New crime drama The Light in the Hall debuts on Channel 4 tonight, telling the story of a journalist obsessed by the historic murder of a former friend from her hometown.
The six-parter was filmed in both English and Welsh and features a star-studded cast that includes the likes of Iwan Rheon, Joanna Scanlan and Alexandra Roach – and ahead of the first episode, some of the stars spoke exclusively to RadioTimes.com about what makes the show so different.
“It’s not a typical detective story, life-weary detective going around trying to fix it – it’s very retrospective,” explained Rheon.
He added that many of the people in the drama – including his own character Joe, who had spent time in prison for his role in the murder – “have been left in this weird purgatory hiatus of life”.
“And then we join the story when things kick off again with the release of Joe from prison,” he continued.
“I think that was really interesting, and how he, the murderer, doesn’t know what’s going on. It’s quite mysterious as to what’s happened and how that unravels. It’s really fascinating.”
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Meanwhile, Joanna Scanlan described the series as “genre-busting” and spoke about some of the interesting questions that the show asks its viewers.
“At the moment in our society, the role of the journalist is under scrutiny really,” she explained.
“The moral position of a journalist is under scrutiny and I feel like the framework for this, I wouldn’t call it philosophical exactly but it’s asking a question about, is there a truth that you can find? Is the truth the same as evidence?
“If it’s not the same as evidence, are these emotional truths that each of the three main characters are carrying around with them, are they more relevant and as substantial as what actually happened?”
She continued: “I think there’s something in the way that the whole story is framed which isn’t just about taking you on a kind of rollercoaster ride of who did it, or how they did it, or why they did it, but also about how do we know how to think about these events and the consequences of them?
“And even down to the fact that we don’t know where Ella really is, whether it’s her mortal remains. By the end of episode 1, you’re still thinking, well, maybe she’s still alive, maybe she’s somewhere else. There’s so much that’s left open.
“I don’t think it fits into a genre. It is a little bit genre-busting, at the same time as being accessibly engaging.”
Additional reporting by Abby Robinson
The Light in the Hall airs on Channel 4 at 9pm on Wednesday 4th January 2023 and will be available to watch on All4. Check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Drama hub for the latest news.
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