Broadchurch: What did the critics make of ITV drama's return?

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The cast of BroadchurchImage source, ITV
Image caption,

The ITV drama is set in a fictional town in Dorset

Broadchurch is back for its third and final series - and has gone down well with TV critics.

Olivia Colman and David Tennant are back as DS Ellie Miller and DI Alec Hardy, this time investigating the rape of a woman in the fictional Dorset town.

She's played by former Coronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh.

Jodie Whittaker and Andrew Buchan return to play Beth and Mark Latimer, along with Arthur Darvill as local vicar Paul Coates.

Image source, ITV
Image caption,

Julie Hesmondhaigh plays a middle-aged woman who is violently raped

Other cast members include Lenny Henry, Georgina Campbell, Sarah Parish, Charlie Higson and Mark Bazeley.

The first episode, shown on Monday night, drew 7.5 million viewers.

That fell slightly short of the first episode of series two, which launched in 2015 to 7.6 million.

The debut episode of the first series, shown in 2013, pulled in 6.8 million.

Here's what the TV critics had to say about the start of the new series.

Image source, ITV
Image source, ITV
Image source, ITV
Image source, ITV
Image source, ITV
Image source, ITV

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