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Viewers blown away by BBC's “rare masterpiece” Broken – but will there be a series two?

Viewers blown away by BBC's “rare masterpiece” Broken – but will there be a series two?

Star Sean Bean and writer Jimmy McGovern together created a "breathtaking" BBC1 drama, but the series' future is far from guaranteed

Ben Allen

Published: Friday, 10 November 2017 at 9:44 am

Viewers celebrated the series finale of BBC1 drama Broken on Tuesday night, with many calling for awards for leading actors Sean Bean and Phil Davis.

The show, which follows a troubled Catholic priest (Sean Bean) in a poverty-stricken community in the northwest of England, has been praised for displaying both the good and the bad elements of religion, and ultimately providing a rare positive take on how the Catholic church can support its parishioners.

The finale featured a redemption of sorts for the priest, who had been considering hanging up his cassock.

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Many reserved special praise for Bean, showrunner Jimmy McGovern, and veteran actor Davis, who made a cameo in last night's episode:

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Sadly, despite such a resoundingly positive reaction from fans and critics alike, a second series is far from guaranteed. McGovern said that he expects lead actor Bean to "move on" to other roles after .

“Quite rightly, he will be thinking, 'What more can I do with that character?'" McGovern explained, according to the Express. "When you see what we put him through, you will understand that there’s not so much.”

However, McGovern added that he would be interested in continuing the drama, perhaps in another setting and with another lead actor.

“I am hoping the BBC will allow me to do another one,” he said. “It’s not that priest and it’s not that parish but it’s Broken 2… Who knows, we’ll see.”

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Authors

Ben AllenOn Demand Writer, RadioTimes.com

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