The Fall

Probably the creepiest drama on BritBox

The Fall. Photo credit: BritBox, used with permission

July is Mystery Month on BritBox, featuring a whole host of whodunits - Agatha Christie, Luther, Line of Duty, Death in Paradise,The Bay and
many, many more.
But one of the highlights for me is definitely
The Fall - a gripping Anglo-Irish psychological thriller that’s much more of a mystery “whydunit” than your typical police crime-solving drama. 
If you haven’t seen it yet, a word of warning - this series is super scary too. When my lovely (single) friend Higgi told me she was looking forward to bingeing The Fall, I pleaded with her, “Please make sure someone else is at home before you start”.
​Even though I’d watched while clinging tightly to poor hubby’s arm, I still had to keep checking under the bed for weeks after.

In her first investigative role since The X Files, Gillian Anderson stars as Stella Gibson, a successful, highly driven homicide detective, cool as a cucumber in an endless supply of crisp white shirts and pristine pencil skirts. The Belfast serial killer she’s hunting down is revealed from the start as handsome family man and seemingly caring counsellor Paul Spector (played by Jamie Dornan of Fifty Shades fame). Thus begins a chilling game of cat and mouse, as this five-part thriller explores the theory (along similar lines toThe Great Train Robbery) - to catch a depraved psycho, the hunter must learn to think just like the hunted.

Oh, and in case I didn’t mention how dark and creepy it is, The Fall even won an  Edgar Allan Poe award for being dark and creepy. When the series first aired on BBC in 2013, one UK viewer tweeted, “Already planning new windows and security system for the entire house”. 

The Fall is strikingly original, relentlessly riveting and totally brilliant telly that will keep you on the edge of your seat.  
Just don’t watch it alone.

The Fall is streaming now as part of
BritBox Mystery Month.