Set during a heatwave, The Rapture is a high-stakes thriller that crackles with wit and danger. After a life-altering car accident killed her husband and left her paralysed, psychologist Dr Gabs Fox (Ruth Madeley – Years and Years, Then Barbara Met Alan, The War Between the Land and the Sea) starts a new job at a psychiatric hospital where she is assigned 17-year-old inmate Bethany Krall (India Amarteifio – Queen Charlotte, The Midwich Cuckoos).
Two years before, Bethany was sectioned for the brutal murder of her mother, Carys Krall. The case shocked the nation, not least because Bethany’s father, Leonard Krall (Sam Hazeldine – The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, Slow Horses), is the charismatic leader of the Faith Way, a spiritual movement with millions of online followers.
Bethany seems to know private details about Gabs’ life and insists she can see visions of the future, which she communicates through disturbing sketches of disasters: storms, fires and floods. Bethany’s nurse Rafiq insists Bethany’s predictions always come true, but Gabs is sceptical, determined to find a clinical explanation.
As the heat intensifies, Gabs begins to notice unsettling connections between Bethany’s prophetic drawings and the world outside, forcing Gabs to re-examine her assumptions. Could Bethany be innocent after all? If she didn’t kill Carys Krall, who did and why?
Ruth Madeley said: “There are so many themes. There’s climate change, there’s mental health issues, there’s disability, there’s general female life. The great thing is that the story is so compelling. It’s a psychological thriller, so there’s a lot going on, and its high stakes all the time. The way these subjects are woven into the world of The Rapture is really beautiful.”
She went on: “When The Rapture first came to me, I fell in love with the character – her story, her grief, her flaws. Seeing a disabled lead is always really exciting and knowing I can play that well and be the right person for it is even more exciting. I love her flaws. I never want to play a character who’s too perfect. It’s not real. The book has been around for a while, but the way Bryony Kimmings and Rebecca Manley have written the script makes it feel really relevant to the world today. If I wasn’t in it, I would absolutely be all over this as a viewer. The psychological thriller aspect for me is so exciting. That’s the kind of stuff I love to watch, and being able to work with a female team is an incredible honour.”
The Rapture will also be available for binge lovers to watch in one go on iPlayer.
THE HIT series TIME (BBC1) is returning for a third series. Set in a Young Offenders Institution and starring David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran, the drama will explore the impact of locking up teenagers and its effects on those who look after them.
Filmed in Belfast and again coming from the pen of the brilliant Jimmy McGovern – whose previous credits include Unforgivable, Cracker and The Street – the series is expected to air later this year.
If it is just half as good as the previous two seasons – which starred Sean Bean, Stephen Freeman, Jodie Whittaker and Bella Ramsey – it will be well worth the wait!
Well, that’s it for now – catch you next week for some more TV chatter – stay safe!
Author: Steve
Editor of Hartlepool Life and author of TV Life