Coming soon
Coming soon on BBC One
The Young Visiters
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Jim Broadbent and Hugh Laurie star as Alfred
Salteena and Lord Bernard Clark, the two One of the BBC’s most popular dramas of 2002 is
gentlemen competing for the favours of young minx back for another series as the magnificent seven
Ethel Monticue (Lyndsey Marshal) in Patrick head to the Caribbean island of Cuba.
Barlow’s adaptation of Daisy Ashford’s much-loved
comic Victorian novel, The Young Visiters (sic),
written when she was nine years old.
Family Business
Award-winning writer Tony Grounds’s Family
Carrie’s War Business (working title) is a fresh, frank and vibrant
new drama series, for BBC One which puts the
Adapted from the children’s classic by Nina modern suburban family under the microscope
Bawden, Carrie’s War tells the story of 13-year-old until the cracks begin to show.
Carrie, evacuated to Wales from war-torn London.
The Deputy
Hustle
Warren Clarke plays fictional deputy Prime
An action-packed blend of humour and intrigue, Minister and Birmingham MP, Bob Galway. A funny,
which follows the fortunes of a group of expert wry, fast-paced and sexy drama which explores
con artists let loose on the streets of London. Galway’s life and work in the House of Commons
Their first rule of law is: “You can’t con an honest and his constituency.
man”. Hustle stars Adrian Lester and Marc Warren
and is written by EastEnders storyline consultant
Tony Jordan.
He Knew He Was Right
A dark and edgy portrait of a marriage in trouble
In Denial Of Murder adapted by Andrew Davies from Anthony Trollope’s
take on Othello. Stars hot new talent Oliver
A two-part drama based on the controversial case Dimsdale and Laura Fraser, with a strong support
of Stephen Downing and the Bakewell cemetery cast including Bill Nighy, Geraldine James, Geoffrey
murder. In Denial Of Murder, starring Stephen Palmer, Anna Massey, Ron Cook and Patsy Palmer,
Tompkinson, Jason Watkins and Caroline Katz, making her period drama debut.
explores the murder of Wendy Sewell in a
cemetery in Bakewell in 1973, and the controversy
surrounding the conviction of Stephen Downing,
who was found guilty of her murder and given a life
sentence in 1974.
Coming soon
Holy Cross
Holy Cross
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .................................................. 3
Production notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .................................................. 5
Cast and production credits . . . . . . . . . .................................................. 7
Interviews with the cast
Zara Turner plays Ann McClure . . . . . .................................................. 8
Bronagh Gallagher plays Sarah Norton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Holy Cross dispute – background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Holy Cross
Introduction
Holy Cross looks behind the
headlines of one of Belfast’s most
shocking disputes
Holy Cross is a fictional drama set within real fictional families and provides an insight into
events. It tells the story of two fictional families the actions and emotions of those involved on
caught up in the headline events of 2001 on the both sides – an insight which goes beyond the blunt
Ardoyne Road in Belfast. It was there that a dispute images of hatred and anger shown in the news
arose concerning the rights of schoolgirls from the reports of the time.”
Catholic Ardoyne area of north Belfast to walk a
few hundred yards through the predominantly Some of Northern Ireland’s strongest acting talent
Protestant area of Glenbryn to the Holy Cross – Zara Turner, Bronagh Gallagher, Patrick O’Kane
primary school. and Colum Convey – star in an emotionally
gripping film which explores the dispute from both
BBC Northern Ireland Head of Drama, Robert sides.The drama follows the build-up over the
Cooper says: “This was an important story that summer as tensions rose between the two
attracted world attention. Many of the problems communities, before exploding into the ugly
and issues facing these communities reflect issues confrontation that shocked the world.
facing the wider community in Northern Ireland.
This story is about fear, identity, community, Controller of Drama Commissioning Jane Tranter
territory, trust and enmity in a polarised society says: “Holy Cross is part of a growing slate of
where politics and community relations have failed. original, ambitious dramas for BBC One that works
Holy Cross sees the dispute through the eyes of two alongside our new and established popular dramas.
Holy Cross 3
Introduction
Holy Cross attempts to go behind the anger and the
headlines to discover why the people involved in
this particular dispute felt they had to see it
through, no matter what the consequences.With
dramas such as The Lost Prince, Out Of Control and
the forthcoming In Denial Of Murder, we aim to
offer audiences an opportunity to see new
perspectives on historic, social and personal
situations that are relevant to the way we
live now.”
