BLEAK HOUSE
DAVID TENNANT heads up a captivating cast in this bleak crime thriller that follows a community devastated by tragedy.
Desperately sad and upsetting from the first scenes, the drama follows what happens after a house fire in a sleepy Scottish village.
Tennant plays local GP Tom Kendrick, who is seemingly happily married to primary school teacher Kate (Anna Madeley), and they have three young daughters.
Their good friends are Kate’s colleague Jess, played by The Good Fight’s Cush Jumbo, and her partner, police officer Steve (Matthew McNulty).
Jess wakes up one night to see the Kendrick house ablaze across the road and Steve rushes into the building to try to save the family.
With scenes of the burned-out home, juxtaposed with the sound of children singing, this can be quite gruelling to watch.
However, it’s partly a portrayal of grief and partly a murder mystery as police investigate how the fire was started.
There’s also a Big Little
Lies feel to the series as we learn more about how the relationships between the adults are entangled.
It’s fair to say that not everyone is who they seem.
There are also some interesting issues raised, such as male mental health as
Steve struggles in the aftermath, as well as
Steve and Jess going through IVF treatment, and the constant pressures of co-parenting his kids with his ex.
Told partly through flashback, with some great performances, this is a mystery that is sure to inspire debate on sofas around the country.