Deadwater Fell: What the Must Watch reviewers think

Thursday 16 January 2020, 16:50

Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows alongside 5 Live presenter Nihal Arthanayake.

This week, Hayley Campbell and guest reviewer Lauren O’Neill shared their thoughts on Deadwater Fell – Channel 4's new crime thriller based in a remote Scottish village, starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo.

You can stream the series so far on All 4, episode two is on Channel 4 on Friday 17 January at 21:00 GMT.

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(Photo: Channel 4)

Hayley says: "You're going 'David Tennant is the baddie?!"

"David Tennant plays a doctor who becomes the prime suspect when his wife and children die. If you liked Broadchurch you should look at this one because instead of playing a policeman he's a doctor, and instead of investigating the crime, he's part of it - possibly - we don't know.

"I really love seeing David Tennant in an ambiguous part because he's so lovable in real life. To see him thrown into a situation where he's the opposite, it's really harrowing - you're going, 'David Tennant is the baddie?!'. But you still don't know.

"It's a really well told story. It's told in flashbacks, in characters re-reading situations that maybe they weren't reading the right way when they happened, and I found it really suspenseful. It has lots of claustrophobic twists and turns.

"There's also the weirdness that comes from living in a small town and everyone knowing each other.

"But it is NOT an easy watch. Child-sized coffins are not an easy thing to see, even if it is fictional.

"The plot might sound soapy, but it's done in such a compelling way, I watched three episodes in a row, because that's all I had. If we'd been given the whole series I definitely would have binged it."

(Photo: Channel 4)

Lauren says: "It's so gripping, it's a must watch"

"I really, really enjoyed it. It followed a trend that I have seen established a little bit over the past year or so - especially with the BBC's Dublin Murders late last year - in that there's lots of British crime-adjacent dramas which seem to be paying quite serious homage to Twin Peaks.

"The opening shot of the show is a car driving along this fir tree lined road, and when the death of the family is announced at the school, there's a scene that calls back to Twin Peaks there too.

"There's a revistiation of these prestigious crime narratives centered on small towns happening in British TV right now that I'm really enjoying.

"I love to see nasty David Tennant - he's good in everything, but I especially like him when you're not sure if he's a goody or a baddy.

"It's so gripping. It's a Must Watch."