The Jetty review: Jenna Coleman’s new BBC show finally gives Broadchurch some competition

Detective Ember Manning (Jenna Coleman) and her partner, Hitch (Archie Renaux), in a scene from The Jetty. Photo / BBC

Written and executive produced by Cat Jones and starring Jenna Coleman, the BBC’s new drama, The Jetty, is one you can’t miss, writes Herald entertainment reporter Lillie Rohan. From its heavy themes to its intriguing mystery, the four-part series is worth putting on your must-watch list this winter.

REVIEW

If there’s one thing the BBC knows how to do, it’s drama. From Call the Midwife to Cillian Murphy’s career-launching Peaky Blinders and even The Gone, filmed right here in New Zealand, each production created by the network has few faults.

Now, with the release of its most recent programme, The Jetty, it begs the question: Will the four-part mini-series further solidify its spot at the top of the drama genre, or will it be the series that taints its credibility?

If the first episode is anything to go by, the answer is crystal clear.

Created by Cat Jones, executive produced by Elizabeth Kilgarriff, and directed by Marialy Rivas, the mini-series focuses on the life of Detective Ember Manning, played by British actress Jenna Coleman.

Detective Ember Manning played by Jenna Coleman. Photo / BBC

She’s a familiar face, one you’ll probably see and think to yourself “I know her, where do I know her from?” And you would be right. Coleman has many acting credits to her name, from the 2016 series Queen Victoria to the 2022 Netflix original series The Sandman, she’s made waves in the acting world, but chances are you know her from her time as Clara Oswald in Doctor Who.

Impressing the show executives so much, her one-episode cameo quickly became a full-time stint and Coleman starred in the hit series from 2012-17.

Now, her natural talent has once again helped land her next job.

Series executive Kilgarriff and Coleman had been working on another production when The Jetty was commissioned and, instead of holding auditions for the lead, Kilgarriff knew straight away the perfect actress was right in front of her.

It’s difficult to criticise her choice. Coleman brings a depth to her character that can be compared to Olivia Colman’s portrayal of Sergeant Ellie Miller in the top-rating detective series Broadchurch. Both characters are intricate, well cast, and may remind you of each other throughout the series.

In a way, it feels as though history is repeating itself. More than 10 years after Broadchurch aired its first episode, The Jetty takes on the same intensity but with more time-relevant topics such as sexual morality, identity issues and in ways, the foundations of what #MeToo was built on.

Following Detective Manning, a character with plenty of layers, we witness a widowed young mother of a teenage girl discovering the arson case she’s been assigned to solve has a lot more to it than meets the eye.

It’s a classic detective tale, one you might think you’ve seen a million times before, and that would be true if not for the multiple twists – one of which includes Manning realising the case is closer to her than she’d like to admit and it may destroy everything she thought she knew.

Reluctantly digging deeper, she isn’t the only one intrigued; Riz Samuel (Weruche Opia), a podcast crime journalist, is too. Her arrival is unsettling for the town, but thrilling for the viewer as it points to a larger story at hand and adds yet another piece to your already-growing puzzle.

But a missing girl and a mysterious arson aren’t the only key elements to the show. No, it goes far deeper. It examines the intensity of mother-and-daughter relationships, it features moments of humour amidst the darkness and, ultimately, it is a coming-of-age story.

Made for a vast age range of viewers, from their teens to their 90s and everyone in between, The Jetty is a hit with more than just the murder-mystery addict in your family.

Detective Ember Manning (Jenna Coleman) and her daughter Hannah (Ruby Stokes). Photo / BBC

Between the 40 characters, like Manning’s humourous sidekick, Hitch, played by Archie Renaux, or even her airy-fairy psychic mother, Sylvia, played by Amelia Bullmore, if their own secrets don’t keep you intrigued, their effortless performances will.

They act so expertly that at times you may find yourself forgetting this is a fictional show and not a real case playing out before your eyes, and if it were to get a second season, that would be why.

So, with intrigue at every corner and intense themes provoking a busy brain, will it continue the BBC legacy of much-loved drama series? We can’t help but admit, yes.

The Jetty is available to stream in New Zealand from July 21 on Neon.

Lillie Rohan is a London-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things reality TV, films and music.