In a masterclass of manipulation, The Secret is the true story of a double-murder that took place in Coleraine, Northern Ireland following an intense affair between bible-bashing dentist, Colin Howell, and Sunday school teacher Hazel Buchanan.
Told over four episodes, this ITV miniseries dramatises the real-life events that took place between 1990 – 2011. James Nesbitt is evil personified as Howell, outwardly respectable but a man who is willingly uses his religion as a weapon of control for personal gain and little grasp of the consequences.
Beside him, one has to question how much Buchanan (nicely played by Genevieve O’Reilly) was open to being manipulated when Howell so smoothly describes the extra-marital affair as “God’s gift” which “would be wrong to refuse.” Similarly, when they’re caught out. Howell suggests they can end their respective partners’ suffering “humanely” and she agrees.
If truth is stranger than fiction, it’s still difficult to image two individuals so easily and desperately led into such immorality against their core beliefs. One has to wonder how close to the truth this retelling is, however writer Stuart Urban delivers a dark, compelling drama that’s difficult to stop watching.
The top notch cast also includes Laura Pyper as Howell’s wife Lesley, Patrick O’Kane as Victor Buchanan, and Jason Watkins as their Baptist pastor who tries to make the lovers repent to save their marriages.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet
Rating out of 10: 9
The Secret will be released on DVD from 15 September 2016.
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