Go behind the scenes on the original Sky drama production.
When a body is found on the border between the UK and France, DCI Karl Roebuck and Capitaine Elise Wassermann are forced to work together to find the killer. Here the cast discuss the relationship at the heart of The Tunnel.
A body is found across the exact point where France meets the UK. Whose job is it to investigate? And what issues about modern Europe will they uncover along the way?
When a prominent French politician is found dead on the border between the UK and France, detectives Karl Roebuck and Elise Wassermann are sent to investigate on behalf of their respective countries. However, the case takes a surreal turn when a shocking discovery is made at the crime scene, forcing the French and British police into an uneasy partnership.
Series creator Ben Richards explains in broad terms the origins of the plane crash idea, and how love leads characters to irrational decisions. The variety of nationalities represented in the cast – including French, Belgian and Dutch – is touched upon, as is how the quest for realism was followed by purchasing actual plane parts to make up the crash wreckage.
Stephen Dillane and Clémence Poésy’s character relationship is discussed in what can only be described as a superficial way. The strand notes there is no sexual tension, but rather a brother-and-sister liaison. With Elise falling in love for the first time on other shores, so to speak, the fact that this particular interaction in the series is without depth and not believable isn’t addressed – she’s the nearest thing Planet Earth has to a Vulcan, hence why her sort-of ‘falling in love’ just doesn’t gel.
The notable scene is picking up on a fracking licence not being granted, the initial fight against it being mentioned briefly in what was broadcast, denoting success for the protestors. Given the current climate of the UK Government wanting to frack our soil and water into a poisonous unsalvageable soup, and the Scottish Government having now placed an indefinite moratorium on it, this could have been seen as a topical ‘hot potato’ for the series to be engaged with.