Holy Cross is produced by Jonathan Curling
(Grafters, Amongst Women) and Robert Cooper,
directed by Mark Brozel (Rap At The Door, Mange
Tout) and written by the Northern Irish newcomer
Terry Cafolla.The executive producers are Robert
Cooper for BBC Northern Ireland and Mary
Callery for RTE. It is a BBC Northern Ireland
production in association with RTE.
Holy Cross 4
Production notes
Production notes
Shocking images of distraught and terrified children, pressures and tensions that spilled out onto the
surrounded by police with riot shields, with angry street and get closer to recognising that the people
crowds hurling abuse at them as they tried to walk involved are just that – people – and not monsters
up the road to Holy Cross Primary School in or demons.
Belfast, dominated the news in September 2001. As
the story rapidly snowballed, more and more “One of the reasons that people can be frightened
reporters swelled the numbers on the streets and of a film like this is because they are worried that
pictures of the appalling scenes were flashed the road to understanding leads to condoning what
around the world until the events of September 11 they regard as appalling behaviour but it’s only
knocked them abruptly from the news agenda. through understanding that we can make sense of
the world we live in. Once you demonise or
Holy Cross attempts to look behind those headlines dehumanise people then it becomes all right to
and news images to give an insight into the push them aside. And that’s the kind of sentiment
emotions, motivations and actions of those involved. that takes you onto a line to scream at five-year-old
girls.What this film shows is the cost of
Executive producer Robert Cooper explains: demonisation. It’s relevant to any situation in the
“Obviously, it’s a very sensitive subject and we were world where there is acute conflict.”
clear from the outset that what we didn’t want to
do was make a drama which simply re-enacted the Holy Cross paints a picture of two ordinary families
horrors.We felt very strongly that it wasn’t worth who live back-to-back but whose lives are led on
doing unless we could provide some insight into opposite sides of an insurmountable divide.The
why people acted in the way they did and what it story is told through the eyes of two young girls
was like to be in that situation, faced with those who, in any other town, could be good friends. But
incredibly difficult and extraordinary decisions.We because of the situation in Ardoyne and Glenbryn
wanted to ask the questions: ‘Why would you go they don’t even know each other’s names.
and stand on a line and scream abuse at children?’;
and ‘Why would you, as a parent, choose to take On one side of the interface lives Siobhan (Emma
your children through that abuse?’” Whyte), a pupil at Holy Cross, with her younger
sister Aoife (Lauren McDonald), mother Ann (Zara
Reports at the time repeatedly used the phrase Turner), father Gerry (Colum Convey) and older
“the naked face of sectarian hatred” to describe brother Tony (Henry Deazley). On the other side is
what was happening. But director Mark Brozel Karen (Louise Doran) who attends the Protestant
believes that this enabled those outside the conflict Wheatfield Primary School, opposite Holy Cross.
to distance themselves from it, because it ignored She lives with her mother, Sarah (Bronagh
the fact that many people caught up in the dispute Gallagher), and uncle Peter (Patrick O’Kane).
were not sectarian. “News tends to tell stories in a
very black and white way. On one level, it’s great Holy Cross takes as its starting point an incident
because it tells us what is happening but, day-in, over a flagpole outside the Holy Cross school in
day-out, it also desensitises us to the pain and June 2001 which is acknowledged by both sides as
experiences of the individuals involved.What a the spark for the dispute.The drama includes actual
drama like Holy Cross can do is give people a really news footage from the time and shows the effects
strong emotional connection with what people of the ensuing violence on both families as tension
actually go through. builds over the summer and a crisis is reached
when the children go back to school. Siobhan and
“We weren’t in any way trying to justify the abuse Aoife face the terror of walking through the lines
that was heaped on those young school-girls,” of angry Glenbryn residents, and see their father’s
continues Brozel. “But we wanted to show the life threatened. At home, they witness the collapse
Holy Cross 5
Production notes
and all research was undertaken in the strictest
of confidence.
Spending time with families from both sides of the
interface, Brozel gained more understanding of how
people can become locked into their own version
of events.“I found my sympathies being turned on
and off like a light – spending time with one family
you see the world from their point of view and
then when you go to the other side you feel it from
their perspective. So, if I find it difficult to rationalise
what’s going on, how much more difficult must it be
for people who are caught up in it?”
