Broadchurch series promo

The third and final series of Broadchurch, ITV s multi award-winning drama co-produced by Kudos, Imaginary Friends and Sister Pictures, will be back on air in 2017.

David Tennant and Olivia Colman reprise their roles as DI Alec Hardy and DS Ellie Miller, this time investigating a serious sexual assault in the Dorset community.

Jodie Whittaker and Andrew Buchan return to play Beth and Mark Latimer. They are joined by National Television Award winner Julie Hesmondhalgh, BAFTA winners Lenny Henry and Georgina Campbell along with Sarah Parish, Charlie Higson and Mark Bazeley.

Arthur Darvill also returns as local Vicar Paul Coates, Carolyn Pickles as newspaper editor Maggie Radcliffe and Adam Wilson as Ellie's son Tom.

Creator Chris Chibnall has once again written all eight episodes of the drama which was filmed on location in the now familiar Broadchurch locations of Bridport, West Bay and Clevedon as well as Bristol s Bottleyard Studios.

Executive producer Jane Featherstone, of Sister Pictures, says: "When Chris Chibnall first sent me the script for the opening episode of Broadchurch six years ago, I was struck by one defining element. I loved the characters, I loved the beauty of the world, I loved the powerful whodunit narrative, but above all I loved the way it explored a small-town community in such depth. Chris' intention was always to inhabit a space which meant we could stay with our characters and our town after the crime has happened, to really examine the long-term effects of a tragic incident on a community. Our characters had lives before we joined them and they will continue to exist after we have gone.

"We start the final series in the trilogy three years on from the last series, five years on from the start. There is a bold new crime story which forces us to ask whether the town has a crack running through it caused by Danny Latimer's death; is this new crime somehow the long-term legacy of that dark moment? Our central characters must contend with this possibility as they battle to make hope, friendship and love triumph over fear and suspicion, as a host of new suspects present themselves. The great privilege of long-form storytelling is building a meaningful relationship between our characters and the audience and I am excited for the audience to see how Ellie, Hardy and the Latimers have fared in the last few years. It is a fond farewell for those of us involved in the series for so many years, but as far as I am concerned, the community of Broadchurch will carry on living long after we've gone."

Producer Dan Winch says: "With the final series we strive to entertain and to tell a brilliant story, but we ve never lost site of our responsibility to do justice to those who may be directly or indirectly affected by this particular investigation. We hope to have struck a balance which sensitively tackles the darker story elements, whilst enabling our audience to comfortably lose themselves in the world of Broadchurch each week."

What were the biggest challenges facing Dan and his crew?

"There are practical challenges to shooting a high profile drama, such as Broadchurch, through the summer months. When many of your established locations are situated in the midst of what is an incredibly popular tourist attraction, it's necessary to try and navigate around a shoot day being impacted by sun bathers, coach parties and ice cream queues!

"Broadchurch has become a significant part of West Bay's attractions - along with the beautiful cliffs, beach and harbour. It was fantastic to be received by the residents and business owners of West Bay, and indeed the visiting tourists, with such warm support but we always have to give careful consideration to our approach when working in and around the public.

"We were incredibly lucky with the weather. There was one memorable scene where we had to weight a picnic blanket to the grass to avoid it flying off in the wind! In a new addition to the physical perspectives of Broadchurch, we worked with a drone camera this series. When working with a bit of kit such as this you're reliant on perfect weather conditions. We managed to fly our drone up and down the coast and achieve some amazing images of the iconic cliffs, the bay and the rolling Dorset Hills."

Broadchurch is executive produced by Chris Chibnall (Malaterra, The Great Train Robbery, Torchwood) for Imaginary Friends and Jane Featherstone (River, Humans, Utopia) for Sister Pictures. Dan Winch (Indian Summers II, What We did On Our Holiday) is the producer. It is directed by Paul Andrew Williams (The Eichmann Show, Murdered by My Boyfriend), Daniel Nettheim (Doctor Who, Humans, Line of Duty) and Lewis Arnold (Banana, Prey, Humans).

Broadchurch is a co-production between Kudos, an Endemol Shine Group company, Imaginary Friends and Sister Pictures.

Note to Editors: The Shores (Dorset's Sexual Assault Referral Centre) and Dorset Rape Crisis have supported and advised Chris Chibnall throughout writing the scripts for this series of Broadchurch.

LINK:	http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/broadchurch-series-3-pro...
	See more stories from itv

Most recent headlines