Not quite grabbing you yet? Well how about the uncle, Jim (Douglas Henshall), being a DI on the homicide squad? And then Amelia witnessing the brutal hit-and-run murder of a policewoman? All these ingredients make up the heady mix that is episode one of BBC1's The Silence.
With Amelia as the focal point, we are swiftly introduced to a loveable yet flawed family set-up. With other characters introduced including Jim's police colleagues and the patrons of a boxing gym, viewer attention is required.
The Silence's technical flourishes provide another layer of interest; unexpected camera angles, high-pitched noises, heart-thumping sounds and subtitles are used to great effect. Scenes where Amelia switches her implant on or off immediately draw us in, so we experience the action from her point of view.
Acting newcomer Genevieve Barr conveys fear and frustration and is very watchable as Amelia. Barr creates a character who is both believable and interesting for reasons beyond deafness. (She throws teenage strops, gets drunk and is used by boys). The deafness adds another layer of anxiety for the viewer, which will surely be explored in greater detail.
The opener nicely sets up Jim's moral quandary when he is torn between protecting his niece and doing the right thing by the law and for his career. The show unfortunately relies on the old "workaholic cop who neglects his family" cliché. We were also alarmed at the scene where Jim allows his teenage kids to watch and joke along as he reviews CCTV footage for crime clues. Yet the strained relationships between the adult characters is believable, and we begin to care about what happens.
With talented, established actors (Dervla Kirwan, Gina McKee and Douglas Henshall), an exciting newcomer and a novel twist on the "bystander witnesses murder" story, The Silence deserves your attention.
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