Cooper was profoundly affected by the level of fear
in which people on both sides live their lives. He
explains: “We wanted to put across to a wide
audience what it is like to live your life in fear: fear
that events outside could threaten you in your own
of their parents’ marriage, and of the relationship
home; that your windows could be broken; that
between their father and older brother. Karen, for
your house could be targeted; that a riot outside
her part, watches in horror and shame as first her
could spill over into your sitting room.What does
uncle then her mother are drawn into the protest.
that do to your head if it happens, night after night?
How does that make you feel about the people
The script was based on exhaustive research.
across the other side of the divide? Does it help us
Writer Terry Cafolla suggests: “There are almost
understand why people end up doing things that
always two truths where this dispute is concerned,
are beyond the comprehension of outsiders?”
as people from either side of the community are so
embedded in their beliefs that their version of
Curling concludes: “Holy Cross takes the child’s view
events becomes the truth. Many incidents are claim
of parents caught up in a terrible cycle of hatred
and counterclaim with no other witnesses.The
and violence. It’s about the tragedy of young kids
events happened because there are two
born into sectarianism and what they suffer as a
communities with very different points of view and
consequence.They are innocent enough still to see
each side is unwilling to acknowledge the other’s
it for what it really is.”
viewpoint. Feelings run so deeply on both sides, it
was inevitable that, when the trigger point was
Holy Cross is the latest in a line of powerful dramas
reached, the results would be explosive, and that is
from BBC Northern Ireland’s drama department
what we have tried to show.”
which reflect life in Northern Ireland. From Pulling
Moves, Pearse Elliott’s 10-part series set in West
Many residents on both sides of the divide had
Belfast which will be screened on BBC Three early
been left with a lasting suspicion of the media and
next year and Gary Mitchell's recently screened As
were initially reluctant to talk to the programme-
The Beast Sleeps, through popular series work by
makers. “The main difficulty was to try and
acclaimed Northern Irish and Irish writers such as
convince the people involved that we were trying
Stewart Parker,William Trevor, Anne Devlin, Frank
to be true to the stories and not coming to it with
McGuinness, Ali White, Colin Bateman and Ronan
an agenda, and in Northern Ireland that’s very
Bennett, to the Billy plays by Graham Reid in the
hard,” explains producer Jonathan Curling. “Many
late Seventies. Other recent highlights from BBCNI
people are still bitter about how they were
include Messiah, Sinners, Murphy’s Law (with Tiger
represented at the time and, in many ways, the
Aspect) and the soon-to-be screened Gunpowder,
media became part of the problem during the
Treason And Plot (with Box TV) by Jimmy McGovern.
dispute.” Notwithstanding, the team spoke to many
individuals and groups on both sides of the divide
Holy Cross 6
Cast and production
credits
Cast list
Ann McClure ............ Zara Turner
Sarah Norton ............ Bronagh Gallagher
Gerry McClure ............ Colum Convey
Peter Norton ............ Patrick O’ Kane
Karen Norton ............ Louise Doran
Siobhan McClure ............ Emma Whyte
Aoife McClure ............ Lauren McDonald
Tony McClure ............ Henry Deazley
Roy ............ Fergal McElherron
Production credits
Producer ............ Robert Cooper and Jonathan Curling
Director ............ Mark Brozel
Writer ............ Terry Cafolla
Executive Producer ............ Robert Cooper
Executive Producer for RTE ............ Mary Callery
Director of Photography ............ Kevin Rowley
Production Designer ............ Jon Henson
Costume Designer ............ Inez Nordell and Andrew Cox
Make-Up Designer ............ Nadia El-Saffar
Editor ............ Colin Goudie
Script Editor ............ Amanda Verlaque
Composer ............ Dominic Muldowny
Casting Director – Adults ............ Gary Davy and Danielle Roffe
Casting Director – Children ............ Dorothy MacGabhann
Production Executive ............ Jennifer McAufield
Associate Producer ............ Colin McKeown
Line Producer ............ Susan Dunn
Researcher ............ Una Murphy
Development Executive ............ Stephen Wright
............
