Penned by ex-police officer Tony Schumacher, this is his first original series for television and he’s on familiar ground as he focuses on the emotional extremes of life on the front line of British policing.
The Responder follows urgent response officer Chris on a series of night shifts on his beat in Liverpool.
But Chris has more than just the job to worry about as his personal life has been hit by crisis and he is morally compromised in his work.
He’s forced to take on rookie partner Rachel, but despite his reluctance they both soon realise that survival in the high-pressure world of night-time crime will hinge on whether they can support or destroy each other.
Commissioned for BBC One with support from Liverpool Film Fund.
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“Martin Freeman is magnificent in tour de police force
…written by an ex-cop that’s as riveting as a thriller and as profound as a documentary.
…The script … is an astoundingly tough, vigorous, sinewy thing without a wasted word or moment…It is a measure of the strength and beauty of the script and the performances that this isn’t a dramatic moment…phenomenal, as is the blistering humanity and desperation of it all…The Responder is as fast and riveting as a thriller and as harrowing as a documentary…If you are looking for a state-of-the-nation piece, it is here.”
“…Up there with Sherlock and Fargo — that ricochet between wit and grit..”
“Martin Freeman’s inspired cop drama is a career highlight
…The Responder is far more than just any old police drama… there’s more laughs in the first episode than plenty of comedies would manage… Intense, enigmatic and deeply tragic, it’s remarkable… The characters are vividly drawn, and as Chris pinballs between them all during a night of strange encounters, every aspect of the drama feels well observed and fully realised…Safe to say, our first response is overwhelmingly positive. In fact, if all cop dramas were this inspired we’d never watch anything else”
“Martin Freeman’s police patrol is one long, brutal night of the soul
Far from your typical police drama, Tony Schumacher’s gritty series is about a good man coming apart at the seams
…Freeman, though, absolutely bosses this role. He is terrific…The Responder feels absolutely authentic, written as it is by Tony Schumacher, a response officer himself until he had a breakdown and quit the force…It’s an accomplished script for a debut writer, with a plot that is never predictable…Schumacher deserves credit for showing us a different side of British policing.”