The Responder

The Responder is a British police drama series set in Liverpool, written by former Merseyside Police officer Tony Schumacher, with Tim Mielants as leading director and starring Martin Freeman, Adelayo Adedayo, Ian Hart, and MyAnna Buring.[1] It aired on BBC One on 24 January 2022. Schumacher has said that the character has "a lot to do" with him and the struggles he faced as a police officer, but that the storyline is fictional.[2]

The Responder
GenrePolice drama
Created byTony Schumacher
Written byTony Schumacher
Directed by
Starring
ComposerMatthew Herbert
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Lawrence Bowen
  • Chris Carey
  • Martin Freeman
ProducerRebecca Ferguson
Running time60 minutes
Release
Original networkBBC One
Original release24 January 2022 (2022-01-24) –
present

In late March 2022, the series was renewed for a second season.[3]

Synopsis

Chris Carson is a police officer in a fictional constabulary covering Liverpool, who has been demoted from his position as an inspector and undertakes a series of night shifts in the city centre. Shots of him working are interspersed with scenes at therapy, at home, and with his mother in a nursing lodge. His partner is Rachel Hargreaves, an inexperienced and still idealistic officer who wants to play by the rules. Carl Sweeney is a mid-level drug dealer whose stash of cocaine has been stolen by Casey, a local drug addict.

Chris is trying to help Casey and, in doing so, crosses Carl. Other major characters include a naïve local man named Marco, who finds himself out of his depth.[4]

Carson is a conflicted and compromised man, with somewhat divided loyalties, a desire to do good, but with a violent streak brought on by childhood trauma exacerbated by his experience in the police. He has been demoted from an inspector and is pursued by the officer responsible as part of a corruption probe, whose motives may not be entirely honest. The effects of the job and Chris' mental state take a toll on his family.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

  • Elizabeth Berrington as Lynne Renfrew, Chris' therapist
  • Philip Barantini as Steve, Rachel's boyfriend
  • Philip Whitchurch as Joe, Casey's grandfather
  • Romi Hyland-Rylands as Tilly Carson, Chris and Kate's daughter

Guest

  • Victor McGuire as Trevor
  • Dominic Carter as Bernie Wilson
  • Matthew Cottle as Father Liam Neeson
  • Dave Hill as Billy
  • Sylvie Gatrill as Mary
  • Sonny Walker as Stevo Marsh
  • James Ledsham as Enno
  • Connor Dempsey as Kyle
  • David Ayres as Andy
  • Kieron Urquhart as Paul
  • Harry Burke as Liam

Episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Episode 1"Tim MielantsTony Schumacher24 January 2022 (2022-01-24)
Liverpool first responder Chris Carson, who recently was demoted from inspector to officer, patrols the streets on his own, encountering familiar faces, while facing new challenges. He is later contacted by an old friend, Carl Sweeney, who asks him to find a drug addict named Casey. Despite his longing to help people, Chris rejects the task, noting that he isn't going to be anyone's bounty hunter. With this rejection, Sweeney warns that he will come after him and decides to go and find Casey himself. Chris responds to a report of a deceased woman in a house, who turns out to be a grandmother to a local boy. He guards the house until the medical officer arrives to inspect the body. Chris also decides to look after Casey when he learns that she is in debt to Sweeney after stealing his drugs. With drug dealer Marco's help, he eventually finds Casey and asks her to leave town for her own good. It takes him one more attempt, when he decides to drive her to the train station himself after learning what Sweeney might do to her. Chris also struggles with his family life and sees a therapist. He confides in her about wanting a good life and being honest with his wife, but that he finds it difficult with his line of work and not knowing how to express himself.
22"Episode 2"Tim MielantsTony Schumacher24 January 2022 (2022-01-24)
Sweeney arrives at Chris' house and calls him, threatening to put his family's lives in danger if he doesn't find Casey. Chris insist that she has left town, but Sweeney doesn't believe it. Marco arrives home after a failed attempt to earn money, to find Casey on his couch. He messages Sweeney, informing him of her location. Officers Rachael Hargreaves and Phil O'Rourke stop a car whose driver jumps out and starts beating Hargreaves; O'Rourke intervenes, only to be beaten up himself. Chris responds as backup and has the man arrested. Chris' boss, Bernie Wilson, assigns him to be partnered with Hargreaves for the night while O'Rourke recovers from his injuries. Though reluctant, Chris agrees to it but demands Hargreaves follow his lead. On their patrol, they encounter a man named Davey, who has reported that his bed was torched by local teens. Chris and Hargreaves find them, and Chris threatens them into behaving and leaving Davey alone, in exchange for information about Casey. Chris and Hargreaves are unaware that Raymond Mullen, the man who brought Chris down initially, is tailing them, looking for an opportunity to get him behind bars. Sweeney and his goons, along with Marco, bring Casey to an undisclosed location, where they attempt to pry information about her sale of Sweeney's drugs. She points them towards someone dubbed Smiggy, who has organized a party. Concurrently, Chris and Hargreaves arrive at the location of the party, also in search of Smiggy, albeit for Chris' own benefit. While waiting for Chris, Hargreaves encounters Sweeney and later goes inside and tries to stop some teens from taking drugs. Chris arrives to break up the ensuing fight, facing an angered Hargreaves, who calls him out for his incompetence and insinuates his corruption. Chris decides to leave without her.
33"Episode 3"Fien TrochTony Schumacher24 January 2022 (2022-01-24)
Chris returns to Casey's hideout but doesn't find her, before leaving and taking her stash with him. When she approaches him, he declines to help her again and decides to put a price on returning the stash to Sweeney, who is revealed to be working for his doctor, Dianne Gallagher. Sweeney attempts to ease down on his approach to Chris, but he refuses to return the stash without getting paid, something Sweeney for the moment is unable to do. Chris' mental health continues to deteriorate, and he grows angry when his therapist doesn't remember his appointment. Mullen reaches out to Hargreaves and attempts to persuade her to work with him against Chris. However, after he opens up to her, she begins to doubt his intentions and whether or not she wants to help. Chris' wife asks him to leave the house. Chris and Hargreaves respond to a call about young men who supposedly took drugs at a bar, one of whom is revealed to be Hargreaves' boyfriend, Steve. Chris does her a favour of not taking Steve and his friends to prison.
44"Episode 4"Fien TrochTony Schumacher24 January 2022 (2022-01-24)
Hargreaves informs Mullen about Chris' purchase of a burner phone. Gallagher reaches out to him, telling him where to drop off the stash and warning him if he doesn't deliver. He meets Sweeney at the drop-off alongside Gallagher's enforcers, who check the stash, only to learn that it's washing powder. Sweeney is killed as a consequence, and Gallagher demands that Chris and Casey be found. Kate Carson is confronted by her friend, Ellie, who is Mullen's wife, about having an affair with him, which she acknowledges; Mullen is later assaulted by Ellie for it. Chris increases his pill usage and becomes increasingly paranoid. Sweeney's wife reports him missing and demands the 30,000 pounds from him. Casey and Marco meet her grandfather, a former burglar, who sets up a meeting with a potential buyer for the stash. However, the buyer isn't convinced. Chris and Hargreaves respond to a car fire, which they both quickly realise belongs to Sweeney.
55"Episode 5"Philip BarantiniTony Schumacher24 January 2022 (2022-01-24)
With detectives arriving on the scene, Hargreaves learns from Chris' former partner Deborah Barnes that Mullen's unit was shut down and that he blamed Chris for it. Chris and Hargreaves inform Sweeney's wife about his death. Barnes approaches Mullen and encourages him to stop his investigation, to no avail. He manages to clone Chris' phone and calls Gallagher, who immediately realises it's not Chris and alerts her brother Greg, who's in prison and for whom she works. Chris returns to his family and tells his wife the truth, who although shocked at his revelations, asks him to avoid prison at all costs. Chris revisits a house he lurked around earlier but is cornered by Gallagher and her goons. She helps him through a panic attack before allowing him to talk to her brother. He orders Chris to find his stolen stash and Casey. In the meantime, Marco steals the stash and decides to hide it at Davey's. Hargreaves rebels against her abusive boyfriend, who shuts her in a closet before going to work.
66"Episode 6"Philip BarantiniTony Schumacher24 January 2022 (2022-01-24)
Hargreaves calls Chris and informs him of her predicament, and he arrives to let her out. He also encourages her to take a stand against Steve once and for all. Marco stumbles upon Casey and Davey, and she demands the stash back. They both run when Gallagher's goons arrive and chase them. Chris and Hargreaves arrive and drive them to safety. Chris asks Casey to give him the stash, which she reluctantly does. Hargreaves makes her stand against Steve at his workplace. While waiting for Chris on a phone call, she discovers the stash in the bag and confronts him about it. Their relationship becomes strained, and she decides to report Steve's abuse but ultimately decides against it. Chris retrieves a piece of paper documenting the stash be seized, proving to Dianne Gallagher that her brother will not be harmed in prison. He then gives the stash to Jodie, Carl's wife. Barnes inquires about Chris to Kate, forcing her to lie about Gallagher. Having sorted out his problems, Chris returns to his family and agrees with Kate that they should do their best to be better.

