Safety not guaranteed in house of lies

ELEVENTH HOUR FILMS PRESENT SAFE HOUSE EPISODE 1 Pictured: CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON as Robert and MARSHA THOMASON as Katy. PHOTOGRAPHERS: BEN BLACKALL AND JOHN ROGERS. This image is the copyright of ITV and must only be used in relation to SAFE HOUSE. The images are for one use only, any further use must be checked with the ITV Picture Desk.

ELEVENTH HOUR FILMS PRESENT SAFE HOUSE EPISODE 1 Pictured: CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON as Robert and MARSHA THOMASON as Katy. PHOTOGRAPHERS: BEN BLACKALL AND JOHN ROGERS. This image is the copyright of ITV and must only be used in relation to SAFE HOUSE. The images are for one use only, any further use must be checked with the ITV Picture Desk.

Published Jul 2, 2015

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THE devil is always in the details – especially in a TV series. And ITV Choice’s new thriller, Safe House – inspired by the UK’s myriad safe houses – explores the minutiae of such an idea.

And writer and creator Michael Crompton was most cognisant of the fact that he had to tell a story that was authentic, emotive as well as entertaining.

He shared: “One of the things I learnt from our police advisor was that people in hiding are often given a ‘script’ to learn: what’s their name, why are they here and where have they come from? All of this completely intrigued me. They need to appear to be normal – or holiday perhaps – but this involves subterfuge and lying.”

Safe House is anchored by Emmy award-winning actor Christopher Eccleston (Thor: The Dark World, The Leftovers) and Marsha Thomason (Las Vegas, Lost, White Collar) who play husband and wife, Robert, a retired detective, and Katy, a teacher. The couple are approached by Mark (Patterson Joseph), a close friend and detective, to convert their idyllic guest house, located in a remote yet picturesque part of the Lake District, to a safe house.

Swayed into doing so, the couple are ill-prepared for what it will entail for them and this is manifested by the arrival of the Blackwell family. And that situation isn’t helped by Robert and Katy’s friends casually dropping by.

Thrust into a world where lives are dependent on lies, sustaining those untruths opens the floodgates to a perpetual state of paranoia and anxiety – and that’s the stark reality facing the characters in protection.

On the flip side, viewers are introduced to the struggles of those entrusted with their safekeeping.

It also explains director Marc Evans’s gravitation to the show.

He revealed: “What attracted me to the story and characters was Michael Crompton’s interest in what makes families tick, how ‘blended families’ work and the meaning and responsibility of parenthood.

“Of course, the piece is first and foremost a thriller but, at its heart, I felt there was a fable about parenthood. In particular the surrogate father-son relationship between Robert, the childless protector, and Joe, the youngest member of the Blackwell family, was interesting to me.”

Shedding light on Robert, Eccleston offered: “I think if I was as severely traumatised as this character, I would definitely use nature and physical exercise. I’m a runner and physical exercise is a big part of my mental health. So I would do what Robert does if I had suffered that kind of trauma. Robert was a very serious career policeman with no time for anything other than his job. There was no wife, no children. He was very driven. Then, about six months before he was shot, he met Katy, who basically changed his view of the world. After he was shot (while taking care of a woman in witness protection), she became a carer for a deeply traumatised man.”

The character not only grapples with his own mortality, but the personal humiliation of the incident.

In Safe House, trusting that gut instinct is crucial and this feeds marvellously into the compelling narrative. A definite must-see for whodunit aficionados.

• Safe House, ITV Choice (DStv channel 123), Wednesdays, 9pm.

YOU CAN’T HIDE FROM YOUR PAST

NOW, if Safe House piques your interest then you should definitely catch Hiding as it follows a similar story thread.

The drama series centres on Troy Quigg (James Stewart) who, after a botched drug deal, is asked to testify against his crime boss, Nils Vandenberg. In exchange, he and his family are placed into witness protection.

With their new identity, the Swift family settle into life in western Sydney, quietly pining for their former sun-drenched abode on the Gold Coast.

In the meantime, Troy – now called Lincoln Swift – starts to put down new roots as a post-doctorate fellow in the criminal psychology department of a Sydney university. However, his academic studies see him conflicted given his real-life schooling in the art of crime.

This is compounded by family issues with his wife Rebecca, resentful at having to give up all contact with her family (her mother, brother and heavily pregnant sister-in-law) and BFF. That’s not forgetting having to walk away from a thriving career in ursing. And his teenage kids are none too impressed at having to abandon all traces of themselves on social media – not to mention with their friends. Now that is a living hell for any adolescent.

Dysfunctional as they are, though, the Swifts have bigger issues to deal with when corrupt cops blow their cover.

Now, we have watched plenty of action dramas to know what’s to come. Especially when a ruthless baddie will stop at nothing to save himself from being thrown behind bars.

Hiding offers an exhilarating cat-and-mouse chase – one that will leave viewers spellbound.

• Hiding airs on Wednesday on ITV Choice (DStv channel 123) at 9.55pm.

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