The series follows DI Riya Ajunwa (Wunmi Mosaku)<\/a>, who is convinced that there\u2019s more than meets the eye to the disappearances of local girl Katie Wells (Rowan Robinson) and Swedish tourist Nina Karlson (Synn\u00f8ve Karlsen).<\/p>\n Although Nina\u2019s case is closed, Riya continues to dig for answers \u2013 much to the annoyance of her boss Chief Constable Linda Markel (Jo Hartley).<\/p>\n And it\u2019s in the second episode showdown between the pair that fans of Broadchurch<\/a> may want to listen a little more closely, as there\u2019s an Easter egg in there for any watchers of the crime drama \u2013 in which Passenger writer and creator Andrew Buchan<\/a> starred.<\/p>\n In Passenger episode 2, when Riya returns to the police station, Linda immediately greets her as \u201cSherlock\u201d before stating that it\u2019s \u201cgood of you to make the time\u201d. Linda says: \u201cI hear you put yourself on the Nina Karlson case, the closed Nina Karlson case.\u201d<\/p>\n She continues: \u201cI thought I made it pretty clear, no more conspiracy crap.\u201d<\/p>\n Riya sighs and highlights how Nina didn\u2019t check out of Cath\u2019s B&B, nor did she pay her bill, but Linda wastes no time in referring to Manchester Met, the very place where it\u2019s clear Riya would rather be working.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just saying it might be worth looking into. I mean, maybe there\u2019s a cult thing or a drug thing or maybe where Nina went is where Katie went,\u201d Riya explains.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is more to this place than bins, I am telling you that now,\u201d Riya exclaims. \u201cPot holes don\u2019t just appear out of nowhere and stags don\u2019t just disintegrate on forest roads.\u201d<\/p>\n But Linda\u2019s having none of it, and simply says, \u201cThat\u2019s enough, Riya, this is not Broadchurch. Let us keep our eye on the prize,\u201d while holding up the poster for the Best Kept Village award.<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear Linda thinks that Riya may fancy herself as a bit of a DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) type, or perhaps even Olivia Colman\u2019s DS Ellie Miller.<\/p>\n One thing\u2019s for certain \u2013 fans of the Chris Chibnall series will likely recognise the small town nature of things reflected in Passenger\u2019s Chadder Vale.<\/p>\n In Passenger, though, actor Buchan takes a behind-the-scenes approach, and has penned the script and created the new ITV series.<\/p> Buchan, of course, starred as Mark Latimer in Broadchurch, alongside other big names such as Colman, Tennant, Jodie Whittaker and Jonathan Bailey. He has more recently been seen in This England and BBC\u2019s Better, but Passenger marks his screenwriting debut.<\/p>\n The synopsis for Passenger reads: \u201cWelcome to Chadder Vale, a close-knit town where nothing seems to perforate the mundane. DI Riya Ajunwa is bored of solving petty crimes by day and looking after her batty mother-in-law by night. So, when Katie Wells goes missing one night in the forest, Riya thinks this could be the case that changes everything.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only problem is, Katie Wells shows up at home, safe and sound, 24 hours after she disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n It continues:\u00a0\u201cBut Riya\u2019s not convinced. Something doesn\u2019t add up. Where did Katie go, and why won\u2019t she tell Riya what happened in the forest? What about the reports of other young people who are disappearing \u2013 all seemingly with a connection to the fracking site and the old tree on the town\u2019s outskirts?<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then there\u2019s the dead stag on the forest road, which has been obliterated into a thousand pieces by someone. Or something.<\/p>\n \u201cDoes it all have something to do with Katie\u2019s dad Eddie Wells, who has just been released from prison? One drunken night five years ago he committed a monstrous crime, and Riya was the one who locked him up.<\/p>\n \u201cOr does her nouveau-riche mate Derek \u2013 who runs the local bread factory \u2013 have something to do with it? He and his anxious brother are certainly hiding something.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Olivia](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/03\/broadchurch-olivia-colman-david-tennant-b52e25e.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Olivia")
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