KEEPING FAITH
BBC1, TUESDAY 23 JULY, 9PM
The phrase “word of mouth” hit was coined precisely for shows like bilingual Welsh noir drama Keeping Faith. When the English-language version aired on BBC Wales last year, it became the channel’s most popular show for 25 years and, when it slid onto BBC iplayer with little fanfare, it became its most downloaded non-network programme ever. The eight-part series, in which the titular Faith (the exceptional Eve Myles) tirelessly searches for clues as to why her husband Evan (Bradley Freegard) suddenly disappeared on her and their three children without a trace, bagged a prime-time slot on BBC1 and captured viewers’ imagination. And now, it’s back for its eagerly anticipated second series.
WHY WE LOVED IT
Fast-paced and totally compelling, Faith Howells is our kind of woman – the kind we’d want to be or at least be mates with. Sucker-punched by her husband mysteriously going AWOL, she ran the gamut of emotions (despair, disbelief, abject sadness, rage, a lot of frantic hairflicking), before downing a shedload of wine and becoming hellbent on getting answers. Morphing into a sexy Welsh Columbo (her trademark yellow trench sold out instantly), she ripped apart her husband’s life to find clues and mowed down all those in her way. And woe betide anyone who came in between the feisty lioness and her cubs. This was a woman juggling searching for her husband with keeping the family law firm afloat, negotiating with her husband’s dodgy associates and fraternising with alluring ex-crims (hello, Steve Baldini).
The final episode bombshell (spoiler alert) of Evan, rather implausibly, waltzing back as if he’d just popped out for fish fingers – at the exact moment Faith and Steve were about to cross a line – was frustrating, but did pose the big question: could our girl forgive her unfaithful husband?
ROUND TWO
In the pre-credits sequence, it’s 18 months later and Faith’s back in her armour (crisp white caped shirt, black skirt, killer heels and, gasp, a “special new coat” – don’t panic, the yellow one’s still floating around) and trying to wrangle the children, while Evan is nowhere in sight. Through flashbacks, we witness Faith’s fury as spineless Evan lamely tries to “I love you” his way out of the situation, leading to an act so raw and visceral by Faith, it made us gasp – the woman’s hard, is all we’re saying. Thanks to Evan, local gangster Gael’s got Faith on a short leash and knee-deep in dodgy dealings, when all she really wants to do is fight the case of local mum Madlen, who she believes is being framed for her husband’s murder. Lingering shots and jarring music aside, happily Keeping Faith’s lost none of its must-see magic, captivating us again, thanks to another stellar performance by its kick-ass leading lady.