The Pact (British TV series)

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The Pact
Genre
Written byPete McTighe
Directed byRebecca Johnson
Eric Styles
Starring
Country of originWales
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Production companyLittle Door Productions
Release
Original networkBBC One
Original release17 May (2021-05-17) –
1 June 2021 (2021-06-01)

The Pact is a British six-part television drama series written and created by Pete McTighe and mostly filmed in South Wales.[1] Produced by Little Door Productions, it began broadcasting on BBC One on 17 May 2021.

Synopsis[]

Four friends, Anna, Nancy, Cat, and Louie, work in a 100-year-old family brewery in mid-Wales. The owner has recently retired, having put his son, Jack, in charge. Jack is a cocaine addict and treats his staff with contempt. During the centenary party, the four abduct the drunken, stoned Jack and drive him to the woods. They photograph him in a partly undressed pose then leave. When they return to check on him, they find him dead. They make a pact not to disclose their involvement.[2]

Cast[]

Production[]

Production of The Pact began in September 2020[4] and filming took place on location at the Rhymney Brewery, Blaenavon,[5] the Brecon Beacons National Park, the Pontsarn Viaduct, Merthyr Tydfil, the Pontsticill Reservoir, Whitecross Street in Monmouth, and St Mary's Church, Marshfield in Newport, Wales.[6]

Episodes[]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.K. viewers
(millions)
1"Episode 1"Eric StylesPete McTighe17 May 2021 (2021-05-17)7.54
Four female friends who work at a brewery go to its 100th anniversary party. Afterwards, finding that their obnoxious, abusive young boss Jack has tried to assault one of the women, they abduct him and dump him in the woods. Later, he is found dead.
2"Episode 2"Eric StylesPete McTighe18 May 2021 (2021-05-18)6.88
The four friends are interviewed by the police but say nothing. Anna’s husband Max, a police officer, is part of the investigation. The friends each receive a blackmail demand, and Anna pays it.
3"Episode 3"Eric StylesPete McTighe24 May 2021 (2021-05-24)5.44[7]
Max discovers that Anna has withdrawn their savings from the bank, and she pretends she has loaned it to one of her friends. After the blackmailer demands more money, Anna tracks down the messages to Nancy's phone.
4"Episode 4"Rebecca JohnsonPete McTighe25 May 2021 (2021-05-25)5.31[8]
CCTV footage reveals to the police that Nancy’s car was travelling in the direction of the woods on the night of Jack's murder. Nancy reveals that her husband Richard has incurred huge gambling debts and the blackmail attempt was intended to obtain a temporary respite so that they would not lose their home.
5"Episode 5"Rebecca JohnsonPete McTighe31 May 2021 (2021-05-31)4.53[9]
Nancy is held overnight by the police. Anna and the other friends are questioned.
6"Episode 6"Rebecca JohnsonPete McTighe1 June 2021 (2021-06-01)4.48[10]
The truth of who killed Jack is revealed.

Broadcast[]

The Pact was broadcast every Monday and Tuesday on BBC One between 17 May 2021 and 1 June 2021.[11][12]

Reception[]

Writing for The Guardian, Rebecca Nicholson gave the series three out of five stars, stating that it saw "a starry cast and a hint of mystery".[13] The Independent critic Sean O'Grady awarded four out of five stars, praising the "strong" writing and cast, but stating that "the premise does seem far-fetched."[14] Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph wrote similarly of The Pact, describing it as a "Welsh Big Little Lies" where "realism wasn't a high priority".[15]

References[]

  1. ^ "Meet the cast of BBC One drama The Pact". Radio Times. May 17, 2021.
  2. ^ Ed Power (19 May 2021). "The Pact is a stonking standout of a crime thriller". Irish Times. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  3. ^ Williams, Kathryn (May 17, 2021). "The Pact: Cast of new BBC drama filmed in Wales". WalesOnline.
  4. ^ "The Pact: brand new BBC Cymru Wales crime thriller begins filming". BBC Media Centre. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Rhymney Brewery Visitor Centre | VisitWales".
  6. ^ Williams, Kathryn (May 17, 2021). "The Pact: Welsh locations where new BBC drama was filmed". WalesOnline.
  7. ^ "7-DAY RATINGS: 24-30 MAY 2021". tvzoneuk. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  8. ^ "7-DAY RATINGS: 24-30 MAY 2021". tvzoneuk. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  9. ^ "7-DAY RATINGS: 31 MAY-06 JUNE 2021". 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  10. ^ "7-DAY RATINGS: 31 MAY-06 JUNE 2021". tvzoneuk. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  11. ^ "How many episodes of The Pact are there?". Heart. 26 May 2021. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  12. ^ "The Pact (2021) Season 1 – Episodes Guide and Summaries". next-episode.net. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  13. ^ Nicholson, Rebecca (17 May 2021). "The Pact review – Wales's Big Little Lies will have you on tenterhooks". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  14. ^ O'Grady, Sean (17 May 2021). "The Pact is a cautionary tale about wreaking revenge on your horrible boss – review". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  15. ^ Singh, Anita (17 May 2021). "The Pact, episode 1 review: Monterey is swapped for Monmouthshire in this Welsh Big Little Lies". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.

External links[]

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