Holy Cross 7
Cast interviews
Zara Turner is Ann McClure
As a mother herself, Zara Turner found it easy to and Lauren playing my daughters, Siobhan and
relate to her character, Ann McClure, and her Aoife. Both of them were outstanding, and Henry,
struggle to do the right thing by her children in the who plays my son, was great.”
nightmare scenario in which she finds herself. “I feel
for her immensely,” she says. “The situation is so Ann is married to Gerry, played by Colum Convey.
much bigger than anything she can control.” When the dispute starts, Gerry is adamant that his
children must not be forced to go to school via the
In Holy Cross,Turner plays Ann, a Catholic mother back entrance. Ann, however, is faced with a
who is struggling with the day-to-day life of living in dilemma as she has to choose between her
the Ardoyne. She is desperate to protect her two principles and her instinct to protect her girls from
young daughters from the horrors of the protest the violence and trauma that walking down the
and, at the same time, to try and steer her teenage Ardoyne Road will bring.
son away from trouble.
“Ann is just a mum who’s under the usual ‘mum
For the Belfast-born actress, Holy Cross was a stress’, with the added pressure of where they live,”
subject that she felt needed to be talked about and says Turner. “They live right on the peace divide, but
there was no question about taking the part. this situation brings a whole new level of fear and
“Things that strike you so deeply don’t come along horror. It brings a terrible dilemma for her. She
very often, so it was great to do this,” she says. “I knows, morally, ethically and politically, what she
hope it will give people outside these communities would like to do: not to give in to people who are
more of an insight than they had before. I just felt it trying to bully her children. But that would mean
was a really important drama and important to do making her children go through something that she
it as truthfully as possible. worries is seriously damaging to them.
“I missed my daughter very much during the days I “She’s caught between a rock and a hard place and
was away filming but it was brilliant to have Emma it obviously brings up conflict with her husband
Holy Cross 8
Cast interviews
because he feels very strongly that they must walk
up the Road. Ann’s not a very political person. She’s
more concerned with bringing up her family and
trying to steer them through very difficult times.”
Turner acknowledges that the subject matter is still
sensitive and events are fresh in people’s minds. But
she points out that it offers audiences an
opportunity to consider a new perspective on the
social and personal situations that people in
Ardoyne and Glenbryn have had to deal with.
“I think it’s a very delicate thing to deal with
because you’re talking about people who are still
living in those situations,” she says. “When it was
actually happening, you saw two or three minutes
of the horror on the news and this film tries to
look at what was going on behind those pictures.”
Holy Cross 9
Cast interviews
Bronagh Gallagher is Sarah Norton
Bronagh Gallagher is one of Ireland’s most high- political situation. But sectarianism is about fear –
profile actresses, best known for her starring role fear of the unknown, fear of what is different – and
as Bernie in Alan Parker’s The Commitments. that can very quickly turn to hatred.
Gallagher has appeared in Hollywood hits such as
Pulp Fiction and Thunderpants but she admits the “The sectarianism between these communities has
projects she is really drawn to are the ones about existed for centuries with each religion fighting for
issues closer to home. Last year, she starred in BBC their territory and right to the land. But, when it
Northern Ireland’s production for BBC One, comes to the physical and mental abuse of children,
Sinners, which looked at the plight of young girls that surely has to come to an end. People have to
with illegitimate babies who were sent to the recognise that they need to move forward and let
infamous laundries run by the Catholic Church. In the healing begin. If there is to be peace in
Holy Cross, she plays Sarah, a Protestant mother Northern Ireland, it has to be for everybody and
living back-to-back with her Catholic neighbours, every part of the community.”
who joins the protestors on the Ardoyne Road.
For Gallagher, Holy Cross is a reflection of the wider
Although Gallagher grew up a Catholic in what she problems affecting Northern Ireland. “This film is
describes as “a very aggressive, army-controlled about the fear of lack of identity. Because of the
environment,” the Derry-born actress has no system and the political infrastructure of Northern
qualms about playing a Protestant mother in Holy Ireland, people’s identity has been challenged –
Cross. “It’s not an issue for me that I’m playing a what we stand for, what we represent.
