17 May 2021 (2021-05-17) – 28 November 2022 (2022-11-28)
The Pact is a British television drama series written and created by Pete McTighe and made and filmed in Wales.[1][2] Produced by Little Door Productions, it began broadcasting on BBC One on 17 May 2021. On 6 April 2022, a second series was announced, focusing on a new cast and story,[3] which premiered on 24 October 2022.
Synopsis
Series 1
Four friends, Anna, Nancy, Cat and Louie, work in a 100-year-old family brewery in mid-Wales. The owner, Louie's brother Arwel, has recently retired and has 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.[4]
Series 2
The second series focuses on a new cast and story. Christine, a social worker, and her children Will, Jamie and Megan are trying to move on from the death of a fourth sibling, Liam, through overdose. However, a stranger comes to town claiming a connection to each of them; this tests their family loyalties.[5][6]
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 they go back to check that he is all right and find him dead.
2
"Episode 2"
Eric Styles
Pete McTighe
18 May 2021 (2021-05-18)
6.88
The four friends are interviewed by the police but say nothing. Anna’s husband, Max, a police sergeant, is part of the investigation. The friends each receive a blackmail demand and Anna pays it.
Max discovers that Anna has withdrawn their savings from the bank and she pretends she has lent it to one of her friends. After the blackmailer demands more money Anna tracks down the messages to Nancy's phone.
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.
The first series of The Pact was broadcast every Monday and Tuesday on BBC One between 17 May 2021 and 1 June 2021.[17][18]
The second series was broadcast every Monday on BBC One between 24 October 2022 and 28 November 2022.
Reception
Writing for The Guardian, Rebecca Nicholson gave the first series three out of five stars, stating that it saw "a starry cast and a hint of mystery".[19]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."[20] 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".[21]
Alison Rowat in The Herald found series 2 “as gripping as the first one”.[22] Jesper Rees in The Daily Telegraph criticised the soundtrack “which omnipresently pumps out dull doomy chords in the background, a bit like musical cloud cover. Talking of clouds, the shoot in picturesque spots such as Penarth and Margam Abbey seems to have happened under Glamorgan’s very greyest skies.”[23]
