ITV’s Next of Kin uses the familiar to put us on edge

Did you catch Archie Panjabi and Jack Davenport as married couple the Harcourts in Next of Kin’s first episode last night? If not, catch up on ITV Hub today.

In early scenes that had us gripped, Archie Panjabi is in a taxi stopping suddenly in a traffic jam. A cyclist swerves to miss her, as she steps out into the chaos on the road. A plume of black smoke indicates the gridlock is due to an explosion, a terror attack, and soon this is confirmed.

Using a helicopter, emergency services vehicles, a bus, cars and pedestrians, the scenes were filmed with 120 cast and crew in Islington along Linton Street, Rees Street and St Philip’s Way in May last year.

Things take a very dark turn, and soon the Harcourt family is under suspicion by counter terrorist officers.

During their research for the six-part series, its creators Paul Rutman and Natasha Narayan, spoke to Sara Khan of Inspire and the Muslim Chaplain, Kalsoom Bashir who are combatting radicalisation among young people. They were also advised by Commander Richard Walton, formerly director of Counter Terrorism Command.

The creators have said, “The world of Kalashnikovs and Jihad, of Anasheed videos and apostasy, has as much to do with this family as the Salem Witch Trials have to with a modern Anglican. So when this world collides with their own, their reactions quickly turn from grief to denial: this can’t be happening, it can’t be happening to us.

“This seems to us a story with universal overtones. Like the Japanese in America when Pearl Harbour was bombed, Muslims can come to be seen as the enemy within.”