The Level shows Brighton at its best

The sun shines, just enough to reflect off the pale green paint on the surrounding railings, but failing to warm the dark grey tarmac below. 

Beyond the sea glistens, its waves creating a soundtrack for this moment of silence.

For those familiar with Brighton and Hove's seafront, this is a regular sight.

And now, thanks to ITV's hit crime drama The Level, the image has been broadcast into people's homes across the UK, if not the world.

The colleagues in question are Karla Crome and Noel Clarke, the stars of the six-part series, which concludes tonight (Friday, 9pm).

For those of you gripped, the question over 'whodunnit' remains firmly up in the air.

But one thing that is clear is that those involved in the show have been blown away with everything Brighton has to offer.

Clarke, who has worked around the world in productions such as Star Trek Into Darkness, Dr Who and the Kidulthood series, likened it to the beach resort of Santa Monica in Los Angeles.

Speaking to The Argus, he said: "I feel like Brighton is so vibing.

"It's not even up and coming, it's there already and [as a film location] it adds a new perspective and a more cinematic place than London which some people may not have come across.

"One minute you can be in streets with houses, then you can be by the coast, then in the smaller part of town with narrow lanes.

"I think people are bored of seeing London. In America you go all over the place to work, to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco - why can't we spread it about over here?"

It seems the message is getting out with BBC crime caper Cuffs, the remake of Brighton Rock and Guy Ritchie's take on Sherlock Holmes all being shot in the city in recent years.

But The Level takes Brighton to a different place, turning it into a darker, more menacing location.

For those that have not caught up with the show yet, it focuses on DS Nancy Devlin (Crome), who works for the National Crime Division.

The series opens with her being awarded a medal for saving another officer's life.

Then Devlin's world comes crashing down, as her role in helping her dad's best friend and south coast haulier Frank Le Saux sees her end up in the middle of a murder scene.

What follows is a tight riveting plot with Devlin being deployed to her home city of Brighton where she has to juggle her job hunting for a killer while being hunted herself.

The deeper she digs, the more isolated she becomes, discovering double dealing and treachery from everyone in her professional and personal life.

One of those she is wary of is Clarke's character, fellow cop Shaun 'Gunner' Martin - a strong but silent type who knows that Devlin has more than a few skeletons in her cupboard.

With just one episode to go, viewers are still no clearer to knowing who the killer is.

Clarke said: "I think people will be surprised. I know lots of people are wondering. I even had someone ask me when I dropped the kids off at school but I couldn't tell them anything."

It's this complicated convoluted plot which Crome claims makes it such an interesting show.

Speaking to The Argus, she said: "You don't see many women on TV that are motivated by things that are not romantic.

"But when you look to Nordic noir and shows such as The Bridge and The Killing [which feature women in lead roles], these are not motivated by relationships, but by the female lead's professional life and career ambitions. 

"I guess the thing that makes Nancy tick is that she is being pursued by a killer. 

"She hasn't got time to be mixed up with things that are on the surface. There are lots of deep layers and a lot of that is to do with her history and her professional relationships."

Crome agrees there are layers too with the place where the series is shot, our city of Brighton.

Amazingly the show was not originally set on the south coast.

Gaby Chiappe, one of the writers, said she had originally placed it in the south west London district of Mitcham.

But after production company Hillbilly asked her to set it somewhere a "bit more distinctive", she settled on a place she knew very well: her childhood city of Brighton.

It was a decision which paid off, not only in terms of the story, but also in feedback from the production team and actors.

While the cast were only on set in the city for four weeks, it did give them time to take in some of what makes it such a special place.

Crome said: "Brighton has such an amazing skyline. It's visually evocative as a place, and it gives The Level a really unique look and style. 

"There's a real dichotomy of Brighton as a place with the pier offering the fun and the childhood element of it; but it is also a place that has bad drugs problems as well as a vibrant nightlife scene."

Strangely the park to the north of the city centre which gives the programme it's title does not feature as a backdrop.

But there are plenty of familiar haunts that make an appearance, such as Hove Lagoon and Madeira Drive arches.

Outside the city's boundary, the cliffs at Saltdean is the location for a car being rammed off the edge; Newhaven Fort provides a meeting point for criminal deals; and Shoreham Harbour hosts a staged heist on police officers. 

Each of the characters have their own favourite location though.

For protagonist Crome, it was a shipping container yard at Newhaven as "it was visually interesting and it's a place that you don't always get to go inside and have a look at".

Clarke on the other hand, preferred the seafront, with his character having a a first-floor flat just a few yards from the birdcage bandstand.

Would he like to live there in real-life?

He laughs - "I kind of did think that yeah," the proud Londoner replied. "Inside was a little small but I could get used to it definitely."

There were plenty of other attractions off set too, despite much of the filming being at night.

Clarke took time out to go running along the prom while Crome admitted to walking round The Lanes "as a zombie during the afternoon".

She adds: "It was quite hard to sleep during the day as the hotel was directly above a nightclub with people rolling out at all hours of the day."

Despite the lack of sleep, would Crome consider a return to the city, perhaps for a second series?

Well on The Level coming back to our screens, she did keep shtum.

But she did make one promise.

"If I'm not down for work reasons, for either The Level or something else, then I'll definitely be down for social reasons I'm sure."

-The Level comes to DVD on November 14 courtesy of RLJ Entertainment’s Acorn Label.

SIDEBAR - 

How They Do Love To Be Beside The Seaside: what the cast and writers of The Level think of Brighton

Writer Gaby Chiappe: "I'm really glad we set The Level here as the minute we started then Brighton started seeping into it in all sorts of ways."

Rupert Procter (Theo Kettler): "Brighton is absolutely great, I love working in Brighton, it never seems to change"

Lorne MacFadyen (Darryl Quinn): "I've loved working in Brighton. It's a really vibrant exciting place and it really suits our drama. When the sun goes away it turns into this eerie place and it's quite fitting for what we're trying

to do."

Producer Jane Dauncey: "In order to get the ambitious visuals it's been worth getting right outside of London and looking for big locations that offer a lot."

Director Mark Everest: "A lot of the time productions these days cheat and pretend they are filming somewhere and they are not. In Brighton we could be honest about it and utilise that as much as possible."

Amanda Burton (Cherie Le Saux): "It's just lovely, it's my idea of bliss."

Noel Clarke (Gunner Martin): "It reminds me of Santa Monica when it's a nice sunny day. It's definitely somewhere I enjoyed filming. There are a lot more dramas being set here as visually such a beautiful area."

Laura Haddock, (Hayley Svrcek): "The colours change on a dime. When the sun's out it's breathtakingly beautiful, it's like a painting; and then as soon as the mist comes in it becomes really eerie."