If there’s one thing that gets us autumn ready, it’s sitting down on the sofa with a big cup of tea and a thriller on the TV. If you’re in need of something to watch, BBC’s The Guest is a strong contender.
Filmed and set in Wales, four-part thriller The Guest - written by award-winning writer Michael Barry - features Eve Myles (Keeping Faith) and Gabrielle Creevy (Black Doves) in a ‘toxic and beguiling’ game of cat and mouse. The series follows the toxic relationship between successful business owner Fran (Myles), a glamorous heiress living in a red-brick castle outside of Cardiff, and her employee Ria (Creevy), who is working as a cleaner to try and make ends meet.
Seeing a kindred spirit in Ria, Fran offers to take her under her wing. Of course, nothing ever goes to plan – and things soon begin to go very wrong.
With so many good shows landing this autumn, it's tough to know whether to dedicate our precious screen time to them. Here at Grazia, we round up the reviews to help you decide...
Is The Guest worth watching? The reviews are in
The Telegraph's Anita Singh rated the show a strong four out of five stars, writing, 'It's an easy watch, slipping down like one of Netflix's Harlan Coben thrillers. But The Guest also looks at class, money, and social mobility. The writing will reel you in, and the two lead actresses are perfectly cast. Creevy's natural performance keeps things grounded and prevents the story from becoming too silly.'
TV critic Scott Bryan also had high praise for BBC’s new offering, dubbing The Guest ‘one of the most unhinged shows this side of Christmas. Completely loved it. Great characters and funny one-liners.'
However, The Standard's Vicky Jessop had questions over how far a show can stretch before it becomes more 'silly' than thrilling. 'On one hand, it's a cracking time. On the other, some of those plot holes really are rather holey. At least the acting is good,' she writes.
Writing for The Guardian, Lucy Mangan gave the show a respectable three stars. Dubbing it a 'fast, furious, preposterous thriller of the kind that you can only pull off if everyone involved in its creation and consumption approaches it without an ounce of cynicism,' she writes, 'All four ridiculous, well-played, well-paced episodes slip down a treat. There's nothing hugely earth-shattering or innovative here - apart from the sheer volume of plot contained therein - but you will have fun. That much I promise you.'
The Independent's Adam White had harsher words for The Guest. Rating it just two out of five stars, he branded the show 'BBC One's latest slice of grade-A codswallop.' Describing it as an 'instant copy-paste thriller', Adam continued, 'The Guest is the sort of hogwash that used to clog up the Channel 5 schedules on weekday afternoons, but has since migrated to BBC primetime. They resemble little more than ambient television - pretty faces and loud music cues carrying us through nicely predictable story beats.'
Either way, The Guest is certainly getting people talking – and you can bet we’re adding it to our watch list. With the new BBC thriller available to stream, here's everything you need to know about The Guest.
Who is in the cast of The Guest?
Our leading ladies are Eve Myles and Gabrielle Creevy, who star as Fran Sharp and Ria Powell. Also appearing alongside them are Siôn Daniel Young as Lee Mace, Emun Elliott as Richard Abbott, Julian Lewis Jones as Simon Sharp, Catherine Ayers as Helen, and Bethan Mary-James as Sharla.
Where was The Guest filmed?
The series was set and filmed completely in Wales, with most of the filming taking place in Cardiff. Fran’s impressive Maybury Court house was filmed at Whitson Court, a Grade II listed building in Newport. Other filming locations included Rhossili Bay, the Westgate Hotel in Newport, The Old Farmhouse in Llandow, and the Master Gunner in Cardiff.
Opening up about filming in Wales, Gabrielle shared, ‘The location is stunning; the grounds are vast, and the landscape of Wales looks beautiful. It really adds a layer of charm and mystery to the story.’
We’re adding Wales to our travel list.
Where can I watch The Guest?
The first episode of The Guest aired on BBC One on 1 September. However, the whole boxset dropped on BBC iPlayer at the same time meaning you can binge watch the whole series instead of waiting to see what happens next.
Charlotte Roberts is a news and entertainment writer at Grazia UK. She spends her days covering everything celebrity, culture, and entertainment.