The Light in the Hall

Welsh-made drama, Light in the Hall is a brand new mystery thriller filmed during 2022 and the dual-language series stars Game of Thrones' Iwan Rheon, ...

It was really nice to be able to speak Welsh on set. And Iwan Rheon spoke about filming in the county he lived in until he was five. I’d recently had a baby so this was my first job back and it was serendipitous almost that my first job was filming 10 minutes away from my mam and dad which has never happened before. He said: "It was great to be back in Wales. [Light in the Hall](https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/tv/channel-4-light-hall-how-25891806) is now airing on Channel 4 and viewers will get to see some fantastic Welsh locations on screen. There was also extra filming done in Cardiff, too.

Joanna Scanlan is impressive as a grieving mother in West Wales, but this crime thriller is watchable rather than riveting.

The screenwriter, Regina Moriarty, previously worked as a tutor in the probation service and she has clearly given thought both to the bigger picture – the anger and helplessness felt by victims’ families – and the detail of how prisoners are released into society. The drama’s title comes from the fact that Sharon has kept the hallway light on since the day Ela disappeared – a hopeless gesture, since she knows that her daughter is dead, but a sign that she can’t move on. And on Channel 4 we have The Light in the Hall.

Joanna Scanlan is fantastic in this straight-down-the-line crime drama about a grieving mother and the man who killed her daughter. The Light in the Hall ...

The Light in the Hall is a straight-down-the-line crime drama, about a grieving mother and the man who, in her eyes, killed her daughter. It wanted us to consider the very nature of guilt and forgiveness. Roach plays Cat, a journalist looking for the big story that will revolutionise her career. In urging us to feel sorry for him, the drama began to ask more of its audience than just our attention. To cope, she runs a support group for people who have lost someone to violent crimes – the “murder wang gang” as Greta calls it – but closure is almost hopeless. In the slow-moving first episode, we met Joe (Rheon) as an adult man, about to face another parole board meeting, after being denied on multiple occasions because he wouldn’t share the details of Ela’s death.

Channel 4 English and Welsh language thriller series The Light in the Hall stars Iwan Rheon, Joannna Scanlan, and Alexandra Roach.

Roach has previously starred alongside Scanlan in No Offence - her other credits include Utopia and Viewpoint. His other roles include voicing Prince William in adult animated comedy The Prince, and playing Gwydion in The Snow Spider. As the police get involved it appears that there is more to Ela’s murder than it seems.

The Light in the Hall is Channel 4's latest crime drama offering, starring Joanna Scanlan, Alexandra Roach and Iwan Rheon.

‘Then the idea of somebody being released from prison would be like a bomb, really, in your life. She continued: ‘It got me thinking about when criminals do come out of prison, how do you kind of cope with that? Regina, who formerly works as a probation officer before switching to screenwriting, explained: ‘It wasn’t inspired by a particular crime. The Light in the Hall is available to stream on All4. The Light in the Hall’s creator and writer Regina Moriarty spoke to Metro.co.uk about the inspiration behind the six-parter and if it was based on a real crime. Sharon Roberts (Scanlan) is struggling to move on after her daughter Ela (Ella Peel) disappeared from their home in the Welsh valleys 18 years ago.

A Welsh village is left in the throes of tragedy in Channel 4's new six-part crime drama.

In a vacuum, The Light in the Hall would be a perfectly fine, if a little overwrought, small-town crime drama. In the first episode of The Light in the Hall, Joe is let out on parole. It’s a winning framework that has formed the basis of many of the UK’s best recent TV series – as well as a lot of generic dross.

The new drama debuts on Channel 4 this week, and we spoke to Iwan Rheon and Joanna Scanlan about the "genre-busting" series.

[All4](https://www.channel4.com/). [subscribe now](http://radiotimes.com/magazine-subscription?utm_term=evergreen-article). “The moral position of a journalist is under scrutiny and I feel like the framework for this, I wouldn't call it philosophical exactly but it's asking a question about, is there a truth that you can find? By the end of episode 1, you're still thinking, well, maybe she's still alive, maybe she's somewhere else. “And even down to the fact that we don't know where Ella really is, whether it's her mortal remains. It's quite mysterious as to what's happened and how that unravels.

J. oanna Scanlan is an actress who excels at playing grieving, dogged women. In The Invisible Woman, she played Charles Dickens' long-suffering wife Catherine; ...

