The Responder Explained

The Responder is a British police drama television series set in Liverpool, written by former Merseyside Police officer Tony Schumacher, with as leading director and starring Martin Freeman, Adelayo Adedayo, Ian Hart, and MyAnna Buring.^[1] It aired on BBC One on 24 January 2022. Schumacher has said that the character has "a lot to do" with him and the struggles he faced as a police officer but that the storyline is fictional.^[2]

In late March 2022, the show was renewed for a second series, consisting of six episodes,^{[3] [4]} which began airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 5 May 2024.^[5] The second series marked the final acting performance of Bernard Hill, who died the day of its release.^[6]

Premise

Chris Carson is a police officer in a fictional constabulary covering Liverpool, who has been demoted from his position as an inspector and undertakes a series of night shifts in the city centre. He is a conflicted and compromised man, with somewhat divided loyalties, a desire to do good, but with anger issues brought on by childhood trauma and exacerbated by his experience in the police. Shots of him working are interspersed with scenes at therapy, at home, with his mother in a nursing home, or visiting his estranged father. His partner is Rachel Hargreaves, an inexperienced and idealistic officer who wants to play by the rules but who ultimately dislikes her job.

Series 1

Carl Sweeney is a mid-level drug dealer whose stash of cocaine has been stolen by Casey, a local drug addict. Chris is trying to help Casey and in doing so crosses Carl. Marco is a young friend of Casey's who struggles to meet his daily needs.^[7] Chris is pursued by the officer responsible for his demotion, whose motives may not be entirely honest, as part of a corruption probe. The effects of the job and Chris's mental state take a toll on his family.

Series 2

Cast and characters

Main

• Martin Freeman as Chris Carson
• Adelayo Adedayo as Rachel Hargreaves, a probationary police officer
• Warren Brown as Raymond Mullen, a demoted officer with an axe to grind
• MyAnna Buring as Kate Carson, Chris's wife
• Emily Fairn as Casey, a drug addict
• Josh Finan as Marco, Casey's friend
• Philip S. McGuinness as Ian, Carl's henchman
• Mark Womack as Barry, Carl's henchman
• Ian Hart as Carl Sweeney, a drug dealer
• Rita Tushingham as June Carson, Chris's mother
• Kerrie Hayes as Ellie Mullen, Raymond's wife and Kate's best friend
• Faye McKeever as Jodie Sweeney, Carl's wife
• David Bradley as Davey, a local homeless man
• Christine Tremarco as Diane Gallagher, Greg's sister
• Amaka Okafor as Deborah Barnes, Chris's boss
• James Nelson-Joyce as Greg Gallagher, a drug lord

Recurring

• Elizabeth Berrington as Lynne Renfrew, Chris's therapist
• Philip Barantini as Steve, Rachel's boyfriend
• Philip Whitchurch as Joe, Casey's grandfather
• Romi Hyland-Rylands as Tilly Carson, Chris and Kate's daughter

Guest

• Bernard Hill as Tom Carson
• Victor McGuire as Trevor
• Dominic Carter as Bernie Wilson
• Matthew Cottle as Father Liam Neeson
• Dave Hill as Billy
• Sylvie Gatrill as Mary
• Sonny Walker as Stevo Marsh
• James Ledsham as Enno
• Connor Dempsey as Kyle
• David Ayres as Andy
• Kieron Urquhart as Paul
• Harry Burke as Liam
• Sue Johnston as Madge

Episodes

Series 2 (2024)

Release

The series premiered on BBC One on 24 January 2022.^[2] It aired in Australia in six episodes on SBS from 16 March 2022.^[8]

The series was shown by Canal Plus in France.^{[9] [10]} In Australia, the first season aired on SBS TV and SBS On Demand.

The first episode was watched 6,164,000 times on iPlayer alone during 2022, making it the third most-viewed individual programme on the platform that year.^[11]

The original soundtrack, composed by Matthew Herbert, was released by Accidental Editions in March 2022 and includes eighteen tracks.^[12]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the first series a 100% approval rating, with an average rating of 8.8/10, based on 23 reviews. The critics' consensus reads: "The Responder is unrelentingly dark and inescapably absorbing, with Martin Freeman's hangdog performance carrying the drama".^[13] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100, based on 7 reviews.^[14]

Rotten Tomatoes gave series 2 a 100% approval rating, with an average rating of 9.6/10, based on 15 reviews. The critics' consensus reads: "Putting Martin Freeman's character through the absolute ringer, this second season proves to be as battered, bruised, and resilient as its compelling antihero".^[15] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 90 out of 100, based on 6 reviews.^[16]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
	Edinburgh TV Awards	Best Drama	The Responder		[17]
	Royal Television Society Programme Awards	Drama Series			[18]
		Supporting Actor – Female	Adelayo Adedayo
	British Academy Television Awards	Best Drama Series	Chris Carey, Laurence Bowen, Tony Schumacher, Tim Mielants, Rebecca Ferguson, Toby Bruce		[19]
		Best Actor	Martin Freeman
		Best Supporting Actor	Josh Finan
		Best Supporting Actress	Adelayo Adedayo
	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Original Music: Fiction	Matthew Herbert
		Best Writer: Drama	Tony Schumacher
	International Emmy Awards	Best Actor	Martin Freeman		[20]

