The Responder: Viewers Praise BBC Show's Realistic Depiction Of Domestic Abuse

The Responder has been BBC One’s hit police drama, seeing compromised copper Chris Carson struggle to balance life while on the beat.

But while Martin Freeman has won widespread praise for his depiction of a Liverpool bobby, it’s the show’s domestic abuse subplot which has got people talking.

You can watch a clip below.

Chris’s partner on the force, Rachel Hargreaves (played by Adelayo Adedayo) is suffering vile physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her boyfriend.

And viewers were quick to praise the powerful and emotive scenes.

Taking to Twitter, one person wrote: “The Responder wow well done BBC for highlighting domestic abuse occurs by professionals to professionals, it affects all walks of society.”

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A second agreed: “My heart was racing, when Rachel outed her partner in front of his colleagues but I was gutted she didn’t proceed with domestics at the station.”

A third pointed out exactly why Rachel didn’t just smash the cupboard: “All those asking why Rachel doesn’t kick the door in. The point is that psychologically she can’t. Even though she can easily do so physically.”

“This abuse side story is making me feel ill. It’s so real ,” agreed a fourth person.

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“#adelayoadedayo's portrayal of domestic abuse in the final episode of #TheResponder is absolutely heartbreakingly brilliant,” said a fifth, while a sixth added: “Binge watched #TheResponder Wow. For once, a different depiction of domestic abuse, power and control. Watching Adelayo Adedayo find her voice moved me to tears. Brilliant!”

Another element of The Responder that has received widespread praise is Martin Freeman’s ability to nail a usually difficult Scouse accent.

Ahead of the series premiere, Freeman confessed that he had spent the last year and a half speaking in Scouse to prepare for the role.

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"I walked around for a year and a half, occasionally just talking to myself in Scouse. Even though you’re not always the best judge of your own thing, I do trust my ear," he told Metro.

"If I say something, I know when it sounds off. I got very, very exact about that stuff. You have to be because if I don’t do it well, it’s a terrible accent to get wrong.

"There are some accents where you don’t want to be in that city among the inhabitants of that city making a balls-up of it."

The Responder is available to view on BBC iPlayer.

If you have been affected by the content of the article, contact Refuge for advice and support.

Topics: TV And Film, BBC

Kimberley Bond

Kim is a journalist at Tyla, and has previously worked at the Evening Standard, Radio Times as well as several national newspapers. A showbiz obsessive and a television fanatic, Kim is particularly interested in celebrity gossip, A-list events and the latest releases on either the big or small screen. Contact her at [email protected]

@0xKimberley