Daily Mail EXCLUSIVE - The dark secrets of Broadchurch 2: Writer of next year's most hotly anticipated TV sequel warns viewers to brace themselves for upset, shock... and the cheekiest cliffhanger yet
- Broadchurch is set to return the nation's screens from January 5
- The feverishly anticipated drama is surrounded by a wall of secrecy
- Stars Olivia Colman and David Tennant are in the dark on how thriller ends
- Several series endings have been filmed, shrouding finale in mystery
It was the very definition of event TV, holding the nation rapt until its jaw-dropping climax when Olivia Colman’s police detective learned her husband was the killer. And now the second series of Broadchurch is set to grip us all over again.
The feverishly anticipated drama is surrounded by an unprecedented wall of secrecy – no one in the Press is being shown episodes beforehand, and even stars Colman and David Tennant are in the dark.
But after an exclusive interview with creator Chris Chibnall, The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the show starting on Monday, January 5, has even more heart-stopping twists than series one, which kept ten million viewers on tenterhooks as DS Ellie Miller (Colman) and DI Alec Hardy (Tennant) hunted the killer of 11-year-old Danny Latimer.
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The second series of Broadchurch will hit the nation's screens on January 5 and is set to grip us all over again
The feverishly anticipated drama is surrounded by an unprecedented wall of secrecy and even stars Olivia Colman and David Tennant are in the dark
Fans know Miller and Hardy will return and that Danny’s death still casts a shadow over the Dorset town. But ITV refuses to reveal more and trailers declaring, ‘Same town, new secrets’ only add to the mystery.
Chibnall said: ‘Brace yourself for upset and shock. My 11-year-old son has been begging me but I won’t let him watch series two. It’s too upsetting. It features the cheekiest cliffhanger yet – a real shocker.
‘I want people on the edge of their seats, gripped, and they will be. If you love these characters you will really, really want to watch every second.’ Here The Mail on Sunday presents an exclusive glimpse into the characters, locations and plots set to get us hooked a second time.
The new women
Chibnall cast Charlotte Rampling after seeing her in a video installation by Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen. ‘She was so lively and mischievous but also tough and steely and I thought, that’s such a match for how I see this character.’
She plays Jocelyn Knight, who may have seen Danny arguing prior to his death. In one scene, she stands pensively near where he was found.
Rising star Phoebe Waller-Bridge (left) plays Abby Thompson, while Eve Myles (right), of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, is cast as Claire Ripley
Oscar-nominated Marianne Jean-Baptiste (left) plays the pivotal role of Sharon Bishop, while Charlotte Rampling (right) plays Jocelyn Knight
Marianne Jean-Baptiste sprang to fame in 1996 drama Secrets & Lies, winning an Oscar nomination. Her casting is a coup, and her character, Sharon Bishop, is certain to have a pivotal role. Eve Myles, of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, is cast as Claire Ripley, and rising star Phoebe Waller-Bridge is Abby Thompson.
But the greatest mystery surrounds Meera Syal, who is making a dramatic departure from the comedies for which she is best known – such as Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars At No 42. ITV is refusing to release any details about her.
The blue house
A blue clapperboard chalet plays a key part in series two. Chibnall said: ‘That house holds lots – if not all – of the secrets . . . You will first see it in the first minute of episode one.’
The home is 200 yards from the beach where Danny’s body was found. But who owns it?
And just what dark deeds took place there?
A mysterious blue clapperboard chalet, 200 yards from the beach where Danny's body was found, plays a key part in series two
The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the show has even more heart-stopping twists than series one
The missing girls
In the trailer, a tearful DS Miller (Colman) struggles to cope with her husband’s guilt. To make matters worse, she and Hardy are facing another abduction case, involving two girls. A desperate Hardy tells Miller: ‘I can’t do it on my own.’ And Miller demands of two unseen characters: ‘Where were you both the night those girls disappeared?’
Chibnall commented: ‘I wouldn’t have made Broadchurch 2 without David or Olivia.’
Heartbreak mother
Danny's mother Beth (Jodie Whittaker) is expecting another child but Joe Miller’s trial forces her to relive her son’s death amid a media frenzy.
Chibnall said: ‘Jodie asked me around episode six of series one, “Am I a grieving mother or a secret killer crying crocodile tears?” I told her it wasn’t her, but only then.’
Chris Chibnall filmed several endings and the cast signed gagging clauses to stop them giving anything away
Fans know Miller and Hardy will return and that Danny’s death still casts a shadow over the Dorset town
Tennant at the edge
A distraught DI Hardy watches events in a graveyard – fuelling speculation that Danny’s body is exhumed for the trial. Chibnall said: ‘What I didn’t want to do is start with another dead body beneath the cliffs and two detectives going, “Oh my god it’s happened again. What are the chances?” But equally it’s a thriller, it needs to have twists, it has a propulsive engine of a plot.’
The bluebells
DS Miller is seen clutching a card with bluebells on it, while in the trailer, a man stands in a field of the flowers. But what lies behind – or beneath – the superficially beautiful tableau? Devotees of Broadchurch know to expect the worst.
The killer ending
Chibnall filmed several endings and the cast signed gagging clauses to stop them giving anything away. He said: ‘Even David Tennant is in the dark... He was both offended and pleased. That’s how I like to keep them. You make a show and keep the secrets as long as you can. It’s like releasing an animal into the wild.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2882161/Dark-secrets-Broadchurch-2-Writer-month-s-hotly-anticipated-sequel-warns-viewers-brace-upset-shock-cheekiest-cliffhanger-yet.html#ixzz3MWBz3B1Z
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