The highest-rated drama on British TV?
It’s not the reality show Elton and David at Home.
It is Broadchurch, the series called “a bona fide national obsession.” The British mystery series returned to the U.S. airwaves this March on BBC America. And on May 12, mystery buffs, DVD aficionados and anglophiles are invited to return to the stunning Dorset coastal town of Broadchurch for more mystery, heightened drama and taut thrills with Broadchurch: The Complete Second Season, a two-disc DVD set from Entertainment One.
In The Complete Second Season, David Tennant returns as Alec Hardy and Olivia Colman resumes her role as Ellie Miller, last seen having her life torn apart as husband Joe confessed to murdering local schoolboy Danny Latimer in the seaside town. And in the eight gripping episodes of Season Two, the focus is the trial for Latimer’s murder, as well as the return of a murder case that continues to haunt Detective Hardy.
A bit of interesting background: The show’s creator and Chris Chibnall was determined to ensure that the identity of the killer did not leak until the final episode aired. He also believed it would enhance the acting since the cast could not signal their innocence or guilt. All scripts contained a watermark that ensured they could not be photocopied, and copies of scripts used on the set were kept in a safe. Only Chibnall and four other individuals knew at the start of production who the killer was. All cast and crew were required to sign documents in which they agreed not to reveal the killer’s identity.
Think back to who killed JR . . .
Additionally, this season, Hardy and Miller are joined in highly acclaimed roles by Emmy-nominated film and television actress Charlotte Rampling and Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe- nominated Marianne Jean-Baptiste, as well as James, Eve Myles and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
The set also includes numerous special features sure to enthrall fans of the series, including The Making of Broadchurch, Behind-the-Scenes featurettes, deleted scenes and cast and crew interviews.
The series in various locales (there is not such town as Broadchurch). Chibnall invented the name “Broadchurch” based on two towns in Dorset: “I thought a lot about the literary heritage of this county,” he explains. “In true Thomas Hardy style I came up with a compound location name of Broadchurch combining the West Dorset hamlets of Broadoak and Whitchurch.”
Want to move faster? Consumers interested in streaming or download can purchase Season Two episodes of Broadchurch from all major digital platforms. Individual episodes are available the day following their premiere on BBC America, and the complete series will be available following the airing of the final episode.
