Julie Hesmondhalgh and Eddie Marsan lead a starry cast in the BBC’s dark new whodunnit, with shades of Harlan Coben – and, hopefully, intrigue and scares to the last
I have been burned by enough TV thrillers to be wary of The Pact (BBC One). You know the ones. They are not all on ITV, but most are. They are showy crime dramas, usually stripped across the week, with a strong premise, a story that sets up a puzzle to be solved, only for it all to descend into farce in the final episode as the plot ties itself in knots.
Even so, show me a starry cast and a hint of mystery and it is likely that I will be sucked in again. The Pact is the latest, luring viewers in with Julie Hesmondhalgh, Eddie Marsan, and a whodunnit with plenty of options in play. A group of friends work together in a brewery in the Welsh valleys, under the reign of Jack Evans (Aneurin Barnard), a man who scoffs in the face of the HR department. Jack is the son of retired owner Arwel (Marsan), and has become a cocaine-loving, sports-car-driving bully who uses his position of power to get women to sleep with him. He is also nursing a deep pain about his past, only hinted at in this opening episode.
