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Guilt (British TV series)

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Guilt
Written byNeil Forsyth
Directed by
  • Robert McKillop
  • Patrick Harkins
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes12
Production
Producers
  • Neil Forsyth
  • Neil Webster
  • Kirstie MacDonald
  • Jules Hussey
  • Eric Coulter
Running time50–55 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release30 October 2019 (2019-10-30) –
16 May 2023 (2023-05-16)

Guilt is a Scottish mystery thriller television series. It was the first drama commission of BBC Scotland. Episodes premiered on that channel before being broadcast across the UK on BBC Two. Written and created by Neil Forsyth, Guilt initially centres on two brothers, played by Mark Bonnar and Jamie Sives, who are involved in a hit and run. The series eventually draws a large cast of characters into an ongoing story.

The first series of Guilt was broadcast in 2019,[1] and the second in the autumn of 2021. A third and final series was released in April 2023.[2] The show was a critical hit and was subsequently broadcast around the world.

Guilt is widely regarded as one of the best ever Scottish television dramas.[3][4][5] The New York Times has called it "Scotland's most notable TV drama".[6]

Plot

[edit]

Driving home from a wedding one night, two brothers, Max and Jake, hit and kill an elderly man in Leith. They decide to cover up the accident, beginning a descent into a quicksand of lies and shady characters, with a narrative theme of guilt woven throughout.[7]

Cast

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  • Mark Bonnar as Max McCall
  • Jamie Sives as Jake McCall
  • Emun Elliott as Kenny Burns
  • Ruth Bradley as Angie Curtis (Series 1, 3)
  • Bill Paterson as Roy Lynch (Series 1)
  • Stuart Bowman as Roy Lynch (Series 2, 3)
  • Phyllis Logan as Maggie Lynch (Series 2, 3)
  • Ellie Haddington as Sheila Gemmell (Series 1, 3)
  • Sara Vickers as Erin McKee (Series 2, 3)
  • Greg McHugh as Teddy McLean (Series 2, 3)
  • Henry Pettigrew as DC/PC Stevie Malone (Series 1, 2, 3)
  • Stewart Porter as Jim McLean (Series 2, 3)
  • Sian Brooke as Claire McCall (Series 1)
  • Moyo Akandé as Tina Hicks (Series 1)
  • Noof McEwan as Cameron Lovat (Series 1)
  • Gregor Firth as Archie (Series 1, 3)
  • Ian Pirie as Sandy Ralph (Series 2)
  • Amelia Isaac Jones as Skye Burns (Series 3)
  • Euan McNaughton as Sir Jim Sturrock (Series 3)
  • Isaura Barbe-Brown as Yvonne Nixon (Series 3)

Episodes

[edit]

Series 1

[edit]
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
11"Episode 1"Robert McKillopNeil Forsyth24 October 2019 (2019-10-24)N/A
While driving home from a wedding, brothers Max and Jake accidentally hit and kill Walter. They move his body inside his house and discover that he has terminal cancer. Walter's American niece arrives to deal with his estate and meets Max and Jake at the wake.
22"Episode 2"Robert McKillopNeil Forsyth31 October 2019 (2019-10-31)N/A
Neighbour Sheila blackmails Max as she claims to know what really happened. Max's wife Claire begins an affair with her gym friend Tina.
33"Episode 3"Robert McKillopNeil Forsyth7 November 2019 (2019-11-07)N/A
Jake wants Max to stop being involved in his record shop but it transpires that the shop is being used to launder money. It is revealed that Sheila persuaded Angie to pose as the niece when they previously met in Pitlochry.
44"Episode 4"Robert McKillopNeil Forsyth14 November 2019 (2019-11-14)N/A
Angie and Jake confess the truth to each other. Max pressures Sheila to say that she only saw Jake on the night Walter died. Claire kicks Max out of their home and he is sent to prison.

Series 2

[edit]
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected by [8]Written by [8]Original air dateUK viewers
(millions)
51"A New Leith"Patrick HarkinsNeil Forsyth12 October 2021 (2021-10-12)[9]N/A
Max is released from prison and starts work in Kenny's legal practice. Roy Lynch's daughter calls him after her husband is killed by gangsters.
62"Phoenix"Patrick HarkinsNeil Forsyth19 October 2021 (2021-10-19)[10]N/A
Max and Kenny find a local minister more of an obstacle than they thought; pressure builds for Erin; Teddy seeks answers.
73"White Hats"Patrick HarkinsNeil Forsyth26 October 2021 (2021-10-26)[11]N/A
Max and Erin's relationship grows ever more complicated, as the pressure on Max from his police handler, Jackie, steadily increases.
84"The Edinburgh Castle"Patrick HarkinsNeil Forsyth2 November 2021 (2021-11-02)[12]N/A
Max and Jake pick up arguments old and new while the Lynches face their darkest secret; Max offers Erin a way out, but is running out of time to find one for himself.

