Unless you have been hiding under a stone, have had no wifi or have muted me you won't know that I have been gripped by Keeping Faith (some lucky folk saw the Welsh version Un Bore Mercher) an 8 part Welsh thriller created by Matthew Hall who has also written The Jenny Cooper Series and produced by Vox Pictures (Aberfan: The Green Hollow).
Nothing on telly since Hinterland has gripped me so much and after 7 tense weeks this evening brings the last episode in Series 1 and I, for one, will be bereft. It started off very calmly with Faith Howells (played by Eve Myles) on maternity leave following the birth of her third child with Evan Howells (played by her real life husband Bradley Freegard), she enjoys a night out with friends and then the following morning Evan gets in his car and disappears.
There's a few trails and sighting but nothing comes of any of it.
Evan's father (or is he?) Tom is played by Aneirin Hughes who I last saw in the tense final episode of series 3 of Hinterland. After the first episode of Keeping Faith I remarked that he looked remarkably calm and less stressed than he did in said final episode. I now eat my words!
The cast is superb. I know a few of them from Hinterland and a lot lot more!
Hannah Daniel plays Cerys Jones a junior no nonsense associate at Howells (sporting a sassy short cut)
Matthew Gravelle as PC Terry Price, husband of Evan's sister Bethan (my friend Rag from The Preservation Society thinks he's a dark horse)
Mark Lewis Jones (who we all love from Stella, A Mind to Kill, Heartland - when my friend Gemma played his step daughter - to name but a few) as Steve Baldini. Hero, heart throb, one of Evan's clients who befriends and is soft on Faith. Will he save the day?
Rhian Morgan as Marion Howells, Evan's troubled mother who was not entirely happily married
Aneirin Hughes as Tom Evan's father (or is he?), former solicitor though am I to troubled by his friendship with DCI Parry?
Eiry Thomas as DI Susan Williams, angry head of the local CID, who has been a total thorn in Faith's side and has an axe to grind, but maybe she comes good?
Mali Harries as Bethan Price playsTerry's unhappy with her lot wife and Evan's sister
Alex Harries plays Arthur, a former clients of Evan's, homeless and keeping an eye on Faith, reporting back to who exactly?
Suzanne Packer loyal Delyth, secretary at Howells and secretly in love with Tom perhaps?
Catherine Ayers as Lisa - Faith's best friend
Richard Elfyn as DCI Huw Parry, Swansea DCI and close friend of Tom, shady
Lowri Palfrey, Erin Glynn; daughter of a crimelord who Evan got off on a murder charge ....
Angeline Ball as Gail Reardon, widow of Paddy Reardon, who was killed by Erin Glynn
The beautiful voice of Amy Wadge adds to the wretchedness of Faith's plight, it's no surprise I have downloaded the EP and it's firmly on every playlist!
Of course the locations need a mention, Hannah reliably tells me it's filmed in Laugharne. Carmarthen, the Vale of Glamorgan, Pontardawe and Swansea.
What has been surprising about Keeping Faith is Welsh speaking friends who have seen Un Bore Mercher have not said what's happened at the end of the last episode, that's what I call loyal.
So tonight is the final episode. Will all be revealed? Will Evan return and every loose end is tied up? Or will the loose ends get tied up and the Evan story trundles into series 2? I hope for the latter.
You can catch Keeping Faith on the iPlayer, it's one not to miss.
Now I can't stop, I'm off to watch it with Nicola and she's told me I'm not allowed to talk.
PS. I watched it, then I watched the last 10 minutes again. Very clever ending Mr Hall!
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