The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.
Leading the investigation are two detectives – the strong yet compassionate local Detective Sergeant, Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman), and the by-the-book Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (David Tennant), Ellie’s newly appointed boss.
By circumstance they are partnered to solve the murder, keeping the newspapers from derailing the investigation and trying to prevent the crime from impacting tourism at the beach where the boy was murdered.
Hardy and Ellie uncover the truth behind the rape of Trish Winterman, and lives in Broadchurch are changed forever.
Important pieces of evidence come to light against all the key suspects in the case – Ellie and Hardy can feel the vice tightening and know that soon, the case will crack open...
Ellie and Hardy bring a new suspect in for questioning. In a search of this suspect’s premises, Ellie finds devastating new evidence linking him to the crime.
Back at the station, DC Katie Harford confronts Ellie and Hardy with an uncomfortable truth about her role in the investigation.
Hardy and Ellie’s new suspect gives them his detailed version of events, but when they dig deeper they begin to doubt his story.
Ellie and Hardy discover that Ian has taken a personal item of Trish’s without her knowledge. They seize it for examination. What can they learn from it?
A new witness tells Hardy and Ellie their story. This information turns Ellie and Hardy's understanding of Trish's case upside down. Katie discovers a crucial new link between the case and a key suspect. Ellie and Hardy investigate the suspect's alibi more closely and find worrying inconsistencies. Beth tells her supervisor about Trish's case. Their discussion leads them to come forward to Ellie and Hardy with new revelations. Lucas reveals what he saw on the night of the party. Jim reacts violently, telling him to keep his mouth shut. A call from the owner at Axehampton forces Ellie and Hardy to hurry back to the grounds of the house once more.
Trish returns to the scene of the crime - will she remember anything more about the attack?