Release

The series premiered on BBC One on 24 January 2022.[2] It aired in Australia in six episodes on SBS from 16 March 2022.[5]

The series was shown by Canal plus in France.[6][7] In Australia, the first season aired on SBS TV and SBS On Demand.

The first episode was watched 6,164,000 times on iPlayer alone during 2022, making it the third most-viewed individual programme on the platform that year.[8]

The original soundtrack, composed by Matthew Herbert, was released by Accidental Editions in March 2022 and includes eighteen tracks.[9]

Reception

Critical response

As of April 2022, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a 100% approval rating, with an average rating of 8.7/10, based on 15 reviews. The critics' consensus reads: "The Responder is unrelentingly dark and inescapably absorbing, with Martin Freeman's hangdog performance carrying the drama".[10] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on 9 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Accolades
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2022
 Edinburgh TV Awards Best Drama The Responder Won [11]
2023
 Royal Television Society Programme Awards Drama Series Nominated [12]
Supporting Actor – Female Adelayo Adedayo Nominated
British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Series Chris Carey, Laurence Bowen, Tony Schumacher, Tim Mielants, Rebecca Ferguson, Toby Bruce Nominated [13]
Best Actor Martin Freeman Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Josh Finan Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Adelayo Adedayo Nominated
British Academy Television Craft Awards Best Original Music: Fiction Matthew Herbert Nominated
Best Writer: Drama Tony Schumacher Nominated

References
  1. "The Responder: Meet the full cast of Martin Freeman's BBC drama". 24 January 2022. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  2. "The Responder's cast and creator discuss the new drama about life on the front line of British policing". BBC Media Centre. 20 January 2022 [19 January 2022]. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  3. "Four of the BBC's biggest dramas The Tourist, The Responder, Vigil and Time to return for a second series on BBC One and BBC iPlayer". BBC Media Centre. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  4. "La revue Responder – Martin Freeman est magnifique dans le tour de police | Télévision & radio". 24 January 2022. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  5. "One of the best new dramas of the year The Responder arrives tonight on SBS". TV Blackbox. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  6. "The Responder - Bande-annonce".
  7. "Responder heads to BritBox US and Canal+".
  8. "World Cup wins 2022 in record breaking year for BBC iPlayer". BBC Media Centre. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  9. "'The Responder' soundtrack album released". Film Music Reporter. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  10. "The Responder". Rotten Tomatoes. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  11. "Channel 4 named Channel of the Year at Edinburgh TV Awards".
  12. Ramachandran, Naman (28 March 2023). "Kate Winslet, Kit Connor, 'The Traitors' Among Winners at U.K.'s Royal Television Society Awards". Variety. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  13. Ritman, Alex (22 March 2023). "BAFTA TV Awards: 'This is Going to Hurt', 'The Responder' Lead Pack of Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
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