Suspects (TV series)
| Suspects | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
Crime fiction Police procedural |
| Created by |
Darren Fairhurst Steve Hughes Paul Marquess |
| Starring |
Damien Molony Clare-Hope Ashitey Fay Ripley |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 17 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
Mary Hare Kara Manley Paul Marquess |
| Running time | 45 minutes (approx. per episode) |
| Production company(s) | Newman Street |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 5 |
| Original release | 12 February 2014 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
| Production website | |
Suspects is a British police procedural television series first aired on Channel 5 on 12 February 2014.[1]
Set in London, the series follows DS Jack Weston, DC Charlie Steele and their senior DI Martha Bellamy of Greater London Police whilst they investigate different types of cases including murder, attempted murder, missing people, drug overdose, child abuse and sex crime.
Most of the show's dialogue is improvised in order to make it seem natural, the actors have a detailed story document[2] and perform from there. The show is filmed within the former London Electricity Building on Cambridge Heath Road, London. The building doubles as Brownall House which features in ITV's comedy series The Job Lot.
Overview
Suspects is set in a London police station. DS Jack Weston, DC Charlie Steele and DI Martha Bellamy investigate murder cases, missing person's reports, drug overdoses etc.[3] Within every episode a crime is solved in a documentary style. For the second series the concept of the series was changed, so that cases are not resolved in a single episode.[4] The actors don't have a script. The plot is described roughly, and actors improvise the dialogue and their reactions.[5] Through this production style the series should be more realistic and investigative.[6] The series hardly deals with the private lives of the investigators, it is about the police work. An episode is shot within two and a half days, which means that one scene is filmed within only 18 minutes.[7] The main cast prepared for the series by taking a police workshop with a retired police officer for several weeks. They learned interview techniques, police terminologies and general day-to-day lingo.[8]
Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Damien Molony | Detective Sergeant Jack Weston |
| Clare-Hope Ashitey | Detective Constable Charlotte "Charlie" Steele |
| Fay Ripley | Detective Inspector Martha Bellamy |
Episodes
Series 1 (2014)
The complete first series was released on DVD on September 1, 2014.[9]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Alone" | John Hardwick | Claire Fryer | 12 February 2014 |
| When a toddler is reported abducted from her home, her family come under immediate suspicion. | ||||
| 2 | "Calling Card" | John Hardwick | Jake Riddell | 19 February 2014 |
| The detectives unravel a complex case of assault and drug abuse at an East London nightclub. | ||||
| 3 | "Hard Target" | Craig Pickles | Jake Riddell | 26 February 2014 |
| The hunt for a rapist gets complicated when his latest victim is the wife of a senior police officer. | ||||
| 4 | "Sensitivity" | Craig Pickles | Jake Riddell | 5 March 2014 |
| The team investigate an apparent drug overdose of a euthanasia campaigner. | ||||
| 5 | "Eyes Closed" | Craig Pickles | Claire Fryer | 12 March 2014 |
| The stabbing of a schoolgirl in a notorious London park uncovers an organised paedophile ring. | ||||
Series 2 (2014)
The second series consisted of 4 episodes, arranged as two 2-part stories, with each story being originally being shown on consecutive days in the same week.[10]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Nobody Else (Part One)" | Craig Pickles | Kathrine Smith | 20 August 2014 |
| The team investigate when a barrister is found bound and gagged in his own home, having been the victim of a vicious attack. | ||||
| 2 | "Nobody Else (Part Two)" | Craig Pickles | Kathrine Smith | 21 August 2014 |
| When the body of a student is discovered on Crowford Common, the team realise that they have a serial attacker on their hands. | ||||
| 3 | "Vigilante (Part One)" | Fiona Walton | Hilary Frankland | 27 August 2014 |
| A known vigilante who has a penchant for tracking down and exposing paedophiles is attacked and left for dead on a towpath. | ||||
| 4 | "Vigilante (Part Two)" | Fiona Walton | Jack Riddell & Claire Fryer | 28 August 2014 |
| When the leader of the paedophile ring is found dead, the team realise that time is running out to find the killer. | ||||
Series 3 (2015)
A third series aired in January 2015.[11]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Artist" | Craig Pickles | Claire Fryer | 13 January 2015 |
