"I wanted to explore how a death affects a small community that suddenly finds itself at the eye of the storm. The residents of Broadchurch come under scrutiny and suspicion; it’s a story of scale and intimacy, as the lives of the characters are laid bare," Chris told Great British Life. "Setting a drama in the West Country and being closer to home became very appealing."

As he explained, he wrote the series after moving to the area, and he would frequently take "writing problems for a walk" around the Jurassic Coast.

"Dorset gives me space to create. I had a brilliant writing teacher who said it was always good to take a writing problem for a walk," he added. "That's exactly what I did, and still do, in the extraordinary landscape of the Jurassic Coast around West Bay, Burton Bradstock, and Eype."

Seasons 1, 2, and 3 of Broadchurch are available to stream on Prime Video.