There’s even a Welsh-language version of the series – Y Golau (The Light) – for which Scanlan made the supreme effort of learning Welsh, which has already aired on S4C. Indeed, at times the most sympathetic person in the show is Pritchard – which says something for the rollercoaster ride that this show is, though that’s not to say it’s fast-paced. As you can imagine, she’s not treated with great warmth by the town’s inhabitants – and to be honest, Cat is the show’s weak link. The culprit is Joe Pritchard, a local boy, and the series opens just as Pritchard is released on parole after serving a life sentence for Ela’s murder. She acts rashly one moment and with cold calculation the next. Iwan Rheon plays Pritchard with deep-set, haunted eyes and a tormented air, while Sharon’s rapid descent into obsession after hearing of his release could veer into melodrama but is made believable by Scanlan.

The crime drama began with grieving mother Sharon Roberts (Joanna Scanlan) struggling to come to terms with her daughter's killer Joe Pritchard (Iwan Rheon) ...

[Why The Light in the Hall is a must-see for Happy Valley and The White Lotus fans](https://metro.co.uk/2023/01/04/why-happy-valley-fans-should-watch-the-light-in-the-hall-18035911/?ico=more_text_links) What does this mean for their relationship beyond the six-parter? But I imagine them probably going off in their separate own ways.’ [Is The Light in the Hall based on a true story? The Light in the Hall is available to stream on All4. After explosive allegations and a shock fire, gripping Channel 4 series The Light in the Hall finally revealed the true circumstances around Ela Roberts’ (Ella Peel) death.

Channel 4's new crime drama The Light in the Hall also stars Alexandra Roach and Game of Thrones' Iwan Rheon.

[Why The Light in the Hall is a must-see for Happy Valley and The White Lotus fans](https://metro.co.uk/2023/01/04/why-happy-valley-fans-should-watch-the-light-in-the-hall-18035911/?ico=more_text_links) She explained: ‘It wasn’t inspired by a particular crime. [Is The Light in the Hall based on a true story? The Light in the Hall is available to stream on All4. Regina previously told Metro.co.uk that The Light in the Hall wasn’t based on The Light in the Hall is Channel 4’s gripping new crime drama which follows Sharon Roberts (Joanna Scanlan) haunted by the past.

The mystery thriller stars Joanna Scanlan, Iwan Rheon and Alexandra Roach, telling the story of a grieving mother still looking for answers about what happened ...

#TheLightintheHall." #TheLightInTheHall." Another viewer was glad to see Alexandra and Joanna reunited almost eight years after first starring together in the police drama No Offence: "@alexandraroach1 and Joanna Scanlan together again! A second person added: "Can the team get two BAFTAs? Taking to Twitter, viewers praised the compelling plot, with one person writing: "Good opening episode to new drama #thelightinthehall. Others who tuned in on Wednesday night called for the show, which was filmed both in English and in Welsh, to be recognised by BAFTA.

The Light in the Hall stars Joanna Scanlan and Alexandra Roach told RadioTimes.com exclusively about how the emotional show's ending will "shock" viewers.

[subscribe now](http://radiotimes.com/magazine-subscription?utm_term=evergreen-article). It's quite mysterious as to what's happened and how that unravels. Something that felt like a positive, the light was hope, has become something that doesn't represent hope at all. All six episodes are available to stream now on All4. It’s become desiccated and dirty and is actually not a very positive thing." Roach said: "I think it's going to put people through all sorts of emotions, and especially the last couple of episodes. I think that was really interesting, and how he, the murderer, doesn't know what's going on. And there's a sense of, ‘I'm keeping this beacon so that Ela can find a way home.’ [TV Guide](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/tv-listings/) or [Streaming Guide](https://www.radiotimes.com/streaming-guide/), or visit our dedicated [Drama](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/) hub for the latest news. [terms and conditions](https://www.immediate.co.uk/terms-and-conditions/) and [privacy policy](https://policies.immediate.co.uk/privacy/). [Sharon star Joanna Scanlan and Cat star Alexandra Roach](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/light-in-the-hall-cast-channel-4/) have spoken exclusively with [RadioTimes.com](https://www.radiotimes.com/) about the 'emotional' series, and how the ending will "shock" and "surprise" viewers. There are a lot of twists and turns there that will really shock people and surprise people.