Hinterland

Hinderland is brilliant- many American murder shows pale in comparison. But you have to like beautiful moody landscapes that mirror the people in them. Too many American shows are all about sex,shooting and cute chummy buddy scenes and pretty tourist places. If you don't want to think or be engaged you won't like it. But I find the series viscerally moving and thought provoking-so I love it and can't wait for the next one. The layers of personal history the series unravel and peel back, reveal truths about humanity we sometimes like to forget. The series does not trivialize the flaws and broken parts of the characters, rather the story line uncovers where things went wrong in the first place. True to life, it shows you how easy it can be to go off the rails.

I am in Wales, so get this as standard. It is too good to be shown in Wales only and on i-player. Hinterland is one of the best dramas to come out of the BBC for many years. If you love the wave of scandi dramas you will absolutely love Hinterland, filmed in the same way, it is naturally dark and moody, with gritty story lines, and a level of acting that will surprise you and make you want to come back for more. Richard Harrington is massively charismatic as lead character DCI Mathias, and the supporting cast are always equally as good. A word on the filming, it is top notch, beautifully done, but then they were never going to fail with the glorious mid Wales setting.

For those asking, yes the series will continue, not least because the Scands want it to after it was sold to Denmark. The actors say it was the hardest thing they have done, filming it back-to-back in Welsh and then English, but was well worth it.

Hinterland not only refers to the setting in the hills and sea coasts around Aberystwyth and Mid-Wales but to the plot lines where all the crimes have a backstory or hinterland of their own. It also refers to each individual character and not just the leads. There is no cardboard cut-out anywhere and all have motives and biases deeply rooted in the unknown, thus far, past which has made them who they are. I know a real-life person just like every character portrayed so far, got them spot on.

If you like shoot-em-up all-action fantasy this is not for you since scenes can be silent and slow, revealing emotion and thought processes but if you have any liking for fringe cultures such as Scandinavian noir then dig in. The tension is often unbearable not least the tension waiting for the next series.

Dark, brooding, atmospheric, haunting, understated Beautiful hauntingly appropriate music. The magnificent landscape is a major player as it always is in Welsh life. The characters are at one with their surroundings deeply moulded by the dark forebidding landscape. The use of Welsh is as it is. Welsh interspersed with English or English interspersed with Welsh. I love this touch of realism. All the people involved in the making of this series are home-grown and all due credit to them. Matthias lives in a caravan on the mountainside. How does he come to be living there? What is his unknown past? I live in a caravan myself in the north-west of England and spend several weeks of the winter tucked away in a cottage somewhere in Wales. Am I as dark, melancholy and troubled as Matthias? Probably. The stories and characters are complex and closely interwoven. Always maintaining tension and anticipation and achieving this within one self-contained episode rather than a whole series. Limiting this series to BBC2 Wales is to do it a dis-service. It should be more widely available for general viewing. I don't usually write reviews but I absolutely love this series. But don't overdo it and do it to death as happens with so many series. I only saw a couple of the episodes first time round so am looking forward to catching up with the ones I missed.

Excellent. Intriguing. Haunting. Beautiful and bleak. Strong characters and performances. So different than the shoot 'em up, soft core ridiculousness of US cop shows.

Perfect to binge. I'm having a tough time turning it off. I want to see what happens next and why. Interesting that they shoot in Welsh and English, takes a moment to get attuned to the accents and cadence.

Check it out! It really is good.

PS if you like this, take a peek at "Shetland". … another BBCgem.