Elen Rhys as DI Ffion Lloyd and Richard Harrington as DS Rick Walters in BBC's The One That Got Away(Image: BlackLight/Banijay Rights)

BBC's brand new crime drama stars actor behind hit TV thriller from a decade ago

by · DevonLive

The BBC has announced that it will be broadcasting a fresh six-part crime drama featuring Hinterland star Richard Harrington.

The One That Got Away, shot and set in Pembroke Dock, features Harrington as DS Rick Walters who collaborates with his former lover DI Ffion Lloyd, portrayed by Elen Rhys, to uncover the culprit behind a nurse's murder in a Welsh seaside town.

The killing reopens old scars within a small-town community, casting doubt on a historic conviction and introducing the terrifying possibility of a copycat murderer. It provides a detailed analysis of a town, a killer, and a relationship, both past and present.

Penned by Catherine Tregenna, known for her work on Law and Order UK, Lewis and DCI Banks, The One That Got Away is the English language adaptation of the Welsh-language drama Cleddau, an original series for Welsh language broadcaster S4C.

Richard Harrington as DCI Mathias in Hinterland/Y Gwyll with Mali Harries as DI Mared Rhys(Image: Daily Post Wales)

"The One That Got Away is a deliciously dark and atmospheric thriller sure to keep BBC viewers gripped to the very end," commented Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, reports Wales Online.

This comes 10 years after Harrington captivated audiences in the TV thriller Hinterland, which was aired in both Welsh (as Y Gwyll) and English and was praised by critics as 'gritty' with The Guardian labelling it as "Nordic noir done the Welsh way."

The review remarked: "If there is a more darkly brooding detective on TV at the moment, I've yet to meet him. DCI Tom Mathias, as played by Richard Harrington in this set of four films about a new cop reluctantly arrived in Aberystwyth, makes Kurt Wallander (fictional Swedish detective) look positively cheerful.

"The series certainly doesn't wear its Scandinavian inspiration lightly: there are wide shots of steely skies above remote houses and the sea beyond, and stories that refuse to be hurried, finding menace and sadness at every turn. Mathias even drives a Volvo."

The eagerly anticipated The One That Got Away will hit screens on BBC Four, BBC Wales and BBC iPlayer, thanks to production by BlackLight TV and the support of Welsh Government via Creative Wales. Viewers are on tenterhooks for the announcement of the broadcast date.