Series 3

[edit]
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
1"The Clothes on Our Backs"Patrick HarkinsNeil Forsyth25 April 2023 (2023-04-25)N/A
Max and Jake find themselves back in Edinburgh, where they soon face a familiar danger.
2"You Can Take The Boy Out of Leith"Patrick HarkinsNeil Forsyth2 May 2023 (2023-05-02)N/A
Max and Jake seek refuge with a face from the past in the Highlands but Teddy is on their trail.
3"Aim High"Patrick HarkinsNeil Forsyth8 May 2023 (2023-05-08)N/A
Max, Jake and their new gang hide from Maggie in Edinburgh.
4"Let Them Come"Patrick HarkinsNeil Forsyth16 May 2023 (2023-05-16)N/A
Max and Jake have a plan for final victory but so does everyone else.

Production

[edit]

Forsyth was keen to write a series about siblings, which he has called "the most interesting dramatic relationship", and a show with a leitmotif that ran through all the characters, in this case, guilt.[13] He spent several years developing Guilt before finding a home for it at the BBC. It became the first drama commission for the new BBC Scotland channel, which premiered the episodes of the series a week before they were transmitted nationwide on BBC Two.

Guilt was produced by Happy Tramp North and Expectation Entertainment.[citation needed]

The first series was directed by Robert McKillop.[citation needed] Although it is primarily set in Edinburgh's Leith area, little of the filming was done in that city; the production team cited the high number of tourists in Edinburgh, as well as the expense of shooting there. Most of the filming instead was done in Glasgow—at a cost 30 percent cheaper than Edinburgh—and East Kilbride, with additional scenes shot in Aberfoyle. Among the filming locations were Charlotte Square in Edinburgh and the Clydebank Docks.[14]

A second series of Guilt was confirmed by the BBC in July 2020, and filming began in Scotland in November 2020. New cast members included Phyllis Logan, Sara Vickers, Stuart Bowman and Iain Pirie. The second series was directed by Patrick Harkins.[15][8]

A third and final series premiered on April 25, 2023.[16] Forsyth explained he had always wanted Guilt to be a trilogy, and he had made the decision to bring the show to an end.[17]

Reception

[edit]

Guilt received strong viewing figures[7] and a highly positive critical reception. The Times called it, "An absolute cracker",[18] The Observer, "an utter triumph, a word-of-mouth dazzler",[19] with "welcome Coen brothers echoes".[20] The Telegraph called it a "stealth hit"[21] which "felt like Fargo relocated to Leith, or Midnight Run reimagined by Irvine Welsh".[22] The Independent termed it "the unexpected treat of the year",[23] The Guardian described it as a "darkly delicious tale" that was "fast becoming a word-of-mouth hit",[24] the Radio Times called it "Hitchcockian"[25] and The Herald deemed it the most impressive Scottish small screen debut since the 1987 comedy-drama Tutti Frutti.[7]

The second series was equally well received. The Sunday Times called it "irresistible, just as good as the original",[26] The Herald said it was "among the realms of modern television classics",[27] The Times called it "magnificent, a Scottish Fargo",[26] The Guardian "witty and scintillating",[28] and The Scotsman, "one of Scotland's most acclaimed television dramas".[29]

The third and final series of Guilt also had a positive reception. The Times said it had "some of the best writing of the whole show".[30] The Guardian said it was "a rare thrill".[31] while The Herald said Guilt was "going out with all guns blazing" and remarked, "what a gift Guilt has been for Scottish drama".[32] The New York Times called the third series "a suitably twisty and sardonic send-off".[33]

Awards

[edit]

The first series of Guilt was nominated for a large number of awards and won 2020 Best Drama at the Scottish BAFTA Awards, the Royal Television Society of Scotland Awards, the Celtic Media Festival, and the Broadcast Digital Awards.[34]

The second series of Guilt was nominated for a large number of awards and won the RTS Scotland Best Drama Award, as well as three Scottish BAFTAS for Best Scripted, Best Writer in Film and Television for Forsyth, and Best Actress in Television for Phyllis Logan.[35]

The third series of Guilt won the RTS Scotland Award for Best Drama,[36] and was nominated for other awards including the Scottish BAFTA for Best Scripted.[37]

International broadcasts

[edit]

Guilt has been broadcast widely around the world. The Scotsman called Guilt "one of BBC Scotland's biggest ever hits" that had made a mark on the "global TV map".[38]

  • In Australia, it was broadcast on BBC First; The Australian called it "clever, stylish and absorbing".[39]
  • In France, it was retitled Petit meurtre entre frères (A Small Murder Between Brothers) by Arte.
  • In Sweden, it was retitled Vår lilla hemlighet (Our Little Secret) by SVT; Aftonbladet called it "exemplary television craftsmanship".[40]
  • In South Africa, it was broadcast by Showmax.
  • In Germany, it was retitled Keiner ist schuld (Nobody Is Guilty) by Arte; Die Rheinpfalz said "this combination of tragedy and humour is a high art, which succeeds here".