Loyalist,” she says, “it is as important to tell another
story as my own.” “In Northern Ireland, the Nationalist population has
grown a lot in the last few years and the structure of
Like most people, Gallagher was shocked by the Northern Ireland has changed.What was once a
images broadcast from Belfast at the time. “There predominantly Protestant state has changed.
was no lower to go,” she says. “I think it’s very hard Nationalists have power. In the past, the Protestant
to understand if you don’t know the history of the community was favoured as regards work, as
Holy Cross 10
Cast interviews
regards votes, as regards housing – it’s not that way
anymore and people are scared.”
Sarah is a single mother living with her daughter
on the front line of the divide and, like many, she
lives her life in fear. Although she wants to get a
‘peace wall’ she’s not a sectarian and has tried to
bring up her daughter, Karen, to respect her
Catholic neighbours.
Before filming began, Gallagher visited Glenbryn
and Ardoyne with a friend who knew the area well,
and she was shocked to see the number of houses
that were abandoned.
She says of Sarah: “Not everybody who lives within
the Ardoyne is political and not everybody is
sectarian. But certain groups cause trouble which, a
lot of the time, affects the entire community. Unlike
her neighbour, Dawn, Sarah’s not a bigot but she is
an activist in the sense that she wants to get a wall
so she can feel safe within her home. All around
her, people are moving out and, when Dawn leaves
too, it’s a terrible blow for Sarah. Initially, she’s
against the protest and is keen to try and resolve
things through community meetings. But when her
child, who is the complete focus of her life, is
caught up in the violence, she joins her brother on
the protest lines. However, she’s ashamed because
she knows everything she’s taught her daughter has
been symbolically crushed.”
Holy Cross 11
Holy Cross dispute –
background
Background
The protest at Holy Cross Primary School appeared Claim, counterclaim, arguments, attacks, resentment
at first to be a minor impasse in June 2001. and rioting.There is very little sense of a
However, when a solution couldn’t be found by functioning peace process at work in this part of
the end of the summer, the situation gained national North Belfast.
significance and symbolism from September when
the new school term started.The protest became Tensions have always simmered and erupted
a cause celebre, with scenes of little children going between Catholics and Protestants on this
to school past a gauntlet of bitter protest providing interface.The slightest provocation can be the
a grim picture of Northern Ireland throughout touch paper that ignites more violence. On a June
the world. afternoon in 2001, it was an argument about a flag.
Holy Cross is a Catholic primary school situated in
a Protestant Loyalist area.This area, Glenbryn, is
itself an enclave within the much larger sprawling
Catholic Nationalist Ardoyne. Sectarian interfaces
are prevalent in Belfast, nowhere more so than
here in North Belfast, where during over 30 years
of the Northern Ireland Troubles almost a quarter
of the 3,500 murders occurred.
Interface landmarks often come in the shape of
‘peace’ walls, physically dominating structures that
divide territory and are erected as a preventative
measure against violent attacks on people and
property. In some areas, people believe the walls
need to be extended because attacks on homes on
both sides of the divide are a regular occurrence.
Such was the case on the Ardoyne road in 2001.
The Protestant Glenbryn residents see their
community dying: poor employment prospects,
inadequate housing and security measures,
paramilitaries moving in, people moving out.They
see the Catholic’s numbers rising, bursting at the
seams.They fear that the Nationalists want to drive
them out of – and take over – their homes.
For the Catholic’s part, they too claim they are
constantly attacked, people and property abused on
an almost daily basis. Since the loyalist feud of 2000,
they say the numbers of attacks have increased in
hand with a UDA paramilitary presence.The
Catholics claim that they have never wanted to
take over the Glenbryn houses.
Holy Cross 12
Charles II – The Power
& The Passion
Charles II – The Power & The Passion
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Rufus Sewell plays Charles II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Synopses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Accompanying Documentaries:
The Boy Who Would Be King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Cromwell – Warts And All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Charles II – The Power & The Passion
Introduction
“Charles II – The Power & The Passion is set in the “I found the story of Charles II an incredibly
corridors and bedrooms of power, and takes place colourful, sexy and lively period of history,” says
during a pivotal moment in our history, when the Hodges. “Huge themes of power, compromise,
conflict between monarch and state is at a passion and betrayal run strongly through his reign.
crossroads,” says Jane Tranter, BBC Controller of
Drama Commissioning. “It’s a period that feels astonishingly contemporary
to me, and that’s one of the reasons why I found it
“Charles is charming, devious and manipulative by so compelling. None of the issues that preoccupied
turns, and he presides over an extended, him seem distant, and many of them have a
dysfunctional family like a modern patriarch. He has disturbingly contemporary resonance.”
