British television actress Nicola Walker steps into the lead role of this six-part BBC crime drama Annika, which has just released a second series.
Nicola Walker has been praised by audiences for her leading role(Image: BBC)
A Scottish crime drama has captivated audiences with its stunning panormic scenes. However, viewers had one complaint after tuning into the BBC programme.
The mystery-thriller, Annika, follows detective inspector Annika Strandhed (Nicola Walker) who works for Glasgow’s marine homicide unit, uncovering the puzzling crimes and unexplained murders that wash up on the shores of Scotland’s waters.
Boasting six-parts, it makes it a perfect short binge to get stuck into. Meanwhile, those looking for similar programmes, another good Scots crime series that has been making headlines is The Loch on Netflix.
Viewers and critics soon left their reviews for Annika, which were mixed. It comes as the BBC have just released its second six-part series, both of which are now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
One critic voiced their complaint of the series, which left them feeling ‘distracted’ when watching. They wrote: “I am very intrigued by the idea of a marine homicide unit itself, if only for the scenery provided. The show rightly places weight on its panoramic views. One from Annika’s boss’ office windows, is so stunning I can hardly pay attention to the scene.”
Annika has returned for a second series(Image: BBC)
“We hang on Annika’s every word because she’s played with mischievous bite by the wonderful Nicola Walker…,” concluded another fellow critic.
However another critic wrote: “there’s so much time spent introducing characters the crime itself seems an afterthought. Then again, it’s the characters that make Annika stand out in a crowded market.”
Meanwhile, viewers opinions also varied as some say it just “didn’t work” and some even called it “dreadful”, whilst others praised Nicole Walker’s “flawless” acting throughout the short BBC series.
One person wrote: “Awesome British crime drama. The writing and the acting are excellent. Nicola Walker (Annika) is flawless in this role”.
Another echoed: “Great lead with depth of character. Loved her quirky sense of humour,” as a third wrote: “Incredible series that I hope continues for years to come”.
Someone else chimed: “Great, funny show that is warm and human. A lot of threads going at once. Annika’s literary excursions are hilarious and help carry the story”.
Not everyone was loving the series as one person wrote: “Absolutely awful. Weird asides to the camera and poor, very poor acting. Story basic and unbelievable and tied up very poorly”.
Someone else added: “Dreadful. Started out ok but devolved into tired, flat, who cares drama,” with another writing: “Talking into the camera was a disaster. The way it was handled completely throws you out of the show and into reality TV.”
The camera issues appeared to be the root of complaints, as another voiced: “I love Nicola Walker as an actress, but I couldn’t bear the talking direct to camera in this. It breaks the spell of the story. It might have been Ok apart from that, but I had to stop watching.”
Annika both series one and two, is now available to watch online at BBC iPlayer.
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