Welsh Thriller 'The One That Got Away' Will Premiere on Acorn TV in April
Richard Harrington and Elen Rhys in "The One That Got Away"
(Photo: BBC)
Welsh dramas and noir-ish mysteries are all the rage at the moment, and Acorn TV is finally getting into the act. Not content to watch its competitor BritBox land all the buzzy new Welsh titles like Tree on a Hill and Death Valley, the streamer has scooped up the six-part series The One That Got Away for its April schedule.
Like many of its onscreen cousins, The One That Got Away is the English remake of a series (Cleddau) that was originally shot in Welsh. Yes, that essentially means making the whole show twice, but dramas like this play key roles in helping bring Welsh culture — and specifically the Welsh language —back into the mainstream. (Say thank you, BBC Cymru!)
One part crime thriller and one part complicated will they/won't they romance, the series stars Elen Rhys (The Mallorca Files) as DI Ffion Lloyd, who must partner up with her former lover DS Rick Shledon (Richard Harrington) to investigate the murder of a nurse in a Welsh town. Forced to confront their own complicated history, Rick and Ffion must not only confront the grisly crimes of a killer, but the unresolved issues of their own past.
What's more, the case stirs up some tough memories in the seaside community, casting doubt on a historical case the townspeople had assumed was long closed and raising the uncomfortable possibility of a copycat killer. What follows is described as a "forensic examination of a town, a killer, and a love affair – both past and present".
Elen Rhys as DI Ffion Lloyd and Richard Harrington as DS Rick Sheldon in 'The One That Got Away'
BBC/Blacklight/Simon Ridgway
Here's the series synopsis.
The dark psychological drama sees DI Ffion Lloyd partnering up with her ex-lover DS Rick Sheldon, to find out who is responsible for murdering a nurse in a coastal town in west Wales. The murder opens old wounds in a small-town community, throwing a historic conviction in to doubt and raising the horrifying prospect of a copycat killer. Full of twists and turns that lead up to a heart-stopping finale, this is a gripping forensic examination of a town, a killer, and a relationship, past and present.
Alongside Rhys and Harrington, the series features an all-Welsh cast that includes Rhian Blythe (Keeping Faith), Sule Rimi (The Day of the Jackal), Ian Puleston-Davies (Coronation Street), Ioan Hefin (Gangs of London), Aled Pugh (Hunky Dory), Mali Ann Rees (Lost Boys and Fairies), Will Thomas (Steeltown Murders), Sharon Morgan (The Sin-Eater), and Hanna Daniel (Tree on a Hill).
The One That Got Away is written by Catherine Tregenna (DCI Banks) and directed by Sion Ifan (Y Goleudy).
"Catherine Tregenna's writing blew me away. It's not your typical crime drama; it goes much deeper. I love that there are no heroes, the characters are complex, damaged, and human; everyone is as flawed as the next," Rhys said in a statement. "It's so true to life. To me, it’s a drama about what it means to be human."
Filmed on location in Pembroke Dock and south Wales, the six-part series was produced by Blacklight and distributed by Banijay Rights, with support from the Welsh Government via Creative Wales.
The One That Got Away will premiere on Acorn TV with two episodes on Monday, April 28.
