Passenger

The characters are well crafted, from David Threlfall as an eccentric to Lilly the arsey teenager to Derek the bread factory boss thrilled with his nomination for Lancashire businessman of the year. The best character, though, is Riya, a woman who has been left by her ex-husband to care for his confused mother, “batshit Sue”. There’s plenty here to tempt you back for episode two.

Yes, Passenger does stick the landing, while leaving scope for another flight. Buckle up.

Really, the main criticism of Passenger is that I just wish there was more of it to allow all the show's many crossing paths and characters ample enough time to breathe. But the time we do spend with the glorious Riya and the people of Chadder Vale is most certainly unforgettable.

There are odd moments that pull you out of the story. .... Despite that, this is a confident, well-paced and atmospheric series that I hope continues to be as sure‑footed and scary to the end.

We were not super impressed with the creepiness or scares in Passenger, but we did like Wunmi Mosaku’s performance, and that may be enough to make this show tolerable.

Buchan draws from a wealth of influences to create something that feels like it is attempting to synthesise the entire canon of TV crime in a 50-minute episode. But while Passenger is undoubtedly guilty of doing too much, this approach does ensure there is plenty of good stuff in there.

Frankly, I’d be perfectly happy with less of the monster stuff and more of the delightfully dysfunctional Wells family – but the show is gunning for much more than that: mystery, domestic drama, fantasy, thriller. Let’s see if it can pull it off.