TV Review: Mayday

Last weekend I blissfully ignored completing any uni homework and devoured all five episodes of BBC’s Mayday instead. This mini-series follows the storylines of various characters within a small community reacting to the mysterious disappearance of 14-year-old Hattie (aka the May Day Queen). This program is definitely full of intrigue, mystery, secrets, and good old crime. However, I don’t think I’ve encountered a show where almost every single interesting character is also a potential suspect in the crime. It certainly kept me guessing until the last episode as I narrowed my suspicions down to one person.

Mayday - Where did the idea come from?

I personally thought that the first two episodes were a bit slow but Mayday pulled through and held my interest because there was this air of mystique that gradually drew me in and had me wanting more (plus it was written by the people who brought us Whitechapel!). However, I think this technique was used to not only build up tension but also to develop strong characterisation. This appears to be typical of many Brit crime dramas to the point where it’s like sIGH not another super long episode/series revolving around one crime – but I think Mayday was pretty close to getting it right.

I also have to point out that the motivation for the crime is, well, pretty bizarre to be honest as in a “woah some people need to sort out their issues” kinda way but I guess that's pretty normal in tv shows. I thought the conclusion was brilliant and there are lot of questions left unanswered which added to the whole mystique. However, this might have been done to leave the program open to a second series.

My favourite character was definitely Linus, not just because he was attractive (!!!), but also because I found him to be a very complex and real character. Linus portrayed himself to his school peers as a bit sassy and rude to distract people from suspecting how he really felt inside. He would display this nonchalant attitude to the wider community and then as soon as he would get home this demeanour would just shatter, as he had to deal with his home life and being afraid and suspicious of the people around him. He was just this really gritty and fascinating teenage character that I would love to see more of in YA fiction. I can’t say too much more without dropping a few spoilers, but Linus was definitely my favourite.

Essentially, Mayday is an excellent series that I would definitely recommend to people interested in crime and drama. It was a smart move by the BBC to air this show over five consecutive days, rather than the traditional one episode per week scenario; otherwise I fear that a few viewers would have been lost due to the slow beginning. Anyway, I loved it and it would be great to hear your thoughts on Mayday either in the comments below or by tweeting me @faultystairs