of case. She's definitely one that needs to get the story out there but she is very aware of how families are affected by the death of a child in the long run and she is cautious with that. Karen is a good person but being a journalist she also has that job to fulfil. The look of Karen is totally different to the other roles I’ve played; I imagined her to be quite feminine. The styling always adds that extra layer to your characters.

“I think when I look at Karen now she has had some moments when she has shown signs of being a tough journalist, trying to make a bit of a name for herself. Continually wanting to be the best she can has sometimes meant she has done things that perhaps she wouldn't want to have done but I think she has tried to stay as true to herself as she can. She has previously come across Hardy in connection with another case, details of that encounter are revealed throughout the series and that adds an extra twist.”

What part does Karen play in the overall story?

“She is an outsider. Karen's role in Broadchurch is to highlight the journalistic side of cases like this and how the media do completely dominate certain areas. I have a lot of scenes with Jonathan Bailey and Caroline Pickles as they're the local newspaper reporter and editor and we end up connecting. It's a really interesting group, and there have been lighter moments with us three because we are not connected to the families in such a direct way.”

So did Vicky undertake any research for the role?

"I understand that actors go away and research certain roles and think it is really vital in some cases. When I played Lol in This is I didn’t research everything she was going through, I had a good idea, had spoken to a few people about certain things like postnatal depression but I just believed it and lived it. So basically I just tried to create the character of Karen through the script. Chris Chibnall had done a hell of a lot of research so it all feeds into the script. Plus I've met journalists before and got on really well with them, we’ve built up good relationships and they have written exactly what I've said. It is just frustrating how things are twisted sometimes so I can appreciate that frustration and there are certainly moments of that in the show when what is put in the headlines dominates the actions that next occur. So the portrayal is a mixture of what’s on the page and what I know.”

You spent a lot of time filming on location in the West Country, what were the highs and lows for you?

“The highlight was my week long stay in the caravan park where we filmed. I didn't have many scenes that week so had a lovely time by the sea. The West Country is a beautiful place to film. The low point was the last scene we shot on the beach. The weather wasn't great and we were all holding these lanterns but the wax was going everywhere and I just imagined my hair extensions catching fire!”

Arthur Darvill is Reverend Paul Coates

Arthur Darvill felt a certain responsibility playing a vicar in the new ITV drama Broadchurch.

“It was my first time playing a man of the cloth, and walking around in a dog collar and robes felt kind of weird,” recalls Arthur.

“I felt a responsibility when in costume; my language certainly cleaned up a bit. Walking around on set near the church where we were filming people totally unconnected with production would nod to me. It struck me it is a strange thing being a vicar because you are always on show. It is something I think my character Paul must have felt. It singles you out for people to trust and come to talk to; you are never not on call.

“I went to meet a young vicar before I started filming. He told me that even in the supermarket he is still working, still a representative of God and the community and as such is always there to help people, to . You have a responsibility to live your life in a certain way to keep that respect. Especially someone of my age, I can imagine you want to stay clean as a whistle really.”

“At first it was hard to get in the mindset of a vicar but the research I did made it more comfortable in my own head and the words easier in my mouth. It’s been a rewarding role and I have learnt a lot working with such great actors.”

Talking about his character, Rev Paul Coates, Arthur continues: “He is very young to be in that position someone who has completely dedicated his life to his calling.

“Broadchurch is his first parish on his own, a very nice and picturesque town with a small, loyal congregation. It’s an early step in his career but somewhere he enjoys being. There are also a few demons in his past that he has run away from…

“When we meet Paul in the first episode he is still learning and wanting to make an impact. He is a good reverend for someone so young and he feels he has a place within the community where people respect him, which is probably something he was quite worried about. Broadchurch has an elderly congregation with a history but they accept him and he fits in well. He has thrown himself into town life; as well as being at the church he teaches IT at the local school and plays five-a-side football for the local team. Paul has made himself a figurehead in the community.”

At the same time as filming Broadchurch down in the West Country, Arthur was on stage in London’s West End in Our Boys.

“ I thought would be exhausting doing both at the same time but I enjoyed doing them both so much I didn’t tire myself out too much even with the travelling. What really helped was that the characters were not at all close to each other. Maybe if there had been elements of similar character traits I might have slipped. And the techniques that I was using on stage every night came in handy with the many sermons I had to take in Broadchurch. It is quite a theatrical experience being in front of a congregation; quite stagey.”

Arthur admits another job would not have stopped him from being in Broadchurch as the role was created especially for him.