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Responder: Meet the full cast of Martin Freeman's BBC drama. 24 January 2022 . 25 January 2022 . 25 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220125224819/https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20220124131561/the-responder-bbc-meet-the-full-cast/. live.
2. Web site: The Responder's cast and creator discuss the new drama about life on the front line of British policing . 19 January 2022 . 20 January 2022 . BBC Media Centre . 26 January 2022 . 26 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220126013025/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2022/mediapacks/the-responder. live.
3. Web site: Four of the BBC's biggest dramas The Tourist, The Responder, Vigil and Time to return for a second series on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. 22 March 2022. BBC Media Centre. 22 March 2022. 26 April 2022. https://archive.today/20220426204731/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2022/the-tourist-the-responder-vigil-time-second-series-bbc. live.
4. Web site: 'Derry Girls', 'Vir Das: Landing' & 'The Empress' Land Top Awards At 2023 International Emmys. Deadline. 21 November 2023. 21 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231121040725/https://deadline.com/2023/11/2023-international-emmys-winners-list-derry-girls-vir-das-landing-the-empress-1235630760/. live.
5. News: Martin Freeman: The Responder star on why TV viewers can 'smell lies' . bbc.com . 27 April 2024 . 27 April 2024 . 28 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240428003618/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68812024 . live .
6. News: Bernard Hill: Titanic and Lord of the Rings actor dies . bbc.com . 5 May 2024 . 9 May 2024 . 5 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240505141301/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68962192 . live .
7. Web site: La revue Responder – Martin Freeman est magnifique dans le tour de police | Télévision & radio . 24 January 2022 . 26 January 2022 . 26 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220126135737/https://news.fr-24.com/divertissement/tv/534469.html . live.
8. Web site: One of the best new dramas of the year The Responder arrives tonight on SBS . TV Blackbox . 16 March 2022 . 21 April 2022 . 6 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220406034737/https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2022/03/16/one-of-the-best-new-dramas-of-the-year-the-responder-arrives-tonight-on-sbs/ . live .
9. Web site: The Responder - Bande-annonce. 12 March 2022. 13 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220313010616/https://www.canalplus.com/divertissement/the-responder---bande-annonce/h/18204279_50001. live.
10. Web site: Responder heads to BritBox US and Canal+. 12 March 2022. 10 February 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220210104021/https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/international/responder-heads-to-britbox-us-and-canal/5167454.article. live.
11. Web site: World Cup wins 2022 in record breaking year for BBC iPlayer. BBC Media Centre. 31 January 2023. 31 January 2023. 24 May 2024. https://archive.today/20240524162432/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/world-cup-wins-2022-in-record-breaking-year-iplayer. live.
12. Web site: 'The Responder' soundtrack album released . Film Music Reporter . 14 March 2022 . 21 April 2022 . 21 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220421130957/https://filmmusicreporter.com/2022/03/14/the-responder-soundtrack-album-released/ . live .
13. Web site: The Responder Series 1 . . 10 October 2024.
14. the-responder. The Responder. tv. 1. 10 October 2024. y.
15. Web site: The Responder Series 2 . Rotten Tomatoes . 10 October 2024.
16. the-responder. The Responder. tv. 2. 10 October 2024. y.
17. Web site: Channel 4 named Channel of the Year at Edinburgh TV Awards. 25 August 2022. 26 August 2022. 26 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220826164902/https://www.mediamole.co.uk/entertainment/broadcasting/news/channel-4-named-channel-of-the-year-at-edinburgh-tv-awards_493000.html. live.
18. Web site: Kate Winslet, Kit Connor, 'The Traitors' Among Winners at U.K.'s Royal Television Society Awards. Variety. Naman. Ramachandran. 28 March 2023. 30 March 2023. 30 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230330025832/https://variety.com/2023/global/awards/rts-programme-awards-2023-winners-1235566730/. live.
19. News: Ritman. Alex. BAFTA TV Awards: 'This is Going to Hurt', 'The Responder' Lead Pack of Nominees. The Hollywood Reporter. 22 March 2023. 22 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230322230324/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/bafta-tv-awards-nominations-2023-1235357562/. 22 March 2023. live.
20. Web site: 2023 International Emmy Awards Winners Revealed. The Hollywood Reporter. Scott. Roxborough. 20 November 2023. 21 November 2023. 21 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231121041019/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/2023-international-emmy-awards-winners-list-1235665260/. live.