The Long Call

Wonderful acting and beautiful scenery. Took a while to get into the story but really enjoyed it.

Anita Dobson is tremendous especially in the closing scenes.

I was so excited to hear that this show was based on novel by Ann Cleeve, the author of Vera and Shetland, two of my top10 British detective stories! The second a Vera episode is released, I watch it and about a week later I watched it again. So i was looking forward to this show.

Two main components of a good detective story is that, first, the protagonist is quirky, or tormented, or an alcoholic, crazy, goofy, and/or fish a out of water and second, they are extremely passionate about being a detective, by finding the killer, and justice for the victims. Everything else in their lives is secondary. (Ex Grantchester, Vera, Murder in paradise, Sherlock Holmes, Shetland, etc.).

You won't find either of these components at work here. Half of the 20th century protagonist are gay so that's not "quirky" anymore. And although this actor is eye candy, he looks super bored with his work. In one scene, he looks at the murder board and scratches his chin and ........that's it. That would never fly in a Vera episode. My favorite Vera scenes are when she looks at the murder board, turns around and yells at everybody to get to work and find the answer.

The cult angle was interesting, but many mystery murders find that the murder is related to their past and this makes them even more crazy about finding the answer, but once again I just didn't feel passion with this actor.....and if the protagonist is not passionate about what he does, how can u expect us, the viewer, to be.

If u have nothing is to watch, catch this, the scenery is OK. It seemed like everyone lived in a house with huge windows overlooking the sea??...but you would be better served watching another Vera episode.

The Long Call is adapted from the first novel of a new series by Ann Cleeves (Shetland & Vera) so comes from a fine pedigree.

The show follows a gay male detective, (amazingly for the first time on UK TV) Matthew Venn as he returns to a strict evangelical community in Devon to attend his father's funeral before investigating a murder.

It was stylish but the direction was poor technically and trying too hard to be edgy it ended up being distracting. The scene in the first episode between Neil Morrissey and Pearl Mackie was bizzarely shot, you'd think they'd let a passerby have a go behind the camera...

Main problem though was that the lead actor Ben Aldridge was too ineffectual and bland, he spent most of his time standing still and thinking aloud with his hands in his designer trouser pockets. The story would have been better told in fewer episodes or over 90 minutes. The script was ponderous.

New detective shows do need time to bed in - and I do hope they get a second series to try and nail it. The ending was good and satisfying but sadly this series was very much style over substance and too slow. I can't blame the many viewers that abandoned ship.

In North Devon, a body washes up on a beach, on trj case is DI Matthew Venn, who's battling demons past and present.

This is very much a drama of two halves, my advice would be, stick with it. I wasn't exactly in raptures over episodes one and two, but it does improve, it builds well to an exciting snd dramatic finale.

It's not the typical crime drama you expect nowadays, no conspiracies, car chases or guns, it's all very measured, some may fairly argue slow, but the drama comes from control and fear.

It should have been 3 episodes at most, in parts it is dull, plain and simple dull. However it's almost worth sticking with just for the ending.

The locations are beautiful, that was never going to fail, some of the views are incredible.

The best element for me is the acting. Ben Aldridge is good, he's well cast, and certainly very handsome. Martin Shaw, Juliet Stevenson and Neil Morrissey at all very good, for me it's Anita Dobson who steals the show, I always knew she was good, I wasn't aware that she was tbis good.

Stick at it, 7/10.

By episode 3 I'd forgotten what the story was all about. The characters are like cardboard. Flat and totally without character. The speech is muffled and toneless. The plot is....don't really know, my brain was too bored to take it in.

What a complete waste of the ITV 9 o'clock slot.

And coming straight after Hollingdon Drive series! (another dreadful waste of time) ITV get your act together.