| Whitechapel | |
|---|---|
l to r DS Miles (Phil Davis) DI Chandler (Rupert Penry-Jones) Edward Buchan (Steve Pemberton) |
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| Genre | Dramatic television series |
| Written by | Ben Court Caroline Ip |
| Directed by | S.J. Clarkson (series 1) David Evans (series 2) |
| Starring | Rupert Penry-Jones Phil Davis Steve Pemberton |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Sally Woodward Gentle |
| Producer(s) | Marcus Wilson |
| Editor(s) | Liana Del Giudice |
| Cinematography | Balazs Bolygo |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Carnival Films |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV (ITV1/STV/UTV) (also ITV1 HD/STV HD/UTV HD) |
| Original run | 2 February 2009 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Whitechapel is a three-part British television drama series produced by Carnival Films,[1] which first broadcast in the UK on 2 February 2009 and which dealt with the murders of Jack the Ripper.
A second season was commissioned by ITV in September 2009 with the focus on the Kray Twins. The first episode of this second series was broadcast on 11 October 2010.[2]
A third season was commissioned by ITV in March 2011, now extended to six episodes as three two-part stories.[3]
The first and second season were cablecast in the United States on six consecutive Wednesday evenings beginning October 26, 2011 on the BBC America cable network.
Contents |
The mini-series (now the first season) was written by Ben Court and Caroline Ip. ITV Director of Drama Laura Mackie said "Whitechapel is a very modern take on the detective genre which combines the Victorian intrigue of the original case with the atmospheric backdrop of a contemporary East End of London. This is not simply about bloodthirstily recreating the Ripper murders, but rather focusing on the three main characters at the heart of the story and the black humour that binds the team together."[4]
Whitechapel debuted on 2 February 2009 at 9 pm with 8.13 million viewers on the overnight ratings.[5] A review in the Leicester Mercury said that it was "Life on Mars, without the time-travel" adding "what Whitechapel lacked in originality, it more than made up for with atmosphere and enthusiasm."[6]
After the second episode aired on 9 February, Andrew Billen in The Times said that he had warmed to it more and more, adding, "slowly, the show is making Ripperologists of us all, as Jack's 'canonical' murders are separated from the ones he actually committed. It is all in the worst possible taste and bloody good fun."[7]
| Character name | Actor | Profile | First appearance | Last appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DI Joseph Chandler | Rupert Penry-Jones | A fast-track media conscious Detective Inspector His first big murder case deals with a copycat killer imitating Jack the Ripper. | 1.1 | 2.3 |
| DS Ray Miles | Phil Davis | A veteran police officer who has a low tolerance for time wasters. | 1.1 | 2.3 |
| Edward Buchan | Steve Pemberton | A Ripperologist who offers his aid to Chandler. He also made a documentary about the Krays as a younger man. | 1.1 | 2.3 |
| Fitzgerald | Christopher Fulford | Miles' right-hand man, formerly a DC until he leaked case details of the Ripper to the press. In series two we learn that he has been demoted him to PC. | 1.1 | 2.2 |
| DC Sanders | Johnny Harris | Another member of Chandler's team | 1.1 | 2.3 |
| DC Kent | Sam Stockman | The youngest member of the team. | 1.1 | 2.3 |
| DC McCormack | George Rossi | Another member of Chandler's team. He commits suicide during the Kray case after being forced to betray his team. | 1.1 | 2.3 |
| Commander Anderson | Alex Jennings | Chandler's boss and mentor. | 1.1 | 2.3 |
| Dr. Llewellyn | Claire Rushbrook | The police pathologist. | 1.1 | 2.3 |
| DC Mansell | Ben Bishop | He joins Chandler's team in series two. | 2.1 | 2.3 |
| Episode | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | Viewers (millions)[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Part 1" | S. J. Clarkson | Ben Court & Caroline Ip | 2 February 2009 | 9.26 |
| Fast tracker DI Joseph Chandler is posted to Whitechapel by Commander Anderson to lead the investigation into the murder of a woman, the final step before promotion. However the case does not turn out as straightforward as Chandler had hoped. The victim, Cathy Lane, is found by CSO Mary Bousfield bleeding to death with her throat cut, lying in the yard of a Board School, with the killer watching only a short distance away. The Whitechapel squad – front-line, hard-bitten DS Ray Miles and DCs Kent, McCormack, Sanders and Fitzgerald – arrive at the scene after Cathy is pronounced dead and are less than pleased to hear of the imminent arrival of yet another new DI, a ‘plastic’, a ‘paper policeman’ who has no idea what he is doing. Chandler arrives, armed with the knowledge of his courses and text books, ready to solve his first murder. | |||||
| 2 | "Part 2" | S. J. Clarkson | Ben Court & Caroline Ip | 9 February 2009 | 8.20 |
