Scottish police drama with ‘palpable tension’ races up Netflix top 10 chart

Netflix viewers are rushing to watch a ‘suspenseful’ Scottish crime drama that’s drawn comparisons to Broadchurch.

Initially airing on ITV in 2017, The Loch was created by Stephen Brady and follows DS Annie Redford (Breaking Bad’s Laura Fraser), an officer with the Scottish Highland Police as she investigates the murder of piano teacher Niall Swift after he is found dead at the bottom of a cliff in the picturesque village of Lochnafoy, Loch Fyne, Inveraray.

However, it quickly emerges that a serial killer is responsible after its discovered part of Swift’s brain has been removed and a human heart belonging to another victim is found close by

With a huge task ahead, Glasgow based major investigation detective DCI Lauren Quigley (Happy Valley’s Siobhan Finneran) is then brought in to lead the enquiry.

Last week the six-part series (which was titled Loch Ness in the US) was added to Netflix, with viewers quickly taking the chance to binge it. The Loch is now the second most-watched TV show in the UK on the platform.

When the series first aired, critics said it was ‘definitely worth a look’.

‘This tartan-clad Broadchurch shows a lot of promise, not least in the way it plays on people’s Loch Ness fascinations,’ the Express wrote in its review.

‘The peel-the-onion format here is familiar by now, but Stephen Brady’s script and a group of fine performances keep it intriguing, nonetheless. A fine diversion for summer evenings,’ The New York Times shared.

‘You’ll probably figure out the ending to Loch Ness well before the fog lifts, but my hunch is you’re here mainly for the luscious scenery,’ The Washington Post said.

‘It does a good job of slowly building up a portrait of a troubled but brilliant man with little regard for authority but great regard for the law itself. Definitely worth a look,’ The Post NZ added.

Meanwhile user amwilson-50395 said the show ‘feels fresh and has you second guessing at every clue uncovered’.

‘The desire to uncover the truth is overwhelming. Suspenseful moments intertwined in a mix of both fast- and slow-moving plot points, if you are into British crime dramas, this needs to be added to your must watch list,’ they wrote on IMDB.

Others said it was ‘compelling’, ‘gripping’ and ‘superb’.

At the time of The Loch’s premiere, its star Laura said the following when asked to describe it. ‘It’s all very dark and creepy but also has moments that are quite tongue-in-cheek. It reminds me a wee bit of the classic movie An American Werewolf in London. It has that that vibe and there’s a lot of animal symbolism – wolves, crows, mutilated sheep and, of course, plenty of mentions of the Loch Ness monster.’

When initially teasing details of the show, ITV shared: ‘What secrets lie beneath the surface? In this stunningly set crime drama, some monsters are no myth. For Detective Annie Redford, the hunt is on to catch a killer.

‘A murder in a small Scottish town sends the community into shock, and local detective Annie Redford is thrust into her first murder case.’

The Loch also stars Don Gilet as psychological profiler Blake Albrighton, John Sessions as Annie’s boss DCI Frank Smilie, Gray O’Brien as Alan Redford, Annie’s husband, and William Ash as local tourist operator Leighton Thomas.

Loch Ness is streaming on Netflix.

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