It was always going to take a lot to get DI Matthew Venn (Ben Aldridge) to go back home. Even with his loving husband Jonathan (Declan Bennett) backing him up, the small seaside village of Ilfracombe is clearly a place he hasn’t returned to in a long, long while.
He’s back now because his father has died. He’s there to witness a funeral he’s not welcome to attend. When his mother Dorothy (Juliet Stevenson) sees him watching from a distance, she comes over to tell him he shouldn’t even be there. “You made your choice when you left us, Matthew,” she says, and leaves him in tears.
We’re all used to crime series that start with a brutal scene or two, but it’s hard to think of another series where the mood actually lifts when a corpse is discovered (though, after being chased away from your father’s funeral by your mother, almost anything would be a relief). When Venn’s partner DC Jen Rafferty (Pearl Mackie) calls him about a body found on the local beach – shades of Broadchurch (), with its similar UK coastal setting – he’s down there in a hurry.
It’s a solid start to this UK murder mystery, but The Long Call (based on a novel by Ann Cleeves, author of the novels Vera is based on, among others) has more on its mind than a twisty whodunnit. More than most mysteries, this is a series packed with skilfully drawn (and well-acted) characters. It’s a troubled community filled with people, not merely a collection of suspects.
New UK drama series, ‘The Long Call’. Source: SBS
At the murder site there are clues to be examined, both on the body and at the scene. A striking tattoo, a partial footprint nearby, a letter in the dead man’s pocket. Venn soon has the body identified as one Simon Walden, who’d moved to the region after a stint in prison for killing a young girl in a drink driving accident. It doesn’t take Venn long to find out that the dead girl’s father, Rich Chorley (Charlie Anson), threatened to kill Walden at the trial. Luckily, Rich has an airtight alibi; his wife, Bryony (Jenny Platt) is another matter.
Walden was living in the Woolyard community centre, a group house that seems to have its fair share of issues even before his murder. The house’s owner, Caroline Reasley (Siobhán Cullen) was recently eased out of her role with the residents by her father Christopher Reasley (Neil Morrissey). He knew about Walden’s past and wanted him gone, while Caroline seems to have been more than usually supportive of the dead man. And what exactly was Walden’s relationship with local artist, Gaby Chadwell (Aoife Hinds)?
Declan Bennett and Ben Aldridge as Jonathan and Matthew in ‘The Long Call’. Source: Distributor
Then there’s the Barum Brethren community (referred to by at least one other character as a “cult”) that Venn’s mother remains part of. Led by preacher Dennis Stephenson (Martin Shaw, of Judge John Deed and Inspector George Gently fame), their hardline Christian views frown on everything from homosexuality to watching television; Venn’s departure at 19 was as much about no longer believing in their restrictive world as it was his sexuality.
Venn’s past with the Brethren doesn’t stay past for long once Stephenson gets in touch to (seemingly) clarify a few issues around exactly why he was cast out – and whether leaving the church means he had to leave his family as well. But when it comes out that Simon Walden attended at least one Brethren meeting, Venn’s interest in them suddenly shifts from personal to professional.
It’s lucky Venn has Rafferty by his side through all this. Anyone who remembers Pearl Mackie’s stint a few years back on Doctor Who knows she’s a force to be reckoned with, and as a single mum with two teenagers (and an ex who might just be back on the scene), she comes off as a far more vibrant personality than the often subdued Venn. Though to be fair, considering everything he’s dealing with, he’s got good reason to be a little low energy at times.
Pearl Mackie as DC Jen Rafferty in ‘The Long Call’. Source: Distributor
And then just when it starts to look like this series could work just fine as a drama about the fault lines that divide families and communities, there’s a shock twist – and a reminder that there’s a criminal on the loose, the community’s secrets are deeper than they first seem, and that sometimes it takes more than a kind word to heal the wounds of the past.
This town has a dark history; to solve this mystery, Venn is going to have to drag it into the light.
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