| The London detectives investigate a brutal attack on a popular art teacher at her college. | ||||
| 2 | "Victim" | John Hardwick | Claire Fryer & Tom Lazenby | 14 January 2015 |
| The team investigates the case of a badly burned young woman who has been dumped in the Thames. | ||||
| 3 | "Safe from Harm" | Craig Pickles | Claire Fryer | 20 January 2015 |
| In the team's investigation of a petrol-bomb attack, Jack sets his sights on a reprobate property developer who has so far managed to elude conviction. | ||||
| 4 | "Connections" | John Hardwick | Claire Fryer | 21 January 2015 |
| After a teenaged girl is found naked and severely wounded, Charlie tries to identify the victim and connect her to the case of a recent girl gone missing. | ||||
Series 4 (2015)
A fourth series began broadcasting weekly on Wednesday 25 November 2015. It consists of four stand-alone episodes.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "AWOL" | John Hardwick | Kathrine Smith | 25 November 2015 |
| The team investigate when a father stages a protest in an attempt to persuade the army into opening a search for his missing son, who has disappeared since returning from a tour of Afghanistan. Initial suspicion falls on three of his army colleagues who he was drinking with on the night he disappeared, but when one of them is involved in a hit-and-run, the team discover that a secret affair was taking place within the confines of the regiment. With none of the suspects willing to grass on their comrades, the team lead a manhunt for a missing satellite navigation system, which could lead them to the location where they suspect the missing man's body has been buried. | ||||
| 2 | "Revenge" | Sylvie Boden | Sarah-Louise Hawkins | 2 December 2015 |
| When convicted killer Dean Price is found dumped on wasteground, having been attacked in the same way as his victim, Alex Wojnar, the team realise that they may be dealing with a case of revenge. Wojnar's sister becomes the initial suspect for the attack, but when the team uncover Price's phone in his brother's house, they realise that Price may not have been guilty of murder. When DNA evidence reveals that Wojnar's sister's husband was present at the scene of his murder, family loyalties become divided, and following some frank confessions, the team soon uncover that Price's nephew may have been responsible for the attack of which his uncle was sentenced. | ||||
| 3 | "Ricochet" | Craig Pickles | Jake Riddell | 9 December 2015 |
| The team investigate when a local community leader is shot outside the boxing club which he runs for disadvantaged youths. | ||||
| 4 | "Rough Justice" | John Hardwick | Jackie Malton | 16 December 2015 |
| When an elderly widow is brutally attacked in her own home on a notorious London estate, the team set out to find her attacker. | ||||
References
- ↑ Morgan Jeffery (10 February 2014). "Suspects - Channel 5's stripped back cop drama: "It's electrifying".". Digitalspy.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
- ↑ Morgan Jeffery (18 August 2014). "Suspects returns: How TOWIE and The Bill spawned Channel 5's drama hit". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
- ↑ David Stephenson (17 August 2014). "Being Human's Damien Molony on Suspects: 'Just brilliant craic'". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ↑ Jake Wallis Simons (20 August 2014). "Suspects, Channel 5, review: 'unnervingly true to life'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
- ↑ Christopher Stevens (21 August 2014). "Catch of the day: Cod, haddock and a green-faced Englishman: CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews last night's TV". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ↑ Kathy Griffiths (17 August 2014). "Crime drama with an edge – that’s why Suspects is Kathy Griffiths’s TV highlight of the week". Southwales-eveningpost.co.uk. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ↑ Andrew Collins (2014-08-18). "Why Suspects is revolutionising crime drama Suspects is that rarest of TV series – a cop show that's actually about policing rather than its heroes' troubled private lives. Is this what happens when you ditch the script and get the cast to improvise? Andrew Collins investigates.". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
- ↑ Lorna Cooper (12 February 2014). "Suspects: Damien Molony in cop drama with a difference.". Msn.com. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ↑ "Suspects Series 1 DVD released 1 September, pre-order now!". Damienmolony.org. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ↑ "Suspects Programme guide". Radio Times. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ↑ Jeffery, Morgan. "Suspects to air new episodes in autumn and 2015 on Channel 5". Digital Spy, 14 March 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.