no one to trust – even his best friend, Buckingham,
betrays him – and his relationship with Parliament “The return of Charles II restored the Crown in
is stretched to breaking-point. He rules by instinct 1660,” says producer Kate Harwood. “This
and his instinct is to survive.” moment was a fulcrum of English history: it was
the end of a certain kind of monarchy and the
Rufus Sewell stars as the King in this ambitious and birth of a new one.”
original take on the reign of Charles II.The focus of
Charles II is the King’s Court, his squabbling family Often known as the “Merry Monarch”, Charles
and his glamorous mistresses – from the high-born made the most of being King of England. He
and promiscuous Barbara Villiers (Helen McCrory), surrounded himself with witty courtiers and kept
through folk heroine and sex symbol of the day many beautiful mistresses.The extravagance of his
Nell Gwynn (Emma Pierson), to the French spy reign was born of his penniless and powerless years
Louise de Kéroualle (Mélanie Thierry).Written by in exile after his father’s execution.
award-winning screenwriter Adrian Hodges, whose
credits include David Copperfield and The Lost World, “Charles lived through the most appalling
the four-part drama penetrates the heart of the experiences while still barely more than a child. He
charismatic Monarch who was deeply traumatised lost his father to the executioner, he was very nearly
by the execution of his father by Oliver Cromwell captured and killed himself, and he was the victim of
in 1649. vicious political intrigue,” continues Hodges.
The cast also includes: Diana Rigg as Henrietta “It all went to make him a much more complex and
Maria, Charles’s volatile, unforgiving mother; Rupert fascinating character than the traditional view of
Graves as his closest friend and rival, the Duke of the witty, womanising monarch. He was those
Buckingham; Martin Freeman as Lord Shaftesbury, things but he had a much darker side as well. He
one of Charles’s most contentious ministers; Ian understood the true cost of power and what its
McDiarmid as the elder statesman Sir Edward pursuit does to people.
Hyde; Charlie Creed-Miles as James, Charles’s
brother; and Alice Patten, who plays the demure “Charles II was an exceptionally clever man, a
Lady Frances Stewart, the young virgin who serious thinker, a devious politician, a considerate
manages to escape Charles’s sexual advances. husband but also a serial adulterer; a man who was
Charles II – The Power & The Passion 15
Introduction
remarkably tolerant of religious differences – it was directors. Because Joe had never done a piece like
a frighteningly bigoted age in that respect,” says this before, he had no preconceptions.We have
Hodges.“It was these contradictions that I found so something which is beautiful and modern without
fascinating and which make him a hero or an anti- trying to look modern – a piece which is seeped in
hero, depending on which way you want to look at it.” detail and looks absolutely stunning.”
On Charles’s triumphant return, he found a nation Charles II was shot in the Czech Republic on
torn apart by years of bloody civil war and dulled location and in the studio. Seven weeks of the
by the repressions of a Puritan Regime. For the first 12-week shoot were spent on a huge, 14-room
few years, the glamour of King and Court composite set, where the design team created the
rejuvenated the nation, but his popularity waned interior of the Palace of Whitehall.Two further
and the Great Plague of 1665 and the Fire of weeks were spent on an exterior set, built into the
London in 1666 tore into people’s morale. ruins of a castle outside Prague, where the streets
of London were constructed.
“The period is known not just for the sex and
bawdiness, but also for the intrigue of a highly “We had to build 17th-century London and Whitehall
politicised court, for the vividness of its leading because it largely doesn’t exist anymore.What we
characters and, importantly, for being a hugely were trying to do was to create a world that wasn’t
pivotal moment in our nation’s story.We wanted to entirely naturalistic, but instead was impressionistic,
make a drama out of that history,” says Harwood. almost like a fairly-tale setting,” says Wright.
“Although I have used the historical background as “And within this world, what we wanted was
carefully as I can, I am not claiming that this is somebody who could completely dominate the
exactly how things were,” adds Hodges. “In screen,” says Harwood. “You should be left in no
reinventing a period of history there are certain doubt as to who was king. Rufus has that presence.
short cuts that have to be taken, characters lost or He also has charisma, physical energy and a
changed, chronology adapted.The story is a drama gentleness which made him perfect as Charles. He
first and foremost. I have taken certain liberties to is powerfully good looking but sensual, sexy and
make it work because I am a dramatic writer, not vulnerable with it.”
a historian.”
