Broadchurch, ITV1
New Year, and a new tv schedule. The reality shows are over with for another year and it's time for some drama to get your teeth into. Sky One's Fortitude starts in a couple of weeks, and last night ITV broadcast the first episode of the hugely anticipated follow up series of Broadchurch. Second series - like albums and novels - can be unpredictable but last night's opener delivered massively. Questions were answered (why is David Tennant's DI Hardy still in Broadchurch?), the plot took some brilliant and surprising turns (I won't risk spoilers but let's just say that Joe Miller still has a major part to play in this series) and there, gratifyingly, were many members of the original cast (Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan, Carolyn Pickles). I didn't realise how attached I'd become to them, and how much I wanted to see how they - especially the Latimers - were getting on. A true sign of good writing, when the audience is that invested in the characters. And, of course, Olivia Colman is still - with Tennant - the lynchpin of the story, with her beautiful, nuanced, heartbreaking performance just as powerful as it was in the first series. And, and, and ... not only is there a new story, but some new characters in the mix: lovely Gwen from Torchwood (Eve Myles) and Charlotte Rampling. CHARLOTTE RAMPLING! There is just too much to look forward to on Monday nights. Welcome back, Broadchurch.#Broadchurch #ITV
