REVIEW: Innocent (S1 E1/4)

ITV’s big, new crime drama – stripped across four nights this week – has some pretty good people involved in front of the camera (Lee Ingleby, Hermione Norris, Angel Coulby, Christina Cole) and one whopper behind the camera: creator of Unforgotten, Chris Lang.

This first episode, like Unforgotten, had plenty of familiar themes and plots that we’ve seen if not a million times before but definitely quite a lot. But, like Unforgotten, Lang writes with sensitivity and a tightness that demonstrates real skill and aptitude.

Innocent is the story of a man – David Collins (Ingelby) – who is acquitted of the murder of his wife after seven years in jail, thanks to the mishandling DNA evidence. We see things from his point of view – his assimilation into the real world, the quivering anger he has over the miscarriage of justice, and the prejudice that greets him now he’s back in civilian life.

But, crucially, there are other points of view, too. His late wife’s sister Alice (Norris) and her husband, who have taken over guardianship of the Collins kids; the kids themselves, who have to come to terms with the fact that the father they’ve regarded – ever since the death of their mother – as a murderer is now out of prison; and David’s brother Phil (yes, Phil Collins) who had jacked in his job, moved down from up north and dedicated his life to finding chinks in the case to get his brother out of jail.

It’s a classic did he/didn’t he story, but there was also a whodunnit element at play, too, which makes it worth a watch.

Because of the media furore, DI Cathy Hudson, is tasked with investigating the old case, more to make sure the police didn’t screw things up first time around. There’s an added wrinkle – her partner was the original investigating officer.

So we knew how this was going to play out. We really did. There would be anger and recrimination on both the Collins and Moffat sides, both wary and fearful of each other. We got it. There would be much confusion on the part of the children. We got it. And there would be friction, after Hudson began to find inconsistencies in the original investigation, between her and her partner. We got that too.

So, in a lot of ways, it was quite predictable. But what made Innocent watchable and intriguing were the central performances and the human stories in play; human stories that covered from every angle the trauma and the aftermath of crime: the family fall-out, the guilt, the anger and the anxiety of living a life without a loved one.

But the clever thing is that this is really a whodunit, and the way writers have framed it is interesting – you have a man protesting his innocence and no doubt we will get ups and downs along the way (a bit like Liar in that way), but in the journey to find the truth, there has to be an investigative process.

Paul Hirons
@Son_Of_Ray