This morning, the broadcaster has dropped all three episodes of the ‘scandalous’ crime drama Towards Zero.
Starring the likes of Anjelica Huston and Sex Education star Mimi Keene, the thriller tantalisingly centres on an ‘explosive love triangle, a formidable matriarch and a house party of enemies.’
More specifically, it follows divorced couple, British tennis star Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland), as they make the unthinkable decision to spend a summer together at Gull’s Point, their childhood home and the coastal estate of Nevile’s aunt, Lady Tressilian (Huston).
With unfinished business between the former childhood sweethearts, plus the presence of Nevile’s new wife Kay (Keene), tensions are running high, culminating in a shocking murder.
Troubled detective inspector Leach (Matthew Rhys), who is battling his own demons, is then enlisted to try and entangle a toxic web of jealousy, deceit and dysfunction before another victim meets their death.
Speaking about Toward Zero, Matthew explained: ‘To me, Towards Zero is a psychological thriller masquerading as a simple whodunnit.
‘That’s the beautiful coat hook on which this elaborate embroidered coat is hung, but the rich tapestry of that coat is far deeper in its psychoanalysis.
‘Leach isn’t Poirot. He’s very succinct in his thoughts. He’s in a soup of a swirl in this world as he’s trying to make sense of all of these crazy loose ends, these strange people and this strange location. He’s dealing with his own personal demons and the demons of others who are laid out in front of him.
‘I enjoy that it’s not linear and clean-cut. It’s a messy investigation.’
In a review for The Telegraph, Jasper Rees described Towards Zero as a ‘sexed-up, slang-filled spin on Agatha Christie’ and awarded the show three out of five stars, feeling Huston was ‘slightly wasted.’
The Guardian’s Hollie Richardson said the three-parter was ‘slick’ and ‘moreish’, while The Times columnist Carol Midgley said it was ‘well-written’ and ‘well-acted.’
However, the Financial Times writer Dan Einav was not sold on the murder-mystery and complained it was ‘frustratingly bloodless’ and ‘lacked suspense.’
Towards Zero is not the only thriller worth a watch on BBC iPlayer.
First released in 2023, social media crime drama Chloe – which has been described as ‘intriguing’ and ‘entertaining’ by critics – is the ideal weekend watch.
It follows Becky (Erin Doherty), who obsesses over influencer Chloe (Poppy Gilbert). and her seemingly perfect life; when Chloe takes her own life, Becky is determined to get to the bottom of what happened
To do so, she assumes the identity of Sasha, forcing encounters with those closest to Chloe and engineering friendships and romances.
She soon infiltrates Chloe’s inner circle and becomes one of them, leading a life far more glamorous and exciting than her own.
Throughout the series, viewers must watch anxiously as Becky plays a dangerous game and risks getting caught out, while numerous flashbacks encourage us to piece together what might have really happened when Chloe died.
Towards Zero follows the BBC’s 2023 hit Christie adaptation Murder is Easy, which was one of the UK’s most-watched dramas of last year across all channels and streamers, averaging seven million viewers across both parts.
Towards Zero is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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