Other members of the ensemble cast appearing in all three seasons are Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan, Arthur Darvill, Carolyn Pickles, Jonathan Bailey, Matthew Gravelle, Charlotte Beaumont and Adam Wilson.

The first series, which premiered on 4 March 2013, focuses on the death of local 11-year-old Danny Latimer and the impact of grief, mutual suspicion and media attention on the town.

Danny's family, his mother, Beth (Whittaker), father, Mark (Buchan) and sister, Chloe (Beaumont), is a key focus.

The second series, which premiered on 5 January 2015, follows the dual story lines of bringing Danny's killer to justice and a case from the past returning to haunt Hardy.

The third and final series, which premiered on 27 February 2017, focuses on the rape of a local woman, Trish Winterman (Julie Hesmondhalgh), at a birthday party, while the Latimer family goes to extreme lengths to move on from Danny's death.

[2] All three series received positive reviews and praise for the writing, cinematography, performances (particularly Tennant and Colman) and character development.

[5] The concept for Broadchurch was to explore how a child's murder affects a small, close-knit local community and how the characters react to the media attention and mutual suspicion that arise.

[7][8] Chibnall says that he initially did not have a location in mind for the series, but the opportunity to improve his work-life balance made setting the show in Dorset appealing.

Chibnall invented the name "Broadchurch" based on two settlements in Dorset: "I thought a lot about the literary heritage of this county.

[7] Although ITV made a sizeable financial investment in Broadchurch,[16] additional funds were needed because of the cost of the large ensemble cast.

[25] The roles of Mark Latimer (father of the murdered child) and Karen White (a reporter for a national newspaper who comes to Broadchurch to challenge DI Hardy) were cast after Colman, Darvill, and Tennant.

Chibnall paid particularly close attention to the Welsh language television series Teulu [cy], in which Gravelle had recently played a lead role.

[29] Matt Gray was both director of photography and camera operator,[14] and said he approached Broadchurch as if it were a documentary film, rather than a television drama.

[14] Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall had long been a fan of Icelandic composer and musician Ólafur Arnalds, and owned all of his albums.

Ólafur collaborated with the singer Arnór Dan of the Icelandic band Agent Fresco, with whom he had worked on his third studio album, For Now I Am Winter, released in February 2013.

[18] The Broadchurch (Music From the Original Soundtrack) extended play album was released on 15 April 2013 by Mercury Classics, a division of Decca Records.

"[57] David Tennant, Olivia Colman,[58] Andrew Buchan, Arthur Darvill, Jodie Whittaker, Charlotte Beaumont, Joe Sims,[59] Carolyn Pickles, Jonathan Bailey,[60] Pauline Quirke,[61] Tanya Franks, Simone McAullay and Adam Wilson all returned for the second series.

"[63] New series two cast members include Marianne Jean-Baptiste, James D'Arcy, Eve Myles, Charlotte Rampling, Meera Syal, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Amanda Drew, Shaun Dooley and Tom Rosenthal.

[66] The second series filmed under the code name "Tea and Sympathy"[60] in Devon, Dorset, North Somerset,[69] and Reading in Berkshire.

[74] Shooting has taken place outside the George Hotel in Bridport,[75] at Munchees café in Reading,[76] and at the Riverside Restaurant, Wynn's funfair,[73] the seafront and The Lazy Lizard nightclub in Weymouth.

Other Clevedon filming locations include Marshall's Field and Hill Road and the house used to represent the Latimer family home in Lavington Close.

Severe weather and recent rock slides left the cliffs unstable and a coastguard volunteer said the production team should have used stakes, safety lines, harnesses and helmets.

[97] On 12 April 2016, ITV officially announced the casting for the third and final series, with Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan, Arthur Darvill, Carolyn Pickles and Adam Wilson returning.

The site's critical consensus reads "Well written and beautifully shot, Broadchurch is a deliberate, slowly unfolding mystery procedural with terrific performances from a fine cast.

[100] Radio Times named it the best television series of 2013,[4] and Entertainment Weekly called it "a bona fide national obsession" in the UK.

The critical consensus reads "Season two of Broadchurch builds on its predecessor's intrigue, with the added bonus of new characters who mesh well with the existing cast.

The site's critical consensus reads "In its final season, Broadchurch establishes a high standard for police procedurals to come, combining socially conscious themes with suspenseful mystery and a pair of compelling leads.

[124] Julie Hesmondhalgh was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role but lost to Vanessa Kirby from The Crown.

[citation needed] In early 2014, the Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States announced that it had licensed the rights to Broadchurch and would produce a U.S. version of the series, named Gracepoint.

The French series, produced in association with Shine France, was titled Malaterra [fr] and was directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade.