The second series of the British crime drama Broadchurch began airing on the ITV broadcast network in the United Kingdom on 5 January 2015. The eight-episode series focused on the continuing fallout of the murder of 11-year-old Danny Latimer in the fictional, close-knit coastal town of Broadchurch in Dorset, England. The series focuses on the effect of Joe Miller's trial on his wife, former DS Ellie Miller (now a uniformed police officer in Devon); the Latimer family's struggle to achieve a normal life during Joe's trial; and new revelations that former DI Alec Hardy is protecting a witness in the failed Sandbrook child murder case.
Although Broadchurch was conceived as a trilogy, the second series was only announced on 22 April 2013 as series one ended. Writing occurred over most of the following year, with series creator and lead writer Chris Chibnall using a plot-development process he used for the first series. The return of series stars Olivia Colman and David Tennant and some of their returning co-stars was reported by the media in late 2013, although both returning and new cast members were not formally announced by ITV until May 2014. Filming began in late May 2014 under the supervision of four directors. Extensive efforts were undertaken to keep the plot secret from the cast, crew and public. Extensive location shooting occurred along the United Kingdom's Jurassic Coast and in South West England. Icelandic musician and composer Ólafur Arnalds returned as the series' musical and sound composer. Series two debuted to very high ratings and critical praise, but subsequent episodes saw a sharp drop in viewership and a more mixed response from critics and audiences alike. Later episodes of the series, however, saw a more positive critical consensus.
Episodes
Supplement content On 23 February 2015, ITV announced Broadchurch would return for a third series, with Tennant and Colman as the leads.
Cast Police Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (David Tennant) – invalided from Wessex Police at the end of Series 1 because of a heart problem, Hardy is now a Training Officer and awaiting an operation. He attempts to hide Claire Ripley, his key witness in the failed Sandbrook murder case, in Broadchurch. Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) – married to defendant Joe Miller, mother to 13-year-old Tom and two-year-old Fred. She berates herself for not recognising the problems that led her husband to have a relationship with Danny and suffers from guilt. Following this, she moved to Devon to become a uniformed Police Constable (PC) with Devon and Cornwall Police. She later returns to Broadchurch with her son Tom and regained her position as a Detective Sergeant. Detective Sergeant Tess Henchard (Lucy Cohu) – Hardy's ex-wife. She remains employed with the South Mercia Constabulary, the same force that investigated the Sandbrook Case.
The Latimers Beth Latimer (Jodie Whittaker) – mother to Chloe and murder victim Danny, and wife to Mark. She struggles with grief, and is bitter and angry toward her former friend, Ellie Miller. Beth's pregnancy, which began in series one, is close to term at the start of series two. Mark Latimer (Andrew Buchan) – father to Chloe and murder victim Danny, and husband to Beth. His son's death helped him to reconcile with his wife after he had an affair with local hotelkeeper Becca Fisher, but the problems in his marriage didn't go away. He is secretly meeting with Tom Miller, with whom he has closely bonded. Chloe Latimer (Charlotte Beaumont) – Beth and Mark's 16-year-old daughter.
The Millers Joe Miller (Matthew Gravelle) – Ellie's husband and father to 12-year-old Tom and 2-year-old Fred. Joe murdered Danny Latimer in series one, and is now on trial after pleading not guilty. He says he will expose secrets other Broadchurch residents are hiding. Tom Miller (Adam Wilson) – Ellie and Joe's 12-year-old elder son. He blames his mother for his father's incarceration, and is living with his aunt Lucy and cousin Olly. Lucy Stevens (Tanya Franks) – sister of Ellie Miller and mother of Oliver "Olly" Stevens, she has a gambling habit. She witnessed Joe destroying evidence in the Latimer case, but this is known only to the police.
Press Maggie Radcliffe (Carolyn Pickles) – editor of the local newspaper, the Broadchurch Echo, and a friend of Jocelyn Knight's. Oliver "Olly" Stevens (Jonathan Bailey) – Lucy Stevens' son and Ellie Miller's nephew, he is a reporter for the Broadchurch Echo and is caring for his cousin Tom Miller.
Lawyers Ben Haywood (William Andrews) – QC Knight's junior barrister. Sharon Bishop QC (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) – Joe's lead defence counsel. She was once Jocelyn Knight's pupil. Jocelyn Knight QC (Charlotte Rampling) – a Broadchurch resident and former barrister who is persuaded out of retirement to lead the prosecution against Miller. Danny Latimer argued with the postman near her home a short time before he was murdered. The character's name and role was a "comically strict secret" on the series. Abby Thompson (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) – Sharon Bishop's junior barrister. The Honourable Mrs Justice (Sonia) Sharma (Meera Syal) – the judge overseeing Joe Miller's trial.
