Channel 4 thriller Close to Me boasts familiar faces and a stunning backdrop that audiences may recognise too.
British audiences love nothing more than a psychological drama to keep them guessing and glued to their seats. And luckily Channel 4's new Sunday night show has tension, thrills and twists galore. It follows the story of married mum-of-two Jo Harding who experiences amnesia after a nasty fall down a flight of stairs. Unable to recall any memories or events from the last year, Jo challenges herself to piece together the dots. Though the experience opens her up to a host of trauma and harsh truths that she might wish had remained lost forever.
It joins other Channel 4 shows Murder Island and Celebrity Hunted in promising viewers a hearty dose of the spooks this Autumn. But if you're after something lighter, Complaints Welcome on Channel 4 is a lighter comedy that is sure to have you laughing.
Where is Close to Me filmed?
Channel 4 drama Close to Me was filmed in Hastings, East Sussex.
The majority of the show's action was filmed in the seaside town, based in the South East of England. Though other scenes were shot further along the south coast in Eastbourne. Whilst the cast also filmed episodes in Windsor too.
Actress Connie Nielsen reflected on the filming process in an interview with RadioTimes.com:
"We were kind of all over the place," she said. "Some things were filmed out by Windsor, some down in Hastings and Eastbourne. They were in all different places, but they had to come together as a lived-in landscape as well as reality, and then you could put [them] together, and so I think that was really well done."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1uEo11OPmM
Nielson traveled between England and her native Denmark for filming. She added that she found the south coast of England 'lovely'.
"The cliffs were beautiful," she said. "I was amazed by the countryside and the physical beauty of the nature; it was just amazing.”
Close to Me was filmed in 2020 when coronavirus restrictions were in place in England. Cast and crew adhered to strict safety protocols. And as such no positive case arose within the 80 member shoot.
Close to Me: Cast
The lead character in Close to Me is portrayed by a Danish actress with a Hollywood history. Whilst the supporting cast includes an ex-Doctor Who star, plus faces you may recognise from other recent British TV dramas:
- Connie Nielson (Wonder Woman, Justice League) plays Jo Harding.
- Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who, The Leftovers) play's Jo's husband Rob.
- Susan Lynch (Killing Eve, Waking Ned Devine) plays Jo's best friend Cathy.
- Tom Taylor (Us, Doctor Foster) plays Jo's grown up son Finn.
- Rosy McEwen (The Letter Writer) plays Jo's daughter Sash.
Christopher Eccleston's character is a middle estate agent who has been married to Jo for a considerable number of years. He's portrayed as being very supportive towards his wife following her accident, though the actor teases some details for fans to pick up on:
"He’s written as being very in love with his partner, possibly more in love with her than she is with him," explains Christopher.
As for his relationship with their kids, all was well prior to Jo's accident. But the aftermath sets the scene for some family disagreement.
"The son wants his mother to be told absolutely everything up front about where she was in her life, Rob wants to do it a little bit at a time: don’t give her too much, too soon," Christopher adds. "There’s tension there and I hope some gallows humour as well – this isn’t a very solemn, sombre drama. "
Which book plot is it based on?
Channel 4 thriller Close to Me is based on the book of the same name by author Amanda Reynolds.
The best-selling book came out in 2017 and was described as a page-turning psychological drama that promised plenty of twists.
The book plot reads: "When Jo Harding falls down the stairs at home, she wakes up in hospital with partial amnesia - she's lost a whole year of memories. A lot can happen in a year. Was Jo having an affair? Lying to her family? Starting a new life?
"She can't remember what she did - or what happened the night she fell. But she's beginning to realise she might not be as good a wife and mother as she thought."
Whilst there was the book to work with, actor Christopher Eccleston "worked purely from the script".
"I’ve had experiences before of things being in the novel that you might want to use, but they’re not there in the script," he said. "It’s an entirely separate venture."
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When is Close to Me on tv?
Close to Me airs on Sundays at 9pm on Channel 4.
The thriller has six episodes in total, which last for around 45 minutes each.
And of course, viewers can catch up with any missed episodes and the full boxset via All4.
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