“Chris Chibnall came up to me on set during my last week on Dr Who and said he had written a part for me. I was so excited about it I just wanted to do it no matter what, so once the logistics were worked out I didn’t think twice. I feel very privileged.

“It was Chris’s passion for the project that struck me. I had only read one script but trusted in him as someone who knows how to write a good script so I knew it would be brilliant.”

Any memorable moments filming on location in Dorset?

“On one particular day we had been waiting around all day to do one beach scene. The weather was awful, torrential rain and strong winds and we could see the crew dragging themselves up the beach completely sodden. We were meant to be standing in the water but the sea was so rough we could have been swept away so we were asked to stand near the water. There was me, Joe Sims, Will Mellor and Andy Buchan at the side of the sea completely still looking at David (Tennant) when suddenly this massive wave came up and soaked us all to the skin. Three of us stood stock still in shock and Joe ran up the beach screaming!”

Pauline Quirke is Susan Wright

For Pauline Quirke, the best thing about working on Broadchurch was her co-star and beloved pet Bailey the Labrador.

“When I got the role they said to me, your character always has her dog with her and I thought it would be so much easier for them really to have my dog, Bailey,” explains Pauline. “He is so obedient and will do whatever is asked of him. They still wanted to ‘audition’ him to make sure. He can’t do tricks and that sort of thing, but that’s not what they wanted. They wanted Susan to have a dog to devotedly follow her around which is what he has done. He has lots of close ups and excelled himself. I think it has worked out perfectly for everyone. He’s been terrific; even scenes without me when he wasn’t sure, he has still been brilliant!”

Describing her character Pauline continues: “You see her from episode one. She is very mysterious and there’s something not right, some secret she has got or something she is hiding which you do discover later on. That side of the character story develops a little bit more.

“Susan is very dark and has rather a sinister presence. The only thing she shows any emotion for is her dog. She seems to be totally cold. She just seems to always be there just watching and lurking and listening.

“It has been a fascinating character to play. Bearing in mind we didn’t get the scripts until very near the time of filming so we were all intrigued about the kind of character we were portraying. We found out about them as people will when they watch the show. I have really enjoyed it.”

And filming in the West Country has been a real bonus for Pauline. “I have absolutely fallen in love with the place. I loved being at West Bay and when I got the chance I’d go off exploring. I have been to Lyme Regis and lots of other places just having a wander round with Bailey. I have really got to see parts of Dorset that I have never seen before. Even when the weather turned cold, it was still beautiful. Even doing night shoots in the pouring rain on the beach, I have still really enjoyed it.”

Pauline is getting ready for a 14 week regional tour of her Birds of a Feather stage show.

She says: “We did 17 weeks last year and it was too much – I’m not getting any younger! We never went to Scotland last year so have three weeks there and we will try to get to theatres we didn’t get to last year. Last time I was terrified of being on stage as I hadn’t done it in 25 years. I don’t think I’ll be as bad this time. I will still be really nervous but at least I know I can do it and get through it and hold my own on stage without making too many mistakes. Bailey won’t be with me on this though…”

Cast & Crew

Cast

DI Alec Hardy ...... David Tennant DS Ellie Miller ...... Olivia Colman Mark Latimer ...... Andrew Buchan Beth Latimer ...... Jodie Whittaker Karen White ...... Vicky McClure Rev Paul Coates ...... Arthur Darvill Susan Wright ...... Pauline Quirke Steve Connelly ...... Will Mellor Maggie Radcliffe ...... Carolyn Pickles Joe Miller ...... Matthew Gravelle Becca Fisher ...... Simone McAullay Olly Stevens ...... Jonathan Bailey Danny Latimer ...... Oskar McNamara Chloe Latimer ...... Charlotte Beaumont Liz Roper ...... Susan Brown Tom Miller...... Adam Wilson Nige Carter ...... Joe Sims Jack Marshall...... David Bradley Dean Thomas...... Jacob Anderson

Crew

Executive Producer ...... Jane Featherstone /lead writer ...... Chris Chibnall Producer ...... Richard Stokes Directors ...... James Strong, Euros Lyn Writer ...... Chris Chibnall Line Producer ...... Catrin Lewis Defis Director of Photography ...... Matt Gray ...... Catrin Meredydd Make-Up and Hair Designer ...... Jo Williams ...... Ray Holman Editors ...... Mike Jones, Tim Porter, Serkan Nihat Composer ...... Ólafur Arnalds Casting Directors ...... Victor Jenkins, Kelly Valentine Hendry