‘The Long Call’: Ben Aldridge’s DI Matthew Venn Takes on a ‘Very Messy’ Case

A fatal stabbing brings Detective Inspector Matthew Venn’s past to the present on this four-part mystery. Based on a book from award-winning novelist Ann Cleeves (whose work has also inspired the crime dramas Vera and Shetland), The Long Call finds Venn (Fleabag’s Ben Aldridge, above, with onscreen colleague Pearl Mackie) back in his small English hometown to investigate.

The sleuth, who is gay, was away for 20 years after being rejected by his family, members of the Brethren, a conservative religious group. “He has to negotiate this [emotional hardship] when he returns,” says director Lee Haven Jones.

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Adding even more strife: Venn’s husband, Jonathan (Declan Bennett), becomes implicated in the killing! “It gets personal and very messy for Matthew,” says Jones. “It makes for good drama.” Dare we say bloody good?

The Long Call, Premiere, Thursday, October 28, BritBox