The first episode of Stuart Urban's THE SECRET, a four-part mini-series starring James Nesbitt and Genevieve O'Reilly, premiered on ITV1 on Friday 29th April to glowing reviews.
THE SECRET tells the true story of two Christian adulterers in Northern Ireland, who murder their spouses by faking a double suicide plot worthy of Hitchcock. They get away with it, but fate and conscience intervene 18 years later.
Here are some of the reviews:
“The real achievement of Stuart Urban’s superb script was in capturing the weird balance of religious devotion and sexual obsession that seemed to normalise the relationship in Howell and Buchanan’s minds…’The Secret’ was masterly, an excellent reason to say in on Friday nights to come”. **** Gerard O’Donovan. THE TELEGRAPH
“Makes for spellbinding, haunting and very uncomfortable telly….Powerful drama…uniquely watchable”. Kevin O'Sullivan. THE SUN
“Startling….resembles a darkly comic Ulster version of ‘The Affair’, should give…ITV a hit for viewers who find ‘The Durrells’ too twee. Compelling …confirms (N Ireland) as a powerhouse of TV drama.” Mark Lawson. THE GUARDIAN
“I can’t remember a better portrayal of suburban charm hiding suburban evil…it’s hard to create suspense when you already know the ending. But in this case..it was still a nailbiter” Matt Rudd. THE SUNDAY TIMES
"This terrific dramatisation of a true story is perfectly paced to show how Howell's undeniable charm let him convince himself that God felt it would be truly for the best if he, Howell, was happy, even when that meant murdering his pregnant wife. There was a dreadful menace in seeing Nesbitt switch so readily from pink-faced beaming Baptist - genuinely transported, raptured, in swaying song - to keen amateur killer. Truly chilling." Euan Ferguson. THE OBSERVER
“Told with passion and power..the sort of tale we’ve seen many times before, yet what made ‘The Secret’ so interesting was the way Stuart Urban’s smart script dealt with it…Urban sensitively depicted a close-knit community where religion was central” Sarah Hughes. THE I
The second episode of THE SECRET will be on ITV1 at 9pm Friday 6th May.
Visit Stuart Urban's website here