A BBC crime drama that had viewers wrapped during its initial run back in 2022 is now available to stream for free. The Responder stars Sherlock and The Office's Martin Freeman as Chris Carson, a morally ambiguous police officer who finds himself demoted from the urgent response unit to the night shift in a Liverpool precinct. The series originally premiered with five episodes and was received so well it returned with a second instalment. Now, two years after it debuted, all ten episodes have been made available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
The series scores a perfect 100 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes and has a trove of rave reviewers from fans. "This show epitomises why I love BBC/Britbox television. Depth of characters, stellar acting and writing, and subject matters," one reviewer wrote. "I was completely engrossed and infected by the show and the incredible performances," another lauded.
What is The Responder about?
The synopsis reads: "Whilst trying to keep his head above water both personally and professionally, Chris is forced to take on a new rookie partner Rachel. Both soon discover that survival in this high pressure, relentless, night-time world will depend on them either helping or destroying each other.
Is The Responder based on a true story?
The story of Chris Carson and his time working as a first response officer is not technically a true story, however, there are many elements of truth to the drama. For starters, the script was written by a former police officer, Tony Schumacher, who worked as an urgent responder. While working on the beat, Tony had many nights on shift chasing criminals and responding to critical call outs.
In addition, Tony left the force because he was suffering with the mental toll the job had. So while the character of Chris is a work of fiction, the bare bones of his story came from Tony's real-life experience. The former PC turned writer explained Chris' story was his "to a degree". "I was a police responder who was out in the rain at one o'clock in the morning, two in the morning, three in the morning, chasing people up and down alleyways and running over rats."
© Photo: BBC"I quit the police because, and there's no getting away from it, I was cracking up in the police force. I was really struggling mentally and I needed to get away and find myself but I also needed to buy dog food during that period so I became a taxi driver. It was during that time that I learnt to become a writer."
