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Annie Roberts

BBC The Responder: 10 best moments from the Martin Freeman police drama series

The final episode of BBC One's crime drama The Responder starring Martin Freeman has finally aired and for those who haven't yet caught up on the full series - consider this your spoiler warning.

In just five episodes, viewers were treated to a rollercoaster journey, from intense jaw-dropping scenes to some hard hitting emotional moments.

In the series from ex-police officer Tony Schumacher, Martin Freeman plays PC Chris Carson - who is working on night duties as an urgent response officer - but his mental health has been impacted after years of working to the demands of the job.

Read more: BBC The Responder: Is the Martin Freeman drama based on a true story?

Packed with black humour, edge of your seat moments and heartbreaking scenes, The Responder had it all so here's our top 10 favourite parts from the series:

1. Martin Freeman's Scouse accent
Chris played by Martin Freeman with work partner Rachel played by Adelayo Adedayo (BBC/Dancing Ledge Productions/Rekha Garton)

Martin has revealed how he had to brush up on his Liverpudlian lingo to play PC Chris Carson in the crime drama series - and viewers were pretty impressed!

Speaking before the series aired Martin Freeman explained how he hadn't played a character with a Scouse accent before.

"I was incredibly mindful of that when I was reading the script," Martin explained: "It read pure Liverpudlian to me and I knew Tony was from Liverpool. He always said to me that the character didn’t have to be from Liverpool - that not all coppers in Merseyside are from Merseyside, but I really felt Chris had to be from the city.

"I was really pleased when I heard that some of the Scouse actors asked if I was from Merseyside - it was like I’d passed some sort of test. I worked really hard at it because there was no way I was prepared to go on telly doing a terrible Scouse accent in Liverpool with a load of Liverpudlian actors. There's just no way. I'd get taken to the cleaners and rightly so."

2. Marco's disgust at smoked salmon
Marco played by Josh Finah (BBC/Dancing Ledge Productions/Rekha Garton)

After running away from her grandparents house at the end of episode four, Casey and Marco end up in a swanky hotel in Liverpool at the start of the final episode.

In the morning they get breakfast sent to the room and Marco is disgusted at the "raw salmon" on his scrambled eggs. When Casey explains it's smoked he replies with a disgusted face saying "You what? Salmon comes in tins".

3. Martin Freeman chucking a bike over a fence
Martin's character Chris throwing Marco's bike over a hedge (BBC)

This funny scene happened in the first episode when PC Carson had been asked by his friend and drug dealer Carl Sweeney (played by Ian Hart) to find Casey, a local heroin addict.

PC Carson goes in search of Marco played by Josh Finan, a local youth (who he seems to know quite well so is obviously always on Chris' radar!) who knows the whereabouts of people in town.

After finding him riding a bike on an estate, he asks him to get into the police car so he can take him to find Casey.

"Hey. What about my bike?" to which Chris replies: "Christ!" and proceeds to shut the driver door and go to pick up the bike, but instead of putting it into the car he chucks it over a fence into a nearby garden.

"What? Any need like? Jesus Christ!" Marco shouts from the car.

4. The awkward therapy scene

This was another scene that made a mark with viewers as Martin was reunited with The Office co-star Elizabeth Berrington to film the scenes where Chris was in therapy.

Scenes showing PC Carson in therapy are dotted throughout the series, but in one particular moment at the start of episode three, the psychologist played by Elizabeth seems to think she's speaking to a completely different person.

She asks about his wife 'Helen' when Chris' wife is called Kate.

Realising her mistake, when she then goes on to question if Chris is a man called James she replies "I'm so sorry but I'm absolutely swamped. There's so many of you. There used to be two of us..."

To which Chris mutters under his breath: "I'm dying in front of you and you don't even know my name."

5. The lad in the cafe telling Ray "You owe me two pieces of toast lad!"
(BBC)

This line from episode four of the series has had many viewers talking about it on Twitter.

Chris' colleague Rachel has just been to meet up with Raymond Mullen in a cafe, where she kicks off at him and calls him a liar for not being open about who he was and encouraging her to spy on Chris.

After threatening to get him sacked if she hears from him again, she reaches across the table to where a man is sat reading the paper and picks up his two pieces of toast to throw them at Ray.

As she leaves the cafe and the fellow customers and staff are shocked in silence, the customer looks towards Ray and says: "You owe me two pieces of toast lad!" - as if that's the most of Ray's problems!

6. PC Chris Carson screaming in his car
PC Chris Carson screaming in his car (BBC)

This scene shows Chris in a raw moment just after he was released from being held hostage where he spoke to prisoner Greg Gallagher (James Nelson-Joyce) in the final episode. Greg demands him to find Casey and the stolen drugs.

You can see in this moment the intense pressure he is under and how it is all becoming too much. Although Martin was screaming as his character Chris, the scream was inaudible with just a high pitched noise playing.

7. New recruit Rachel standing up to her lousy boyfriend
New recruit Rachel played by Adelayo Adedayo (BBC/Dancing Ledge Productions/Rekha Garton)

In episode four, we see Rachel try to return to her flat with no success but in episode five she returns to confront her - let's be honest - lousy boyfriend but despite getting through the door, she is then locked in a cupboard with no way out.

After ringing Chris who comes to her rescue, she packs up her boyfriends belongings and drives to his place of work, which it turns out is at a fire station.

On arriving she finds him sitting in the canteen with his work colleagues, where she dumps his belongings in black bags and after being pushed she bravely stands up to him and reveals to his colleagues he "hits" her.

8. Carl Sweeney's shock ending

We did warn you there would be spoilers! Towards the end of episode three we know PC Chris Carson has found the bag of drugs Casey had stolen and offers to hand it back but in exchange for £30,000.

We see him switching his plates and agreeing to meet at a drop off location, but on arriving, his childhood pal Carl played by Ian Hart comes to the car and warns him he is there to "save his life".

Carl takes the bag to the car to make the exchange but after testing the drugs the gang realise it has been swapped for washing powder and Carl comes to his end.

9. Chris opening up to his mum about his troubles
Chris's mum June played by Rita Tushingham and Chris played by Martin Freeman (BBC/Dancing Ledge Productions/Rekha Garton)


In episode four, we see Chris once again visit his mum in a nursing home. In a heartbreaking scene, he breaks down in tears as he sits beside her and tells her that he tries so hard "to keep it all in" but he can't do it any longer.

He confessed that he has messed everything up with his wife Kate to which his Mum asks him to hold him before he then goes on to spill everything that has been happening throughout the series, from Carl's death to how he got involved with a drug gang.

The pair break down in tears as she tells him to "fight" for his life and to "keep fighting".

10. Chris and Kate finally working
Chris' wife Kate played by Myanna Buring and Chris by Martin Freeman (BBC/Dancing Ledge Productions/Rekha Garton)

At the end of the series, we see PC Carson return to his family home where Kate appears from the kitchen doorway and reveals she has been to see his mum and pay off the care home bill - taking away one of his main worries and burdens from throughout the series.

He apologises for what he's done, tells her he's going to "be better" and reveals to Kate that "the trouble" is gone. But she then reveals she's lied to DI Deborah Barnes (Amaka Okafor) about who Dr Diane Gallagher (Christine Tremarco).

Are their troubles really over? and will we get a second The Responder series? I guess we'll just have to wait to find out!

You can catch up on the full series of The Responder on BBC iPlayer.

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