Psychological drama The Boy That Never Was has most of the elements necessary for a decent thriller – it’s well acted, the relatively novel setting of Tangier contributes to a rich and mysterious atmosphere, and there’s even a surprise cameo by veteran thespian Simon Callow (the second-best baritone on TV, behind Brian Blessed ). But one crucial component is missing: tension. What use is a thriller that fails to get the pulse-pounding? This four-part Irish series about a child who has apparently come back to life five years after vanishing in an earthquake at least tries to be different – far too many TV dramas revolve around dead bodies.
Sadly, such an attempt to think outside the box translates into a ludicrously unconvincing plot – adapted from Karen Perry’s 2014 novel – that requires the characters to behave in increasingly absurd ways. The action opens in Tangier, where smug couple Harry (Colin Morgan) and Robin (Toni O’Rourke) are living the privileged existence of Westerners abroad. They have a child, Dillon, who is supposedly three years old when the story begins but who looks at least half that age.
It’s a heavenly life. At least for Harry, a sometime artist who takes care of Dillon and hangs around with friendly local Cozimo (Callow) while Robin holds down a proper job in a hotel. But their halcyon stint comes tumbling down when an earthquake strikes.
Read Next After a decade on MasterChef, Gregg Wallace still doesn't know much about food Dillon is.