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18 May 2021

Writer and creator of The Pact, Pete McTighe, talks about the new series with a focus on a strong female cast...

“Growing up I was heavily influenced by female ensemble dramas like Widows, Tenko and She’s Out, and I’ve always gravitated towards writing complex female-led drama series. After finishing a prison drama that ran for 8 years, I was craving something different – something just as characterful and surprising, but less claustrophobic and with its own strong identity. And ever since I moved to Wales, I’d been eager to write a world-class drama set here, taking advantage of our epic locations and incredible talent both on-screen and behind the camera. The Pact is the fusion of those intentions.

The Pact is a show that explores secrets and their consequences, and examines the fragile nature of trust, through the prism of a complex, relatable friendship group. Yes, it’s a thriller, with big twists and surprises, but first and foremost it’s a character piece – so it was important to me to take time to drill down into each of our key characters and properly explore the impact of a terrible moral dilemma on each one.

Anna, our anchor and the moral heart of this friendship group, is married to a police officer, which greatly intensifies her dilemma. For Nancy, Jack’s unexpected death triggers massive questions about her own life and faith. Cat, who has turned her life around, is suddenly facing her worst nightmare – a potential return to prison - while for Louie, Jack’s aunt, his death unravels an horrific family legacy. The nature of family is something we explore throughout the series - both the family we’re born into and the family of friends we choose – as well as the cost of deceiving the people we love.

Rakie Ayola, who plays DS Holland, said; “It occurred to me while watching television at the end of last year that a lot of contemporary telly that features women is about women dealing with the negative aspects of sex; buying sex, selling sex and trading sex in some way. I’ve got no problem with sex, but I found that fascinating. Women do talk to each other about stuff that’s not sex, divorce or people cheating on them. You can find interesting, deep, fruitful, complicated stories with groups of women at the heart, like The Pact, where we do all keep our clothes on.”

Eiry Thomas, who plays Louie, said; “I love that it’s just a group of ordinary women who are in an extraordinary situation. I think that is something we can all relate to. I think you can go, ‘these women are not majorly special, they’ve got quite ordinary lives like all of us’. But something happens to them that throws all the cards in the air and the cards are landing in places they weren’t expecting. They’re not incredibly well dressed or super rich or anything. They’re just straight up, ordinary girls who find themselves in a bit of a pickle.”

It was really important to me that The Pact was rooted in a progressive world, with well-rounded characters who aren’t defined by their gender, race, class or sexuality. As a gay man, I live in a relatively safe liberal bubble of my family, friends and colleagues – but I’m all too aware that the world outside that bubble often isn’t so accommodating. So it’s important to me that, in my work, I present the wider audience with characters who might challenge their perceptions, who reflect my experiences and views with regards to gender and sexuality in particular. Normalising queer relationships is a really important aspect of my writing and always has been – there are several LGBTQ+ characters in The Pact and their sexuality is deliberately not the story – it’s just a part of who they are.

Abbie Hern, who plays Tish, said; “I think for me, one of the main reasons that I was so excited to be involved in The Pact was that I never really see myself on Welsh TV. So being here and being a mixed-race actress in a TV programme from Wales and being alongside other black and mixed-race Welsh actresses was just something I only dreamed of.”

I’m really proud of the resulting six episodes which are a testament to their hard work, faith and talent.”