Birchwood (Television Series)

Birchwood is a British crime drama television series filmed and set in South West Wales. The series, starring Brett John, is written and created by Ifan Barber and directed by various Welsh directors, including John and Barber themselves. The first eight-episode series debuted on October 7th 2018. In May 2019, Birchwood won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series.

Series 1
After failing to protect a young informant, Detective Hiraeth Birchwood is dismissed from his job in the Metropolitan Police and he relocates back to his rural hometown of Aberfair; somewhere he hasn't been since running away from home 20 years earlier. Rocked with the news of his estranged brother's murder, Birchwood takes it upon himself to uncover the town's long-buried secrets that drove him away from Aberfair all those years ago.

Main

 * Brett John as Hiraeth Birchwood
 * Iwan Rheon as Iestyn Birchwood
 * Erin Richards as Betsi Birchwood
 * Suzanne Packer as Heledd Jones
 * Di Botcher as Lleucu Huws
 * Ioan Gruffudd as Dafydd Birchwood
 * Mark Gatiss as Richard Blacksmith

Production
BBC Wales announced Birchwood in late 2016, with scripts being written by Ifan Barber and Brett John starring in the title role.

Filming began in Carmarthenshire in March 2017, concluding in June 2017. The series filmed mainly in the Amman Valley area, specifically featuring the likes of Llandeilo as the setting of Aberfair town centre. Additional filming took place in Roath Lock studios in Cardiff.

A second series of 8 episodes was announced in January 2019, set to premiere later in the year.

Broadcast
Birchwood aired in the 9pm slot on Sunday evenings on BBC One starting on October 7th 2018 in the United Kingdom. Netflix acquired the global streaming rights and it debuted on the service on December 1st 2018, just 6 days after concluding on BBC One in the UK. Australia aired the series on ABC One starting in January 2019.

Reception
The show received fairly positive reviews and was considered the BBC's best original drama of the year, later winning the Best Drama Series at the 2019 BAFTA Television Awards. Brett John's performance drew particular praise, and he was nominated for the Best Actor in a Drama award at the BAFTA Television Awards, but lost out.