Townsfolk Lee Ashworth (James D'Arcy) – Claire Ripley's former husband, and the lead suspect in the failed Sandbrook murder case. Jonah Bishop Nakay Kpaka – QC Bishop's imprisoned son. Nigel "Nige" Carter (Joe Sims) – Mark Latimer's best friend and co-worker at the plumbing company. Reverend Paul Coates (Arthur Darvill) – a young Anglican priest in Broadchurch, he secretly provides spiritual counsel to Joe Miller. Becca Fisher is his current love interest. Becca Fisher (Simone McAullay) – the owner and manager of the Trader Hotel who once had an affair with Mark Latimer. Reverend Paul Coates is her current love interest. Daisy Hardy (Hannah Rae) – Fifteen-year-old daughter of DI Alec Hardy. Claire Ripley (Eve Myles) – a witness in the Sandbrook murder case, Hardy attempted to protect her by hiding her in Broadchurch. Married to Lee, now separated. Susan Wright (Pauline Quirke) – Nigel's biological mother, whose first husband raped and then murdered their daughter. Embittered by her incarceration as an accessory to his crimes (she denied her guilt), she sought to reconcile with Nigel, whom authorities took from her and placed for adoption. She fled Broadchurch as the search for Danny's killer reached its climax, but is a critical eyewitness to the crime.
The Gillespies Cate Gillespie (Amanda Drew) – The mother of murdered Pippa, and wife to Ricky. Left bitter and alcoholic by her daughter's death, she divorced her philandering husband when the Sandbrook case fell apart. Ricky Gillespie (Shaun Dooley) – Father of murdered Pippa, and husband to Cate. He blames Hardy for the collapse of the case against Lee Ashworth, but hid an affair with Claire Ripley. Pippa Gillespie (Hollie Burgess) – Twelve-year-old daughter of Cate and Ricky. She was being babysat by her cousin, Lisa, when she was kidnapped and murdered. Her body was found in a stream by Alec Hardy. Lisa Newbery (Eliza Bennett) – Nineteen-year-old cousin of Pippa Gillespie. Kidnapped along with Pippa, her body has never been found.
Production Production approval
While conceiving and writing the first series in 2012, Broadchurch creator and lead writer Chris Chibnall designed his story to be told as a trilogy. Series one was written to work both as the first part of this trilogy as well as a self-contained drama. The first series had to be self-contained, he felt, in case the show did not do well in the ratings and a second series was not commissioned. When Chibnall pitched series one to ITV in the autumn of 2012, he also pitched series two and three at the same time.
As series one aired, Chibnall had discussions with ITV executives about commissioning series two. According to Chibnall, ITV was more concerned that people were enjoying the show than they were with the series' ratings (which were very high). ITV agreed to green-light series two about midway through the airing of series one. This allowed Chibnall to announce series two as a "gift" to viewers at the end of series one, so the public would not remain in suspense about a second series.
The final episode of series one finished on 22 April 2013 with a caption reading "Broadchurch Will Return". ITV executives confirmed that same night that a second series of Broadchurch had been commissioned, with production to begin in 2014. Following this episode, an extra scene was released on YouTube depicting Danny Latimer's wake. This video also ended with the words "Broadchurch Will Return". Olivia Colman said that Chibnall telephoned the cast of series one before the announcement to tell them that series two had been greenlit, and outlined his concepts for series two.
Jane Featherstone and Chris Chibnall continued as executive producers of the programme in series two, with Richard Stokes returning as producer. Chibnall also acted as lead writer. ITV executive creative director Tony Pipes declined to reveal the budget for series two, but said it was about the same as other major drama series at the network.
Writing Chibnall told the Daily Mirror in the summer of 2013 that "the focus of the next series will be on how the shattered community rebuilds itself after the grisly events" of series one. Series one actor Will Mellor strongly implied in an interview that a new murder would not be the focus of the new season, while actor David Tennant told the Associated Press that the series would go in a "very unexpected direction" which he called "as gripping as the first season". While grief was the key theme of series one, Chibnall chose an entirely different theme for series two. Tennant described series two, "Tonally, it's the same show, but structurally, it's completely different."
Chibnall said he mapped out the show's plot and characters on several whiteboards in his office before beginning the writing process. "You have to be very methodical," he said about plotting Broadchurch. "It's like a mathematical puzzle where you put all these blocks together and move them around for the most satisfying thing." Chibnall was assisted in storyboarding series two by his good friend Sam Hoyle, a television script executive who also worked with him in laying out series one. "By the time I sat down to type scenes and dialogue," Chibnall said, "I'd already done quite a lot of work." As early as mid-July 2013, Chibnall told the Daily Mirror that he had finalised the plot and written the second series' first and last scenes, and was now working on the rest of the script. Chibnall also said that the second series' themes, story, and basic mysteries are clearly established by the end of the first episode. Much of series two draws on plot elements established in series one. Lead actor Olivia Colman noted "You find out very early in the first episode which direction it's going in and it's an instant, 'Whoooa!'. Chris set up a lot of things we never even thought about in the first series and now they've come to the fore. At the read-through we were going, 'You sneaky b*****d'." There were constant rewrites of the script as filming occurred.
In August 2014, Erin Kelly, author of the Broadchurch novelisation, said that Chibnall inserted a one-line clue about series two into her book three days before printing was due to begin. Kelly said the clue is revealed in the early pages. Although it does not spoil the plot, she said, it does provide a hint about it. The clue involved the argument the postman had with Danny Latimer. Jack Marshall identifies the location as near Jocelyn Knight's home. On 19 December 2014, ITV revealed that Charlotte Rampling's character is named Jocelyn Knight.
Casting