The Gathering (TV series)

The Gathering
GenreThriller
Created byHelen Walsh
Written byHelen Walsh
Directed byGareth Bryn
Amanda Blue
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Simon Heath
  • Laura Cotton
  • Helen Walsh
  • Graham Bryn
ProducerGraham Drover
Production company
Original release
NetworkChannel 4
Release14 May (2024-05-14) –
29 May 2024 (2024-05-29)

The Gathering is a British mystery thriller television series for Channel 4 written by Helen Walsh. The series was broadcast from 14 May 2024.

Synopsis

A girl is attacked at a rave in Merseyside, with the perpetrator being from a group of suspects from a wide range of backgrounds.[1] The producer Simon Heath called the series "an exploration of toxic teenagers - and their even more toxic parents".[2]

Cast

Production

The six-part series marks the television writing debut for novelist Helen Walsh.[3] The series is produced by World Productions and was commissioned by Channel 4 in 2022. The series is directed by Gareth Bryn and Amanda Blue, and produced by Graham Drover, with executive producers Simon Heath, Laura Cotton, alongside Walsh and Bryn.[4]

Filming got underway in Liverpool in July 2023.[5] Filming locations in Liverpool included outside the Liverpool Empire Theatre on William Brown Street.[6] By October 2023, filming had moved to The Wirral. Filming locations included Red Rocks in Hoylake, King's Drive in Caldy,[7] the Witley estate in Moreton, Black Horse Hill Junior School,[8] and Benllech in Anglesey.[9]

Broadcast

The six-part series aired in the UK on Channel 4 from 14 May 2024.[10]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Episode 1"Gareth BrynHelen Walsh14 May 2024 (2024-05-14)
2"Episode 2"Gareth BrynHelen Walsh15 May 2024 (2024-05-15)
3"Episode 3"Amanda BlueHelen Walsh21 May 2024 (2024-05-21)
4"Episode 4"Amanda BlueHelen Walsh22 May 2024 (2024-05-22)
5"Episode 5"Gareth BrynHelen Walsh28 May 2024 (2024-05-28)
6"Episode 6"Gareth BrynHelen Walsh29 May 2024 (2024-05-29)

Reception

Critical response

Lucy Mangan of The Guardian awarded the series three stars out of five, remarking "It all works well enough, while remaining slightly underbaked. You feel as though a decision should have been taken earlier on to decide which, among the many things it almost is, it should have properly been. A murder mystery? An interrogation of class and its barriers? A drama for and about teenage lives and concerns? A portrait of the toll elite sports take on their participants? It gestures towards all of these but doesn’t deliver satisfactorily on any count."[11]

Steven McIntosh of the BBC, while bemoaning the clichéd flash-forward in the opening scene of the series, said, "but once the plot spools back and the series finds its groove, it is superb. The Gathering is filled with well-rounded, believable characters who grapple with a smorgasbord of contemporary themes."[12]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2024 Monte-Carlo Television Festival Best Series The Gathering Won [13]
Best Actor Warren Brown Won
Best Actress Eva Morgan Won

References

  1. ^ Warner, Sam (27 July 2023). "Winx Saga star leads cast for brand new Channel 4 drama". Digital Spy. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  2. ^ "The Gathering: Channel 4 teen drama turns tables on toxic parents". BBC News. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  3. ^ Gordon, Naomi (27 July 2023). "Channel 4 confirms cast for The Gathering from Line of Duty producer". Radio Times. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  4. ^ Goldbart, Max (27 July 2023). "'The Gathering': Channel 4 Sets Cast For Drama From 'Line Of Duty' Producer World Productions". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  5. ^ Hadfield, Charlotte (31 July 2023). "New drama filmed across Merseyside that's coming to Channel 4". Liverpool Exho. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  6. ^ Hadfield, Charlotte (3 August 2023). "Filming for new Channel 4 drama from Line of Duty producers takes over city street". Liverpool Exho.
  7. ^ {{cite along with filming in Moreton. web|first=Chloe|last=Nightingale|url=https://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/23827247.new-channel-4-drama-gathering-filmed-wirral/%7Cwebsite=Wirral Globe|title= New Channel 4 drama The Gathering being filmed in Wirral|date=2 October 2023}}
  8. ^ "New TV drama filmed in Wirral The Gathering airs tonight". Wirral Globe. 14 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Flares, fires and replica police cars in Anglesey village for filming of TV 'whodunnit'". Daily Post. 13 October 2023.
  10. ^ Mensah, Katelyn (1 May 2024). "Line of Duty, Vigil producers' thriller The Gathering air date confirmed". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  11. ^ Mangan, Lucy (14 May 2024). "The Gathering review – elite gymnastics thriller is like somersaulting off a cliff". The Guardian.
  12. ^ McIntosh, Steven (8 May 2024). "The Gathering: Channel 4 teen drama turns tables on toxic parents". BBC.
  13. ^ Barraclough, Leo (18 June 2024). "British Thriller 'The Gathering' Wins Best Series, Actress, Actor at Monte-Carlo Television Festival". Variety. Retrieved 29 August 2024.