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Airdate: The Coroner

This drama coming to ABC created some controversy in the UK.

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ABC will soon premiere UK drama series The Coroner, starring Claire Goose (Casualty, Waking the Dead) as a solicitor who takes over as coroner in a coastal town she left as a teenager.

This a daytime drama in the UK written by Sally Abbott (Casualty, EastEnders). There was some controversy in Britain after writer M.R. Hall stated he was “unhappy” about the “enormous similarities” with his books The Coroner. The BBC stated its unusually pro-active, Land Rover driving, forty-something female solicitor who after a failed relationship returns to the West Country to take up the post of coroner -was purely coincidental…

The cast also includes Matt Bardock, Grace Hogg Robinson, Beatie Edney, Ivan Kaye and Oliver Gomm.

There were 10 episodes which premiered in the UK in November.

Crime investigations against a stunning seaside backdrop are at the heart of this British drama series following a high-flying solicitor who returns to live and work in the small town she escaped as a teenager. As coroner, Jane Kennedy’s job is to investigate sudden or unexplained deaths in this beautiful English coastal community. With a new and intriguing case to investigate in each episode, starting with the discovery of a body, Jane finds herself having to work with old flame Davey Higgins, who is now the local detective sergeant. The Coroner combines mystery and potential danger with the warm, light hearted tone of Jane’s relationships with her colleagues, family and the local community. While Jane is talented and tenacious in seeking justice for the dead, her personal life is a bit more haphazard!

Episode 1 – First Love
Jane is woken by a call from Clint telling her that a boy, Steve Kernan, has been found dead at the base of a lighthouse. Jane then finds that her daughter Beth has snuck out of the house and is at a sunrise beach party. At the scene, Davey tells Jane that a text message to Steve’s mother, May, suggests suicide but a devastated teenage girl turns up at the Coroner’s Office telling Jane that Steve would never have killed himself. Jane talks to Steve’s parents and feels that his mother is holding something back. Meanwhile, Davey discovers that Steve’s best friend, Matt, is Beth’s new boyfriend. Jane tries her best to befriend Matt while investigating Steve’s death and searching for the mysterious girl who visited her. The question on everyone’s minds is – did Steve jump or was he pushed?

7:30pm Saturday June 18 on ABC.

4 Responses

  1. The BBC do have prior form with Twenty Twelve but the real controversy here is that they’ve made yet another drama series based on such well-used clichés.

    Small town with lovely scenery – tick
    Unusually forthright protagonist – tick
    Arrives in small town to take up senior position – tick
    Running from something in city – tick
    Bonus points if running from failed relationship – tick
    Previously failed or unrequited relationship in new town – tick
    Protagonist undertakes multitudinous tasks – crime scene analysis, forensics, investigation, profiling, interrogation – tick

  2. Sounds like any number of TV shows, include our own Sea Change. Take a small place, throw in a could of quirky people, stunning scenery, add a few murders and bingo there is 13 episodes right there. I always wondered why anyone moved to or stay in Midsomer County because the murder attrition rate would be sure to get you sooner or later.

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