After a tremendous opening instalment, can the new series from Doctor Who and Torchwood writer Chris Chibnall continue its form? We’re happy to report that the second episode of Broadchurch does indeed, and also delivers some scintillating shocks in the process.

But more of those later. Although a week has passed by for the audience, the events here take place just the day after discovery of the death of Danny Latimer. His mother, Beth (Attack the Block’s Jodie Whittaker), is at a loss as she wanders around her home which sees her dead son’s room cordoned off with police tape. Whilst her friend, and policewoman, DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman), has to have clinical conversations with Beth, stating that the boy’s body is “most valuable piece evidence” they have.

The grieving mum finds it difficult to function normally and there’s a wonderfully shot scene as she walks around an everyday supermarket with no focus, in a haze, whilst everyone around her looks on. It’s eerie and touching at the same time. Whilst this seems to irk her, the people of Broadchurch just want to lend a sympathetic head or ear.

This ear comes in the form of village vicar Paul Coates, portrayed by Doctor Who actor, Arthur Darvill. Barely halfway into the episode and her pregnancy is revealed. Whitaker is simply stunning in these moments, never overplaying the bleakness but still affectingly distraught. Darvill, however, seems to be retreading his Rory Williams schtick from his time-travelling days.

“I don’t know if I believe in god,” Beth tells the man of the cloth. “It’s not compulsory,” comes his sympathetic and warm retort. It’s a knowing exchange and one of many great lines from writer Chris Chibnall in the episode.

Elsewhere, visiting journalist Karen White (Vicky McClure) brings her cold big city mentality to the titular small seaside town by engineering a meeting with the dead boy’s sister, 15-year-old Chloe. It’s a calculating move and rather distasteful (something we’re used in the UK when it comes to the press, it has to be said).

White is also influencing naive local rag writer reporter Olly Stevens (Jonathan Bailey), who, by his own admission, wants to be her. Seems he hasn’t learnt the lessons from his previous dubious morality in the first episode.

The man behind the investigation into the murder, DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant), uncovers some interesting leads as Broadchurch shopkeeper David Bradley (Harry Potter‘s Argus Filch) seems to lead the police on a slight wild goose chase. Or has he?

That’s one of the great features of the show at the moment – everyone is a suspect. It doesn’t help that some of them act a little too shady; namely the aforementioned Bradley and caravan woman Pauline Quirke (Birds of a Feather) who may well have something the police are looking for. Too obvious? Or just obvious enough? It’s tough to say at this juncture (with another six episodes to come), but it’s damn intriguing.

This week we’re also introduced to a new character, phone engineer Steve Connelly (Will Mellor), who manages to upset Alec Hardy after he tells the DI that he gets “psychic messages” – specifically about the dead boy, Danny.

“Nothing offends me more than cranks wasting police time,” Tennant acerbically spits at the phone engineer. But Connelly may just have something as he leaves the DI with a message that clearly disturbs. Mellor plays the odd fellow with a slightly unnerving style – but, again, is he too obvious to be a suspect?

By the time you get to the closing minutes, though, any notion of obviousness and suspicion are forgotten as Tennant showdowns with Mark Latimer. In the final moments, writer Chibnall bangs the audience collectively in the face with a eyebrow-popping cliffhanger that will have people screaming for the third episode.

Aired at 9pm on Monday 11 March 2013 on ITV.

> Order Broadchurch on DVD on Amazon.

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