| As it is clear this case is no longer a straightforward murder that Chandler can wrap up quickly, he is summoned to see Commander Anderson and his superiors who are very concerned that London may have a Jack the Ripper copycat- especially the impact of this leaking to the press. They tell Chandler he is on his own and that he must solve this case quickly. Having earned a small degree of grudging respect, Chandler leads his squad as they begin researching Jack the Ripper, reading books and looking at DVDs, in an attempt to discover who the new Ripper may be. It is a race against time before he strikes again and they have nothing to go on, except what history tells them, and matters are not helped when one of the team, trying to oust Chandler, leaks details of the case to the press. | |||||
| 3 | "Part 3" | S. J. Clarkson | Ben Court & Caroline Ip | 16 February 2009 | 8.72 |
| Chandler has a close encounter with the murderous impostor but fails to catch or follow him; only the timely appearance of a passer-by allows him to escape with his life. His attacker's home, however contains enough clues for the final hunt to begin after the team deduce his startling identity. With time running out fast, the team must battle to find and stop their killer before he completes his final act: his recreation of the murder of Mary Jane Kelly. | |||||
| Episode | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | Viewing Figures (millions) Sourced by BARB; figures include ITV1 HD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Part 1" | David Evans | Ben Court & Caroline Ip | 11 October 2010 | 7.00 |
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Chandler is now permanently stationed at Whitechapel with Miles, McCormack and Kent. Fitzgerald has been demoted to PC. New to the team is DC Finley Mansell. Deemed failures as a result of their inability to catch the Ripper, they are low down in the pecking order in comparison to the new kids on the block – the Organised Crime Division (OCD) run by DCI Cazenove, heralded for reducing street crime to negligible. The team bemoan the fact that there are no murders. Chandler's interest is piqued, however, when Anderson informs him another big case will find him soon. A dead body is soon discovered floating in the Thames, and a series of horrific attacks follow which appear to echo the Kray twins infamous crimes of the 1960's. Despite Buchan's timely advice, Chandler suspects a local gangster of the crimes, but realises that he is faced with stopping a criminal duo seeking bloody revenge for the Krays' incarceration. |
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| 2 | "Part 2" | David Evans | Ben Court & Caroline Ip | 18 October 2010 | 6.52 |
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A man is murdered in an old haunt of the Kray Twins, a pub called ‘The Blind Beggar’ in Whitechapel, the scene of a similar murder by Ronnie Kray in 1966. The barmaid says that the killer was Jimmy Kray and that he lives down the road with his mother, Angie Brooks. Chandler and Miles interview Angie, who reveals she visited Ronnie Kray in Broadmoor and he provided her with a sperm sample with which she became pregnant with identical twins, Jimmy and Johnny Kray. Dr Llewellyn explains forensics will not show which twin is the killer, so they need to investigate the Krays the old fashioned way. Chandler’s investigations rattle the twins and he’s bundled into a car for a meeting. Chandler discovers that Jimmy is clearly insane and Johnny is finding it hard to control him. The team’s perseverance leads them into personal danger; Miles' son is threatened and Kent is terrorised by uniformed officers on the twins' payroll. Mansell receives a wreath delivered at his home, McCormack has a gun pointed at his head and Chandler is beaten before being dumped in Epping Forest. At rock bottom, Chandler asks for Buchan's help. Buchan wonders if Jimmy’s insanity could be a way to separate the twins? A meeting with Johnny is arranged when a car pulls up – it's Jimmy and Johnny quashing Chandler's plans to separate them. They rake the pub with automatic fire. Inside, Chandler spots a gun and fires back. When their ammunition is spent, the twins leave. Chandler is warned that he is the only one trying to stop the twins, and he’s on borrowed time. |
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| 3 | "Part 3" | David Evans | Ben Court & Caroline Ip | 25 October 2010 | 6.03 |
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After the shooting, Chandler instructs Miles to drive to the only safe place he knows, Anderson’s house. While Anderson and Chandler talk, Miles becomes worried when the only person he can’t reach is McCormack. Racing to his house, they find him hanging in his garden shed. Llewellyn rules that the death is a suicide. McCormack’s death appears to mark the end of the inquiry, but it’s all for show. The investigation moves to a secret location, Buchan's house, which will be the new incident room. Anderson can only hold the Krays off for three days and they are only too aware that they have no witnesses, no evidence and no leads. They link Ronnie Kray’s liking for young boys with Jimmy Kray’s ‘Blonde Boy’. When the ‘Blonde Boy’ reveals himself as a girl, the team wonder what else is fake about these twins. Are they really Krays? Only DNA will prove it. |
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Whitechapel was commissioned for a 3rd season, in March 2011. Unlike the previous two seasons, which were each based on a single event, the new season is to be split into 3 separate 2-part stories. The new six episode season will be shown in 2012 in its usual ITV1 time slot. Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davis and Steve Pemberton resume their roles in the programme.