Get the willies in the Valleys

Whatever happens in the next five episodes of psychodrama Requiem, two things were clear from Friday’s opener.

One, the BBC might have a bit of making up to do with the good people of Wales. And two, acclaimed theatre actress Lydia Wilson should be on TV more often.

Wilson played cellist Matilda, whose mum killed herself in front of her in a car park. Matilda then found a shoebox of old press clippings about a missing Welsh girl at her mum’s house – so headed to Wales to investigate (as you do).

The scenery was stunning but the people not exactly welcoming.

If that wasn’t enough for BBC1’s Welsh viewers another outsider called the country “a bit mildewy”.

But people in the principality may have been so freaked out by everything else they didn’t notice the jibes – and I wouldn’t blame them. This was the spookiest TV in years, with the same effect as mess-with-your-head movies The Shining, Black Swan and Don’t Look Now.

It didn’t help that, shortly after a malevolent spirit played skip-a-dee-doo-dah with Matilda’s mum’s CD player, my own iPlayer connection began buffering like crazy before finally giving up the, er, ghost.

This Friday me and my comfort teddy are taking no chances. We’ll watch on proper old-fashioned telly.