The British crime drama series Broadchurch is one of the most critically-acclaimed TV shows of the past 10 years.
First arriving on UK screens in 2013, its 3 seasons and 24 episodes focused on the fictional town of Broadchurch and two of its police detectives.
Broadchurch is a classic whodunnit story.
While the overall arc of the story is compelling, it’s the gradual reveals, shifting sense of suspicion, and carefully placed clues, decoys and questions that really keep the viewer guessing.
Creator Chris Chibnall spent a lot of time white boarding all the routes and paths before putting pen to paper.
He didn’t even know the identity of the killer until a few episodes in, and decided to rewrite elements based on what was happening during the production.
This method is very powerful when done well: concealing the clues, diverting attention at particular times, and tapping into natural human instincts of wanting to solve problems and also holding biases.
It begs the question of where else we could apply the best of Broadchurch and other innovative and compelling storytelling styles [1].
Is it in education? Tiago Forte writes about this on Twitter:
I’m excited about applying these ideas in what I’m doing here, as regular readers will be aware.
But what about other art forms? Or in hospitality? Even retail?
The question is no longer whodunnit? but who will do it, and how
Bottom Line: Stories are powerful, and when combined with other elements that influence people there are all kinds of new and improved experiences that can be created
[1] This post doesn’t even touch on the likes of Bandersnatch or Steven