Entertainment NOW

2 • October 16 - 22, 2022 Entertainment Now By Sarah Passingham TV Media T he grey skies of Glasgow's coastline cover an unusual- ly high number of murders at sea in "Annika," the brand-new, Scotland-set police procedural starring "Last Tango in Halifax" actress Nicola Walker as Annika Strandhed. "Annika" pre- mieres on this side of the Atlantic on PBS Masterpiece this fall, be- ginning Sunday, Oct. 16. Check your local listings for your pre- miere date. A legend among her detec- tive peers, DI Strandhed lands in Glasgow with her teenage daughter, Morgan, portrayed by Silvie Furneaux ("Red Rose"), to head up their newly formed Ma- rine Homicide Unit. Strandhed is quickly partnered with keen new cop DS Tyrone Clarke, played by "Blindspot" star Ukweli Roach, who joins her as she dives into solving murders committed at sea. Having also portrayed the expert detective in the BBC Radio 4 series "Annika Stranded" (this TV series is a continuation of the BBC radio original), Walker is an Annika pro — and passionately possessive of the character. "No one else is playing her," she told Drama Quarterly shortly after wrapping filming on the se- ries. "I know it's another detective and I apologize only for that. No one else was going to be Annika. I would have found that really dif- ficult to let go." It is rare that a performer gets the chance to bring a character to life across different forms of me- dia over nearly a decade — the radio show "Annika Stranded" aired from 2013 to 2020 — and Walker seemed to revel in the chance to carry on in the role. "You put it [Annika's story] on camera and suddenly it just completely opens out," she noted later on in the same interview. "It was a real challenge; I enjoyed it." One thing that really sets "An- nika" apart from other police pro- cedurals other than its uniquely specific subject of marine murder is the cheeky humor woven into the series. Annika herself is witty, cracking jokes to break the ten- sion, but the levity doesn't just come from the dialogue, skillfully written by series creator Nick Walker (who also penned "Annika Stranded"), "Holby City" writer Lucia Haynes and "Adam" (2021) writer Frances Poet. In a move that feels like it is referencing the direct-to-audi- ence voice of the radio show, DI Strandhed breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the camera while she's sorting things out, whether regarding the details of a murder case or those of her personal life. The move has been popularized in dramedies since it was impeccably deployed by creator and star Phoebe Waller- Bridge ("Run") in BBC/Prime Video's "Fleabag," a series that was also developed from a more intimate medium, Waller-Bridge's award-winning 2013 one-woman show of the same name. "Annika" also makes use of literary references throughout the series, tying in yet another artistic medium. A news release from PBS Masterpiece notes that DI Strandhed employs a unique base of knowledge for fighting crime: "Annika's strikingly effective MO is to link the crime under investi- gation to her obsessive reading of literature and mythology." This is immediately clear given the series premiere's title, "Cap- tain Ahab's Wife," a reference to Herman Melville's 1851 novel "Moby Dick," and fans can be sure that Annika certainly has more literary tricks up her sleeve for the rest of the six-episode season. Cover Story Silvie Furneaux in "Annika" Deep blue mysteries: 'Annika' investigates Glasgow's marine crime Ready Rental 3 x 4 Hayley Siefert 3 x 2 Letters & Numbers Sudoku Fill in the grid so that every row,every column, and every 4x4 box contains the digits 1 through 9 AND the letters A-F. Solution on page 12. Advertise Your Business In Call Advertising at 217-477-5105

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