New Zealand Listener – August 24, 2019

64 LISTENER AUGUST 24 2019

That’sEntertainm

I

t hardly seems possible,

but one of our loveliest

islands, which is a summer

playground for Auck-

land’s wealthy and not

so wealthy, has been made

slightly sinister in a new crime

drama series.

The Gulf (Three, Monday,

8.30pm) is set on Waiheke

Island, home to millionaires

and paupers alike, and just a

35-minute boat ride away from

our largest city.

However, through clever

production design and colour

choices, it looks a bit darker

than usual and certainly more

barren. It reflects the world

of the characters, especially

detective Jess Savage (Kate

Elliott), as she investigates the

reappearance of a 10-year-old

boy who was thought to have

drowned five years before.

Producer Philly de Lacey

Trouble in paradise

Auckland’s idyllic Waiheke Island gets a “beautifully sinister”

makeover for a new crime drama. by entertainment editor FIONA RAE

TV • RADIO • TV & RADIO LISTINGS

The Gulf, Monday.

describes the atmosphere as

“beautifully sinister”.

“Obviously we are telling

a crime drama and a thriller,

so we didn’t want it to be all

roses,” she says.

The idea is to tap into the

different worlds that exist in

close proximity on an island.

De Lacey says writers Paula

Boock and Donna Malane

have “created a version of

Waiheke Island that is a