In the first story, Helen finds out that she is pregnant and becomes involved in a case in which the husband of her childhood best friend is accused of kidnapping two young girls.

In the second story, a heavily pregnant Helen is pulled into the dark side of urban Manchester as she deals with an unexpected tragedy.

[9] [10] The Daily Telegraph's Michael Hogan gave the first episode three stars out of five, noting that: "In the Dark did show promise and could yet come good.

It was taut and tensely atmospheric with an intriguing premise which found its heroine caught in the middle between police and prime suspect.

"[11] Reviewing the first episode, The Guardian's Sam Wollaston concluded that: "In The Dark is by no means a trope-free zone...But once you have accepted that, it's a crisp opener (of four) – pacy, thoughtful and skilfully constructed, with multiple strands I am eager to see twisted together again.