Spoiler warning: this interview reveals the identity of theBroadchurch killer, and other series one plot details.
Genuinely, I am still recovering from the experience of transmission.
Also, Olivias frankly cleaned up already.
Then to see it take on this mad life was really shocking and exciting.
I sat down for the last episode buzzing with Whats the twist?, Is my theory right?
Do you think the popularity of the whodunit warped it somehow?
I dont think it was warped.
I think its an inevitable process of a show going to the screen.
Having done it a few times now, you never know where the audience are going to take it.
It becomes like mercury.
The water cooler thing that everybody was saying it became, you cant control that.
At every point in Broadchurch youre continually told and pulled back into the emotional cost.
All throughout I was trying to say that nobody gets let off the hook inBroadchurch.
When I saw the premise initially, my immediate reaction was Oh no.
Is this going to be an exploitative hook for another sexy cop drama?
It wasnt of course, the tragedy wasnt a sensationalist hook, but a jumping point for pathos.
What was the genesis for the idea?
No, I had the idea way before that.
I dont think any of the journalists inBroadchurchare villainous.
I think theyre all trying to do their jobs under difficult circumstances.
Who gets to own how that story is sent out into the world and controlled?
Is it the police?
Is it the media?
Is it the family?
That was one of the central questions Id started with.
The character of Jack Marshall was something of a morality tale though wasnt he?
Its not to say that his death was absolutely triggered by that.
Will you have to block out the behemoth that series one has become for do that?
Yeah, I think you dont write for success and you dont write in response to success.
The process I go through will be exactly the same.
Nothing changes through success.
Were all good friends and colleagues so itll be about making the second one better.
It will be very different.
There was no pressure from ITV to do things because the first one was a success.
Theres very little you might tell us about series two isnt there?
Is that about the extent of it?
Thats probably too much already!
I know what I want to do.
And thats all I can tell you.
Will at least we be seeing the orange cagoule again?
[Laughs] It is way too early to say.
Its like the BBCsSherlockisnt it?
The main thing will just be to have a story that people can really connect to.
I wrote what we had, and what we had remained constant because we managed it.
Its my show from start to finish so yes, that is a fair thing to say.
As you bring upDoctor Who, can you tell us what your commitments are to series eight?
Ah, the banality of planning.
See what I mean?
Broadchurchwas written on spec.
Do you have other spec scripts in drawers waiting to be made?
No, I dont have spec scripts in a drawer.
Is any of that a return to sci-fi?
You cant blame me for trying.
We have a very brilliant police advisor, and wed been through the investigation with her quite thoroughly.
Yeah, we were really thorough.
How closely did you follow theBroadchurchforums and online theories?
I didnt really look that much at that stuff.
Whats lovely is that people are creative in their response to it, and had all those brilliant theories.
There were some amazing ones, the viewers got really into the minutiae of it all.
Yes, I did see that.
Yes, it was going to be Reg.
I thought that would be the most horrific cheat of all time, but also kind of brilliant.
Imagine if Reg just turned up at the end and said, Oh, it was me Guv.
That dawning, creeping realisation of dread really should be the thing that plays through, very deliberately.
It was very deliberately designed like that so its no less compelling on a second watch.
There were a lot of theories circulating about that.
I have to say that was not a deliberate thing [laughs].
That was never a deliberate clue but I kind of loved it.
I also thought Youre all assuming that Tom has his mobile phone clock set correctly.
You introduced this kind of mania in us.
He may not have reset it from Florida!
Well I think a lot of those are deliberately for that.
Indulge me for a minute, but in my episode four write-up I included a direct appeal to you.
[Laughs] I read that, and immediately rang my script editor and went Brilliant!
You still ignored me though?
It was a bit late, lets be fair, it would have involved quite a lot of reshooting.
Granted, it was a bit late by that point to change.
Well, I will as long as the orange cagoule makes a return, Ill be happy.
Im promising you nothing!
When, specifically, did you find out that series two had been ordered?
Its not Go and replicate what youve done.
I cant remember the exact moment, but it was a couple of weeks in to the run.
So Dannys wake originally intended to be part of episode eight then?
It was in the original script yeah, but it disrupted the rhythm of the episode.
Thats a very difficult balance to strike in a big ensemble show, so it was richer without it.
It was a similar thing withP.S., the wonderful Doctor Who extra scene that came afterThe Angels Take Manhattan.
Is it right that that came about because it was lobbied for by fans?
So it wasnt budget, just availability.
Yeah, its always the most bland thing that really knackers you in the end.
What were some of your other choices for thatBroadchurchextra scene then?
There was a scene with the postman in episode eight, explaining what that was.
The emotion has to trump the fans little nerdy obsessions I suppose…
I think thats true, you make that decision, which is it: emotion or plot?
And emotion is the thing.
Chris Chibnall, thank you very much!
Broadchurchseries one was released on DVD on Monday the 20th of May fromAcorn Media UK.
