There's nothing scarier than a man who's in over his head and doesn't even realise it, and that's where we find Doc Martin star Martin Clunes in his new gritty ITV drama Out There.
Drug-dealing operations are rampant in the British countryside as urban gangs begin using it as "a field of operations, moving drugs and money between their inner-city hubs and provincial areas," (so says the official synopsis).
In the middle of it all sits farmer Nathan Williams (Clunes) who's desperate to stop his naïve son Johnny (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) from getting caught up with the wrong sort — all the while battling the surreptitious land invasions that are threatening his livelihood.
Clunes' Nathan moves like a man who's weary. The loss of his wife Sabine two years before has created a heaviness in him that's apparent in the melancholic way he operates, one heavy step at a time.
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It's a grief that hangs over father and son alike, a heavy sadness in the air that is ever pressing down on them.
Serkis matches Clunes' talent with his own kind of searching behaviours, looking for light in his dad, seeking out the hope with questions about Nathan's shared life with Sabine before they had Johnny. That's all an attempt to emotionally reconnect with his dad, who is caring but distant and out of touch with his needs.
Through it all, there's a tremendous amount of love between the pair and reserved tenderness. Their chemistry, their pain and their vulnerability make you fall for the characters easily so that when danger arises (and it almost instantly does) you're unquestionably invested.
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In the two episodes we've previewed, Out There doesn't have a lot of big, explosive moments. In fact, the pacing is slow but purposeful as though mirroring the pattern of life that Nathan has fallen into. However there's an undercurrent of dread and trepidation that keeps you hooked.
Both Johnny and Nathan are naïve about the trouble slowly enveloping them. Johnny with his misplaced sense of loyalty and Nathan with his headstrong certainty about what it will take to protect his son. Neither picks up on the dangers the viewer can sniff out a mile away, which creates a tension when watching their story unfold.
We've also got one eye on the Williams' cleaner Eva (Natalia Kostrzewa), who seems a bit of a dark horse.
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Despite there being few tense moments in the early episodes, there's one that occurs in the Williams' neighbouring farm, belonging to farmer Owen and his wife, that's particularly breathtaking, proving that Out There can handle weightier moments.
Good thing too, as there's an ominous sense that there will be more acutely dramatic scenes as the storyline develops.
That sense is backed up by the trailer in which Johnny tells Nathan over voicemail, "Dad, I think I've just killed someone."
So look forward to Nathan getting his hands dirty in his efforts to protect his only child, a task we know Clunes will handle with passion and a measured yet scary intensity.
Out There premiers on ITV1 and on ITVX at 9pm on Sunday, January 19 with the second episode airing the following day on Monday, January 20 at the same time.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
