<P> The Fall is a British - Irish crime drama television series filmed and set in Northern Ireland . The series, starring Gillian Anderson as Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, is created and written by Allan Cubitt and features Jamie Dornan as serial killer Paul Spector . It is produced by Artists Studio, and shown on RTÉ One in the Republic of Ireland and BBC Two in the UK . </P> <P> The series premiered in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉ One on 12 May 2013, and in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 13 May 2013 . The second series began in the Republic of Ireland on 9 November and in the UK on 13 November 2014 . The third series premiered on RTÉ One on 25 September and on BBC Two on 29 September 2016 . </P> <P> The title is a reference to the line' Falls the shadow' from the poem "The Hollow Men" by T.S. Eliot . </P> <P> Metropolitan Police Superintendent Stella Gibson, a senior investigating officer tasked with reviewing investigations, is seconded (i.e., temporarily assigned) to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in order to assess the progress of a murder investigation that has remained active longer than 28 days . When it becomes apparent a serial killer is on the loose, local detectives must work with Stella to find and capture Paul Spector, who is attacking young professional women in the city of Belfast . As time passes Stella's team works tirelessly to build a case, but they are met with complications both inside and outside the PSNI . Paul, concurrently, builds a relationship with his children's babysitter, Katie, to unknown ends . As Spector's world comes crashing down, it may turn out to be his professional and not his personal decisions that cause the killer to face a fate he did not expect . </P>

Why is the fall series called the fall