I love Jenna Coleman and this is why The Jetty is her best series yet
The Jetty is a twisty-turny thriller you don't want to miss.
![Ember Manning in The Jetty](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jNgsaFXYghFG3kiigN2zKJ-320-80.jpg)
The Jetty should come with a warning because this new thriller is about to become your next TV obsession.
I hope you haven't got much on for the next few days, because you are going to be busy watching Jenna Coleman in her latest thriller - and her first-ever role as a police detective.
The show, which will have you gripped from the very first episode, is set in a sleepy town in Lancashire, but while the scenery is picture-postcard perfect, this town harbours dark secrets from both the past and the present.
The first episode opens with a huge fire tearing through a holiday home, and Detective Ember Manning (Jenna Coleman) must work out how this act of arson connects to a podcast journalist investigating a missing persons cold case and an illicit ‘love’ triangle between a man in his twenties and two underage girls.
But, as Ember gets close to the truth and starts to connect crimes from both the past and present together, it threatens to destroy her life – forcing her to re-evaluate everything she thought she knew about her life and the town she’s always called home.
I have always been a big Jenna fan, right from her early career as Jasmine Thomas in Emmerdale back in 2005. Since then the British star has spent almost two decades in film and television starring in huge shows like Doctor Who, Victoria, The Serpent and more recently her gripping Prime Video thriller, Wilderness (another show you really have to check out of you haven't already - you won't regret it!).
But somehow The Jetty feels different. While Jenna is very familiar with taking on lead roles in huge TV shows, this four-part thriller marks her first role as a TV detective. But why has it taken her this long to take on the role that so many actors have enjoyed great success in?
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In a recent chat, Jenna told us what made this show stand out from the rest... "My reluctance in the past was because, as much as I love detective thrillers, sometimes you become a vehicle to turn the cogs of the story. But this just felt like I knew who Ember was, it felt like a human and emotional story as much as it was a detective thriller. And those two things coexisting together completely hooked me."
And that's the point of The Jetty - the show isn't just a crime thriller, but it also has themes of subconscious trauma, blurred boundaries and sexual politics, all of which are woven into the rich storyline that will have you on the edge of your seat.
It is also a story about women, about our relationships with those around us, at work, our friends, and also in our family. About how much we really know them, and how much we need them in our lives. Jenna told us there were lots of women on set while the show was being filmed, and you can feel that from the start - it is a show with women at the heart of it, and that makes it stand out from the crowd.
So if you do one thing this week, set aside four hours to yourself and watch The Jetty - this is a show that everyone is going to be talking about.
All four episodes of The Jetty are now available on BBC iPlayer.
Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia.
After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off.
She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz!
As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book.