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Deadwater Fell is a four-part thriller which starts of as mysterious as the drama that it’s about to impart.
Amongst a bike race taking place while all the residents look on, we see flashes of a burnt-out building, then a car going off the road and crabs falling out, and then a forensic examiner laying out various items of evidence in a lab… but what’s it all about?
Of course, to go into detail or answer that question would be to give a spoiler, so my lips will remain tightly sealed.
In this typical tight-knit community (since that’s how these drama always are), it’s safe to say that the premise tells us that the fire takes place in the home which local GP Tom Kendrick (David Tennant) shares with his wife, Kate (Anna Madeley), and their three children, and simply poses the question of whether it’s all as straight-forward as it looks, or was there some sort of foul play going on?
It’s also billed as one of those dramas where everyone has secrets. Okay, so that’s a familiar trope, as well, so it all comes down to how engaging a drama itis.
As always with trying to review something like this, it’s difficult because (a) it’s only part one of four, and (b) there’s very little you can say about the content that doesn’t involve spoilers. However, it’s safe to say that as the residents try to piece together what happened, there are flashback scenes involved.
I can also say that the first episode is well worth watching and I am certainly looking forward to seeing how this pans out.
UPDATE Episode 2: Well, I say ‘update’, but this is one of those series where you can’t say an awful lot without giving spoilers – which I am not going to do – so what I can safely say is that this is a superb drama, although episode 2 does feel a bit too twisty-turny in terms of the way it jumps about in time, but do stick with it.
Deadwater Fell begins on Friday January 10th 2020 on Channel 4 at 9pm. The series is available to pre-order on DVD ahead of its release on February 3rd 2020.
After each episode is broadcast, it will be on All 4.
Episode 1 Score: 8/10
Episode 2 Score: 8/10
Episode 3 Score: 8/10
Episode 4 Score: 9/10
Director: Lynsey Miller
Producer: Caroline Levy
Writer: Daisy Coulam
Music: Natalie Holt
Cast:
Tom Kendrick: David Tennant
Jess Milner: Cush Jumbo
Kate Kendrick: Anna Madeley
Lynn Denham-Johnson: Julie Miller
Dr Mark Denham-Johnson: Stuart Bowman
Dylan Denham-Johnson: Lewis Gribben
Iris Kendrick: Felicity Keenan
Charlotte Kendrick: Lilac Jackson
Emily Kendrick: Orla Russell
Tessa Wells: Grace Calder
Molly Wells: Evie Sheil
Simon Wells: Jamie Michie
Ruth McKenzie: Lindy Whiteford
Callum McKenzie: Ron Donachie
Carol Kendrick: Maureen Beattie
DC Gemma Darlington: Laurie Brett
DCI Spencer Collins: Gordon Brown
Sacha: Seline Hizli
PC Taylor Clarke: Lorn Macdonald
Sandra McKay: Lisa McGrillis
Counsellor: Phil McKee
Steve Campbell: Matthew McNulty
Nicky: Anneika Rose
Emily: Orla Russell
Schoolboy: Cooper Schofield
Luke: Jack Greenlees
Lewis Campbell: Bradley Connell
Elliot Campbell: Aaron Connell
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.