DEATH BY THE SEASIDE: BROADCHURCH

Earlier this month the ITV murder mystery Broadchurch burst onto our screens, starring the ever-popular David Tennant, doing his best to shake off his Doctor Who persona, as irascible detective Alec Hardy. The other major star of the series is the Dorset coast, in particular the resort of West Bay, a seaside extension of the town of Bridport. The dramatic Jurassic Coast cliffs to the east of West Bay are the focal point of the police investigation into the death of a local boy. The beach below the cliffs is shown cordoned off with police tape, and with an array of tributes left by the local residents, shocked that such a tragedy could take place in such an idyllic location. It has been reported that during the filming Olivia Colman, who plays Tennant's sidekick DS Ellie Miller, acted as a bodyguard for Tennant to protect him from marauding fans. The Doctor Who connection goes beyond David Tennant: the Broadchurch series was written by Chris Chibnall, who worked on Doctor Who and Torchwood. Added to which the Broadchurch town priest, Paul Coates, is played by another Doctor Who actor Arthur Darvill, and Olivia Colman has also appeared in the Doctor Who series.

Scene of the crime

West Bay is the port area serving Bridport, and is situated at the mouth of the River Brit, from which Bridport got its name. The beach is dominated by the distinctive yellow sandstone cliffs rising up to the east of it, and to the west there are fine views across Lyme Bay towards Lyme Regis. For seafood lovers, West Bay boasts one of the best fish restaurants in the country, The Riverside. Many years ago West Bay featured in another TV series called The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin starring Leonard Rossiter. The opening sequence depicting Perrin abandoning his clothes on the beach and swimming out to sea was filmed in West Bay. Bridport, just over a mile inland from West Bay, used to have a port of its own, and it was an important rope-making centre, so much so that the expression “Bridport dagger” was used to refer to the hangman’s noose.

West Bay harbour - geograph.org.uk - 918207. Photo by Rob Wilcox, via Wikimedia Commons.

As is so often the case, all is not what it seems in Broadchurch. While the story is widely understood to have taken place in Dorset, many of the scenes were shot in Clevedon on the Bristol Channel. Clevedon's Hill Road was used to represent Broadchurch High Street, while the Broadchurch local newspaper office was actually located at a disused newsagents called Seeleys. The Traders Hotel where the visiting reporter installed herself was filmed on the site of a former branch of Lloyds Bank. Meanwhile, the parish church of Broadchurch was represented by Clevedon's St Andrew's Church.

St Andrews church - geograph.org.uk - 288601. Photo by Tim, via Wikimedia Commons.

Clevedon, in North Somerset, was a very popular resort in Victorian times, and the most striking reminder of that era is the pier, which this year won the Pier Of The Year award given by the National Piers Society. Work began on the pier in 1867 with not only pleasure in mind but also commercial use, as the arrival of the railway meant it was feasible to start up a steamer service to South Wales. That said, it was made to look extremely elegant, with intricate ironwork both underneath and at the end, where there is a pavilion and shelters. It was nearly demolished after it failed a stress test in 1970, but has been saved by fund raising and heritage grants. Other attractions on Clevedon's seafront include ornamental gardens and a Victorian bandstand.

Map of West Bay.

Map of Clevedon.