“Charles was an extraordinarily charming, good-
Director Joe Wright says: “I wanted to create humoured and tolerant man, who was one thing to
something that was accessible to everyone and his women and another to his ministers,” adds
something which had personal, emotional Hodges. “He was multi-faceted. Rufus not only
resonances for the audience at whatever age they looks like him, but has this great ability in his acting
are and wherever they come from. to show charm, humour and generosity of spirit. He
can convey the complexity of the character as well
“To me, the story is about the struggle between as warmth. He is also very sexy, which is what
being a good and decent man and being a king.We Charles was,” says Hodges.
see the world through Charles’s eyes and feel his
emotions with him,” continues Wright.“He is not a Intrigue, sex, politics and power dominate the
heroic character who never does anything wrong, he drama. Charles II was a ruler with a healthy appetite
is flawed. He’s human and that’s what’s important.” for beautiful, self-confident women.When the
uninhibited Barbara Villiers (later Countess of
“Charles II has been directed with real verve, energy Castlemaine) became Charles’s mistress, she bore
and attack, so that you feel that you’re part of that him several illegitimate children and used her
Court,” says Laura Mackie, executive producer. “I sexual power to try to influence and control him.
think Joe is an incredibly emotional director and She even managed to persuade him to appoint her
that’s why there is this intensity and a sense of as lady-in-waiting to his bewildered but spirited
being there that you wouldn’t get with some other wife, Catharine.
Charles II – The Power & The Passion 16
Introduction
“She is one of the most fabulous characters of this
period,” says Harwood of Barbara Villiers. “Helen
McCrory’s performance is captivating, sexy,
outrageous and brilliant.”
One of the most important women in Charles’s
life, however, was his wife, Catharine of Braganza
(played by Shirley Henderson). She was unable to
provide Charles with a legitimate child who could
be his heir, which devastated them both, but he
chose not to divorce her and seek an heir with a
new wife, though under pressure to do so from
both Parliament and Court.
“One of the slowest-growing relationships is with
Catharine,” says Harwood. “In some ways, by the
time Charles dies, we find that she really was the
love of his life, certainly his closest friend.”
Alongside Adrian Hodges’s four-part drama Charles
II – The Power & The Passion, BBC One is showing
two accompanying documentaries. Cromwell – Warts
And All tells the story of Oliver Cromwell and
uncovers the real reason why he wanted to destroy
Charles I. The Boy Who Would Be King gives an
insight into the early years of Charles II and reveals
the dramatic events that shaped this complex and
contradictory character.
Charles II – The Power & The Passion and the two
accompanying documentaries are part of a range of
programmes this autumn for BBC One which
offers audiences an opportunity to consider new
perspectives on historic, social and personal
situations.They follow Pompeii – The Last Day and
Colosseum – Rome’s Arena Of Death, which were
shown in October.
Directed by Joe Wright (Bodily Harm) and produced
by Kate Harwood, Charles II – The Power & The
Passion is a BBC and A&E Network production for
BBC One.The executive producers are Laura
Mackie (BBC) and Delia Fine (A&E).
BBCi provides an accompanying website at
www.bbc.co.uk/charles
Charles II – The Power & The Passion 17
Cast interview
Rufus Sewell plays King Charles II
(King Charles II: b.1630 d.1685)
An hour’s drive from the beautiful city of Prague, His close-cropped pate faced an even closer
up a dusty, twisting track, lies the 17th-century shave when he came to portray the Monarch on
castle of Tocnik. Into these ruins part of the set for his deathbed.
Charles II, BBC One’s lavish new drama serial, has
been built. He explains: “He had a stroke and they shaved his
head to do a series of grotesque and agonising
The King himself, played by Rufus Sewell who treatments, so I agreed to have my head shaved
makes an exciting return to BBC Television eight completely to play the scene.”
years after his appearance in Cold Comfort Farm, is
seemingly unfazed by the sweltering heat as he In 1660, Charles returned to England to reclaim the
strides around the hillside ramparts in his blood- throne, entering London on his 30th birthday, 29
red velvet and ermine robes, a jewelled crown and May. He would become the last English king ever to
wig of long, dark curls. try to rule without Parliament. Sewell, 36, hopes his
portrayal of the charismatic sovereign, who reigned
Sewell’s role as the traumatised, exiled son of until 1685, shows the man in all his contradictions.
