Eve Myles has earned her accolades in sleuthing, from her gripping performance as DCI Jeanette Kilburn in The Crow Girl to her outstanding portrayal as Detective Annie Cassidy in Gone. The Welsh actress also wowed us in Broadchurch, where she found herself on the wrong side of the law, trying to outwit the detectives... If you’ve worked your way through her back catalogue, we have a beyond brilliant series you might have missed that you can watch tonight: Keeping Faith. Personally, we think it’s the BBC’s best crime drama.
What’s more, lots of people agree with us. The series, originally filmed in Welsh as Un Bore Mercher has been streamed more than 50 million times. So, what is the premise of this highly successful show? Eve Myles takes on the role of Faith, a mother and solicitor who lives on the stunning southern Welsh coastline. But when her husband disappears one morning, – suddenly everything she once knew is a lie. She starts putting together the pieces and soon uncovers a double-life, scandal and deceit...
Here’s everything you need to know about Keeping Faith, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is Keeping Faith about?
Set in the fictional town of Abercorran on the Welsh coastline, the three series, which aired from 2017 to 2021, revolve around Faith (Eve Myles), a family lawyer with three children and a seemingly doting husband, Evan (Bradley Freegard). The first eight-part series opens up with Faith returning from a drunken night with the girls before her first day back at work after maternity leave at the family’s law firm. The next day, she scrambles to get to work, but later that morning, her husband vanishes. Faith goes on an unbelievable quest to find him – and unearths a shocking double life.
Meanwhile, she helps the former criminal Steve Baldini (Mark Lewis Jones), who’s determined to go straight, and DI Williams (Eiry Thomas) is adamant Faith is behind her husband’s disappearance. Adding to the drama, there’s a kidnapping and the series ends in an explosive court battle…
The six-part second series, which premiered in 2019, picks up 18 months later and Faith helps Madlen Vaughan (Aimee-Ffion Edwards), a local farmer accused of murdering her husband in cold blood. The third and final series (also made up of six episodes) follows Faith as she opens up a new firm and takes on the biggest case of her career. The battle follows a 13-year-old called Osian (Keogh Kiernan), who has an aggressive brain tumour that doctors refuse to operate on due to the inordinately high risk. His father, Mike (Matthew Aubrey), makes a court order to challenge their decision, taking Faith to the High Court in London – where we learn more about the mysterious past of the ‘Erin Brockovich of Wales’.
Eve previously opened up about the final series, ‘In the new series, you can expect the unexpected and even more secrets revealed. There’s a new character who shakes Faith’s world just as she’s about to get back onto her feet,’ she told the BBC.‘New and old characters fight for their family and justice, and Faith’s past is coming back to haunt her. There are exceptional performances from all the cast and brilliant scripts from Matthew Hall and Pip Broughton.’
Who is in the cast of Keeping Faith?
The cast of Keeping Faith includes:
- Eve Myles (The Crow Girl, Broadchurch) as Faith Howells
- Bradley Freegard (Vikings: Valhalla) as Evan Howells
- Mark Lewis Jones (The Light In The Hall) as Steve Baldini
- Celia Imrie (The Thursday Murder Club, Trying) as Victoria Wood
- Hannah Daniel (Mudtown, Canaries) as Cerys Jones
- Demi Letherby (Olas De Verano) as Alys Howells
- Lacey Jones as Megan Howells
- Aneirin Hughes (The Light In The Hall) as Tom Howells
Is Keeping Faith any good?
Yes – if you love a crime drama, which goes against the grain, you’re going to want to add Keeping Faith to your watchlist. Eve Myles is completely mesmerising as a small-town lawyer, and it wasn’t only the twisty plot that kept us watching, but also her complicated domestic life.
Is there a trailer for Keeping Faith?
Yes - you can watch the full trailer for series 1 of Keeping Faith below.
How can I watch Keeping Faith?
You can watch Keeping Faith now on BBC iPlayer.
What other crime dramas can I watch now?
If you’re in the mood for another crime drama set outside of the city, we’d point you towards Lesley Manville’s Mayday. Set in the eerie woodland of Sussex, a 14-year-old vanishes, and everyone suspects their neighbour is guilty. What unravels is a riveting ‘whodunnit’ with mystical elements. You can watch Mayday now on Prime Video. If you’re on the lookout for a crime thriller, we’d recommend Love & Death, which is based on a shocking true crime story. The series introduces us to the church-going Texan housewife, Candy Montgomery (Elizabeth Olsen), who starts a tumultuous affair to try to combat her suburban ennui – only, it lands her in handcuffs. You can watch Love & Death now on ITVX.
