The police procedural has an unusual setup and brims with “skin-crawling intensity”.
Ketsuda Phoutinane Spare Time Content Editor
16:01, 05 Nov 2025
Serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) is hiding behind a family man facade(Image: BBC)
If you’re looking to settle down with a superb BBC programme to binge-watch, one gripping crime drama currently on iPlayer might be precisely what you need. The Fall is a psychological crime thriller centring on a family man living a double life as a serial killer (Jamie Dornan) and the detective determined to catch him (Gillian Anderson).
The show spanned three series, with the first receiving the most widespread praise and critical recognition. Anderson portrays Stella Gibson, a detective superintendent wrestling with her own inner turmoil when she’s brought in from London to Belfast to catch a killer.
In an unusual twist for a serial killer drama, the killer’s identity is revealed to audiences from the very beginning. Dornan, predating his Fifty Shades stardom, takes on the role of Paul Spector, a married father-of-two who moonlights as a killer targeting young women.
DSI Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) is tasked with finding a serial killer on the loose in Belfast(Image: BBC/Artists Studio/Steffan Hill)
The first series contains just five episodes, whilst the entire show spans just 17 episodes — ideal for marathon viewing.
Show creator Allan Cubitt drew inspiration for The Fall after reading about the BTK (“Bind, Torture, Kill”) serial killer. Through disclosing the killer’s identity from the start, Cubitt removed the traditional ‘whodunit’ element, instead concentrating on understanding the psychology of a murderer who presents as an ordinary member of the community.
Review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes found that 96% of critics positively reviewed the debut series. Their critics’ consensus declares: “Less sensationalistic and more provocative than most police procedurals, The Fall is unapologetically sexy with pressure-building tension driven by plausible characters and motifs.”
Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan in The Fall(Image: BBC)
When The Fall begins, Spector is hiding in plain sight and local authorities are without any suspects. DSI Gibson is brought in from the London Metropolitan Police to lead a specialist task force due to her experience handling cases involving sexually motivated murderers.
This sets in motion the psychological battle of wits between Gibson and Spector throughout The Fall, which The Telegraph described as having “skin-crawling intensity”.
Both Anderson and Dornan garnered extensive acclaim for their leading performances, with the opening series receiving the most favourable reviews across the board.
“This is a work of great art that asks us a profound question in the treatment of murder-why are we watching; what do we want?” observed The New Republic. “My only uneasy answer is that I watched all five episodes in one sitting.
“This show is binge watching at its best; it’s at once compulsively watchable and intelligent, well-written and beautifully acted with compelling performances to boot,” commended Common Sense Media.
The Fall buzzes with “skin-crawling intensity”(Image: BBC)
An enthusiastic audience review on Rotten Tomatoes declared: “This was an excellent crime drama-I was glued to every episode from each of the three seasons. Just…WOW. The acting and storyline were superb.
“Really good show, the acting is top notch from both Jamie Dornan and Gillian Anderson,” one fan praised on Reddit, adding, “Cannot recommend it strongly enough.”
Another enthusiast labelled it as “too underrated”, elaborating: “I have rewatched this series four times now. Every once in a while, it draws me back to the show. The writing and acting are definitely top-notch. What sets this series apart from others is that it makes people relate to the characters, even the killer. It’s just too real, like it’s happening in our lives.”
All episodes of The Fall can be streamed on BBC iPlayer.