In America, Guilt premiered on the PBS Network's Masterpiece Mystery series in September 2021. The New York Times called it "tense but textured" with characters that are "funny and well-drawn".[41] An NPR reviewer said that Guilt had "a verve that made me think of the TV series Fargo, which I mean as high praise".[42]

Indian version

[edit]

In August 2021, it was announced that Guilt was being remade in Hindi by Applause Entertainment, starring the Indian actors Jaideep Ahlawat and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub.[43]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "BBC Scotland - Guilt - The real-life 'bromance' behind Guilt began in high school". BBC. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Guilt - Series 3: Episode 3". BBC. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Mark Bonnar on the return of hit TV show Guilt". Herald Scotland. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  4. ^ "TV: Jamie Sives on Guilt and working with classmate Mark Bonnar". Herald Scotland. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  5. ^ "TV: Guilt: Writer Neil Forsyth on bringing back his award-winning Edinburgh thriller series". The Scotsman. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  6. ^ "TV: 'Guilt' Review: When the Lights Go Out in Edinburgh". The New York Times. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Guilt, series one, episode two review". The Herald. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  8. ^ a b c "New cast confirmed for Guilt as filming begins on the second series of BBC Two and BBC Scotland's multi award-winning drama". BBC. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  9. ^ "BBC Scotland - Guilt, Series 2, Episode 1". BBC. Archived from the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  10. ^ "BBC Scotland - Guilt, Series 2, Episode 2". BBC. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  11. ^ "BBC Scotland - Guilt, Series 2, Episode 3". BBC. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  12. ^ "BBC Scotland - Guilt, Series 2, Episode 4". BBC. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  13. ^ "New BBC drama Guilt". The Herald. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  14. ^ Mcindoe, Ross (31 October 2019). "Where was Guilt filmed? Scotland filming locations for the BBC Two drama". Edinburgh Evening News. National World Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Award-winning drama Guilt set to return for a second series on BBC Two and BBC Scotland". BBC. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  16. ^ "Guilt season 3 trailer asks: 'Who will get out unscathed?'". Radio Times. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Guilt: Creator Neil Forsyth explains why he wants to wrap up the hit comedy drama". The Scotsman. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  18. ^ Clay, Joe. "Guilt review". The Times. Archived from the original on 18 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  19. ^ Ferguson, Euan (24 November 2019). "The week in TV". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  20. ^ Ferguson, Euan (3 November 2019). "The week in TV". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  21. ^ Singh, Anita (20 November 2019). "Guilt, episode four review". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 November 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  22. ^ Hogan, Michael (30 October 2019). "Guilt, episode one review". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  23. ^ "Guilt, BBC Two, Review". iNews. 20 November 2019. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  24. ^ Virtue, Graeme (6 November 2019). "Guilt should be your next binge watch". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  25. ^ "Guilt". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  26. ^ a b Clay, Joe. "BBC drama Guilt". The Times. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  27. ^ "New BBC drama Guilt". The Herald. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  28. ^ Jeffries, Stuart (12 October 2021). "Guilt series 2 review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  29. ^ "Guilt: Writer Neil Forsyth on bringing back his award-winning Edinburgh thriller series". The Scotsman. October 2021. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  30. ^ "Guilt review — a welcome return for this weird, wild riot". The Times. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  31. ^ "Guilt series three review – this thrilling drama is back on form for its big goodbye". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  32. ^ "Guilt, the hit Scottish thriller, returns. The verdict?". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  33. ^ "'Guilt' Review: When the Lights Go Out in Edinburgh". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  34. ^ "Guilt-Awards-IMDb". IMDb. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  35. ^ "'Guilt' awards". IMBd. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  36. ^ "'Guilt' RTS awards". Royal Television Society. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  37. ^ "Nomineees". Celtic Media Festival. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  38. ^ "Guilt: Creator Neil Forsyth explains why he wants to wrap up the hit comedy drama". The Scotsman. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  39. ^ "Guilty TV pleasure".
  40. ^ "Guilt". 22 July 2021. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  41. ^ Lyons, Margaret (2 September 2021). "Guilt review". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  42. ^ "Guilt review: the tension never lets up". NPR. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  43. ^ "BBC's Guilt adapted for India by Applause Entertainment". 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
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