Neither an original title nor plot - Tony and Emily Hughes' five-year-old son Ollie goes missing while they are on holiday in France in 2006 and in 2014 he still hasn't been found. Not unlike true cases - the McCanns immediately spring to mind - this pieces together the loss and immediate aftermath of the disappearance in tandem with Tony's (James Nesbitt) continuing search for his missing son. Emily (Frances O'Connor) has seemingly moved on with her life, away from her husband and in with one of the policemen assigned to the case, and his son, who is unnervingly close in age to that of Ollie. In this, the first of eight episodes, Tony re-enlists the help of a reluctant French detective from the original case to follow up a new lead.
It's gripping and the performances are great. We felt the Hughes' pain as they searched in vain for their missing little boy and also the wariness of the local population in dealing with this old case which brought so much unwelcome publicity to the town. What makes us slightly wary, however, is how far credulity will stretch over an eight-hour run. How many red herrings must we swallow and will there be an ending to justify the hours of watching? That's to say, there's only room on the airwaves for one 'Amber'. There were also rather unlikely plot points: a second-hand clothes shop owner who recorded the names and contact details of all those who donated items? A family who returned home from holiday and didn't notice graffiti on their cellar wall or a scarf that didn't belong to any of them?
We're hoping these minor quibbles are not the precursors of major ones. It was a good start but there's a long road ahead, every Tuesday 'til Christmas.
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