Guilt is a Scottish thriller and mystery series. It was the first drama commission of the BBC Scotland channel and first broadcast there before being broadcast across the UK on BBC Two. Written and created by Neil Forsyth, the show initially centres on two brothers, played by Mark Bonnar and Jamie Sives, who get involved in a hit and run, before involving a large cast in an ongoing story. The first series of Guilt was broadcast in 2019,^[1] and the second series broadcast in the autumn of 2021. The show was a critical hit and was subsequently broadcast around the world including in America (PBS), France (Arte), Australia (BBC First), Sweden (Sveriges Television), Germany (Arte), Portugal (RTP2) and South Africa (Showmax).

A third and final series was released in April 2023.^[2]

Cast

• Mark Bonnar as Max McCall
• Jamie Sives as Jake McCall
• Emun Elliott as Kenny Burns
• Ruth Bradley as Angie Curtis (Series 1, 3)
• Bill Paterson as Roy Lynch (Series 1)
• Stuart Bowman as Roy Lynch (Series 2, 3)
• Phyllis Logan as Maggie Lynch (Series 2, 3)
• Ellie Haddington as Sheila Gemmell (Series 1, 3)
• Sara Vickers as Erin McKee (Series 2, 3)
• Greg McHugh as Teddy McLean (Series 2, 3)
• Henry Pettigrew as DC/PC Stevie Malone (Series 1, 2, 3)
• Stewart Porter as Jim McLean (Series 2, 3)
• Sian Brooke as Claire McCall (Series 1)
• Moyo Akandé as Tina Hicks (Series 1)
• Noof McEwan as Cameron Lovat (Series 1)
• Gregor Firth as Archie (Series 1, 3)
• Ian Pirie as Sandy Ralph (Series 2)
• Amelia Isaac Jones as Skye Burns (Series 3)
• Euan McNaughton as Sir Jim Sturrock (Series 3)
• Isaura Barbe-Brown as Yvonne Nixon (Series 3)

Production

Forsyth was keen to write a show about siblings, which he has called "the most interesting dramatic relationship", and a show with a leitmotif that ran through all the characters, in this case guilt.^[3] He spent several years developing the show before finding a home for it at the BBC. Guilt was produced by Happy Tramp North and Expectation Entertainment. It was directed by Robert McKillop.

Guilt became the first drama commission for the new BBC Scotland channel, which premiered the show's episodes a week before UK-wide transmission on BBC Two.

Guilt was shot in Edinburgh and Glasgow. In Edinburgh, locations included Calton Hill and Charlotte Square.^[4] In Glasgow, a studio was built at Parkhouse Business Park and other locations included Clydebank Docks, Glasgow Caledonian University, Aberfoyle and the Lanarkshire town of East Kilbride.

A second series of Guilt was confirmed by the BBC in July 2020,^[5] and filming began in Scotland in November 2020.^[6] New cast members included Phyllis Logan, Sara Vickers, Stuart Bowman and Iain Pirie. The second series was directed by Patrick Harkins.

A third series premiered on BBC Scotland on April 25, 2023.^[7]

Plot

The show begins with two brothers, Max and Jake, in a car returning from a wedding. When they accidentally run over and kill an elderly man on an Edinburgh street, they make the decision to try to cover up the crime. As the show progresses, the brothers’ difficulties intensify and the story opens up to bring in other characters and storylines, within a narrative theme of guilt.^[8]

Episodes

Reception

Guilt received strong viewing figures^[8] and a highly positive critical reception. The Times called it, "An absolute cracker",^[9] The Observer, "an utter triumph, a word-of-mouth dazzler",^[10] with "welcome Coen brothers echoes".^[11] The Telegraph called it a "stealth hit"^[12] which "felt like Fargo relocated to Leith, or Midnight Run reimagined by Irvine Welsh".^[13] The Independent termed it "the unexpected treat of the year”,^[14] The Guardian described it as a "darkly delicious tale" that was "fast becoming a word-of-mouth hit",^[15] the Radio Times called it "Hitchcockian"^[16] and The Herald deemed it the most impressive Scottish small screen debut since the 1987 comedy-drama Tutti Frutti.^[8]

The second series was equally well received. The Sunday Times called it "irresistible, just as good as the original",^[17] The Herald said it was "among the realms of modern television classics",^[18] The Times called it "magnificent, a Scottish Fargo",^[17] The Guardian "witty and scintillating",^[19] and The Scotsman, "one of Scotland’s most acclaimed television dramas".^[20]

Awards

The first series of Guilt was nominated for a large number of awards and won 2020 Best Drama at the Scottish BAFTA Awards, the Royal Television Society of Scotland Awards, the Celtic Media Festival, and the Broadcast Digital Awards.^[21]

International broadcasts

Guilt has been broadcast widely around the world. It was broadcast on BBC First in Australia where The Australian called it "clever, stylish and absorbing".^[22] In France it was retitled Petit Meurtre Entre Frères (A Small Murder Between Brothers) by Arte. It was retitled Vår Lilla Hemlighet (Our Little Secret) by SVT in Sweden, where Aftonbladet called it "exemplary television craftsmanship".^[23] It was broadcast in South Africa by Showmax. In Germany it was retitled Keiner ist schuld (Nobody Is Guilty) by Arte, where Die Rheinpfalz said "this combination of tragedy and humour is a high art, which succeeds here".

In America, Guilt premiered on the PBS Network's Masterpiece Mystery series in September 2021. The New York Times called it "tense but textured" with characters that are "funny and well-drawn" ^[24] while NPR said Guilt had "a verve that made me think of the TV series Fargo, which I mean as high praise".^[25]

Indian version

In August 2021, it was announced that Guilt was being remade in Hindi by Applause Entertainment, starring the Indian actors Jaideep Ahlawat and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub.^[26]

References

External links

• Guilt at BBC Online
• Guilt at IMDb
• Guilt at epguides.com
• Guilt at British Comedy Guide