An Insider Look at Acorn TV Original “Blood“

Producer Jonathan Fisher chats with Acorn TV

 

Acorn TV Original Blood is an intimate drama and psychological crime thriller about family, memory, and the impact the past can have on the present. Producer Jonathan Fisher (Midsomer Murders) describes the series as “one that audiences around the world can relate to.” Acorn TV sat down with Jonathan to chat more about his vision for the series, what’s behind the title Blood, and why you should watch the thrilling Acorn TV Original.

Acorn TV viewers have enjoyed several Irish dramas recently, most of them set in Dublin. Where is Blood set?

Blood was shot in several locations across County Meath and County Kildare, in the countryside west of Dublin. Capturing an authentic, small-town Irish feel was hugely important in helping to create a suspenseful and atmospheric tone for the series. We wanted this world where the characters live to have a kind of “frontier” feel to it.

Cat Hogan returns to the family home for the funeral of her mother, Mary. Where has she been up to that point, and why has she been away?

Growing up, Cat had an extremely fraught relationship with her father, Jim Hogan, a respected country doctor. So she left her hometown for Dublin and the chance to make a new life for herself, away from her family and their secrets. In the opening episode we see Cat return, years later, to face the demons of her past.

A funeral is always a sad occasion and a time when some family drama can play out. But in this instance, how do things go from sad to sinister? What makes Blood a thriller?

Blood is peppered with suspicion and accusations. We find ourselves constantly questioning the innocence – and sanity – of our two central characters, Jim and Cat. At Mary’s funeral, tensions are already running high with the arrival of an unwanted distant family member, but it is Jim’s untimely disappearance after the service that really piques Cat’s suspicions.

The series has a stark title. Is there a double meaning to “Blood”? In the case of the Hogans, perhaps it’s not thicker than water after all?

In this series, “Blood” refers to the unseen bonds that tie family members together. Cat is trying to break them. However, she finds it harder than she imagined to free herself from the bonds of the Hogan family.

Who are the other family members? What is Cat’s relationship with them?

Jim and his wife, Mary, had three children: Fiona, Cat, and Michael. Cat has a frosty relationship with Fiona, who is close with her father and sees Cat’s actions to discredit him as divisive and selfish. Cat has a better relationship with her younger brother, Michael. He is more sensitive and works hard to play peacemaker.

Cat has grown up being told she was a liar by her father, and so her resentment toward him runs deep. Unconvinced by his alibi for the day her mother died, and scarred by her own childhood experiences of him, Cat sets out to prove that Jim was complicit in Mary’s death.

Adrian Dunbar is a “good guy” in Line of Duty. How do you think fans will react to him as the menacing Jim Hogan in Blood? Was playing the bad guy a draw for him?

Adrian is a hugely talented actor, and in Blood he has to play a largely inscrutable character whose innocence is constantly in question. Audiences will be torn, their suspicions about Jim Hogan wavering back and forth until the final episode. This is a major challenge for an actor. It’s one that Adrian relished, and it attracted him to the role.

The physical house the Hogans live in seems important in the series. How did you find it?

Yes, the house is central – the setting for pivotal family scenes in Blood as well as for the action that takes place around the garden pond. The house is located in a place called Larchill Arcadian Gardens in County Meath. It was scouted for us by our excellent locations manager, who worked hard to find a place that would fit with the ominous tone and the look we wanted for the series.

Is there anything inherently Irish about the series, or do you think the story resonates with people across the globe?

The writer, Sophie Petzal, has family ties to Ireland. As a child, she spent her summers in this rural part of the country, not far from where the series is set. When writing Blood, Sophie was at pains to capture Ireland in vivid, authentic detail – through its scenery, small-town atmosphere, family values, and community warmth.

However, we always wanted the series to appeal to as wide an international audience as possible. I think we succeeded. I believe its themes feel universal, and the story is one that audiences around the world can relate to.

Watch Blood now, exclusively on Acorn TV.