BBC Four's new Welsh thriller series Hinterland began on Monday night (April 28, 2014), gripping audiences and critics with its Aberystwyth-noir style, moody dialogue and all the hallmarks of its famous predecessors, The Killing, The Bridge and Wallander.

Kit HarringtonKit Harrington in 'Hinterland'

"Hinterland doesn't feel over-researched on the police-procedural front either - making a virtue out of a necessity as, according to the show's co-writer, Ed Thomas, the Welsh language doesn't lend itself to police jargon," said Gerard Gilbert of The Independent.

"In the latest muscular display of Celtic independence, Wales now has a detective show of its own, and I hope I write without bias when I say it's a corker. Hinterland made a bold debut on BBC Four last night, having already won over Welsh audiences," said Ceri Radford of The Telegraph.

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"It began operating in the language of Victorian Sensation fiction and introduced an abandoned children's home, dusty attics, a battered tin box rattling with pulled teeth, all set in a brooding, sinister place called Devil's Bridge. These satisfying Gothic touches hauled it a thousand miles away from the standard crime dramas and I started to enjoy the story," wrote Julie McDowall of Herald Scotland.

Hinterland'Hinterland' Has Scored Strong Reviews

Hinterland stars 'Lark Rise To Candleford' actor Richard Harrington in the lead role of DCI Tom Mathias, who is on the run from a troubled past in London. He partners with local girl DI Mared Rhys to investigate local crime - not unlike David Tennant and Olivia Colman's award-winning 'Broadchurch'.

DR Denmark - the company behind The Killing - acquired the rights to broadcast the show in Demark, before filming had even commenced.  

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