Charles I, beheaded under Cromwell’s austere
regime, meant a welcome return to the Czech “Over four hours you have a chance to show a
Republic for the handsome star. Sewell filmed very developed portrait of someone. Charles II was
A Knight’s Tale in 2001 in Prague. many conflicting things. He was a weak man and he
was a strong man; he was sentimental and he was
“I was wearing black metal armour and was sitting tough; he was good and he was bad; he was quite
on a horse in 110 degrees,” he declares. “At least moral and he was a naughty old bugger,” he adds
playing Charles I can take the wig off when it gets with a grin. “So he was very complicated in the way
too hot – that’s what they did in those days and that normal human beings are.You get a chance to
that’s why their own hair was cut very short.” see all of it in this drama, whereas in films often
Charles II – The Power & The Passion 18
Cast interview
everything is cut down and people tend to be The actor, who has also starred on the big screen
reduced to their simplest element. in Dangerous Beauty, Bless The Child with Kim
Basinger and the recent action thriller Extreme Ops,
“People know certain things about historical hopes viewers will like his character.
figures,” the actor continues. “And what they know
about Charles II is orange-selling Nell Gwynn and “Like any person, if you watch them across their
spaniels. In fact, we’ve avoided having spaniels whole life, they do some bad things – they make
coming out of our ears – there’s just the odd one.” mistakes. He messes it up a few times, especially
with women because he’s useless at standing up to
The overwhelming majority of the 17th-century them.All a woman has to do is cry and he goes,
population took the newly restored Stuart King to ‘Okay, you can have what you like,’ which often
their hearts. proved disastrous and is dangerous in a king.This is
particularly true when Barbara Castlemaine [the
“The people liked him because he generally had King’s glamorous, manipulative mistress, played by
what they call the common touch,” explains Rufus. Helen McCrory] squirts out a few tears; he’s
“I think that’s because, when he was young and in absolutely helpless. People will certainly occasionally
hiding, he spent a lot of time with ordinary people think he’s daft but, hopefully, they’ll see he was a
and was forced to depend on them to survive. He good man as well.You see both sides of him.”
had to pose as one of the servants as they travelled
around the country trying to escape Cromwell’s Sewell believes that Charles II stands out in the
soldiers. He would ask people, ‘What do you think period drama genre.
of the King?’ It’s an extraordinary thing for a king
to do and the amazing thing is he managed not to “It is a fantastic story and it is very different
stick out like a sore thumb. because it isn’t one of the great novels but is
written from history. It’s about a fantastic, vivid
“I think that experience stayed with him, especially period of time that was very decadent – almost like
in how he treated Catholics, because he was the Sixties.They drank heavily and there was a
looked after by Catholics and was very sympathetic sexual revolution. Because the old Puritans had just
to them. He had a good manner with people, he been booted out, there was an enormous
listened – and of course he occasionally shagged explosion of freedom – artistic freedom, musical
them as well!” laughs the green-eyed Middlemarch freedom and sexual freedom, particularly at Court.
star, who was so memorable as George Eliot’s hero,
Will Ladislaw, in the award-winning BBC series. “And through all the great events of the time, like
the Plague and the Great Fire of London, you have
In a new era of post-Puritan freedom, women made this man battling to hold on to his crown. Adrian
themselves readily available to Charles and, over his Hodges has drawn an extraordinary portrait of an
lifetime, he fathered at least 13 illegitimate children. epoch and of a man.”
“Well, he was a king,” says an amused Sewell, who Working often 12-hour days and six-day weeks for
is best known for his roles in Cold Comfort Farm, three months meant that Sewell had very little time
Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel And Laurence and A to step out of character.
Knight’s Tale. “Being king at that time was like being
king, prime minister and the most famous film star “It’s not that you actually become someone else,
in the world rolled into one. And if you can’t pull but you get comfortable in the skin. And the feeling
with that combination …” of being Charles settled on me after the first
couple of weeks and it never really went away, and
The hedonistic Charles never really settled down that’s such a luxury. I felt very, very comfortable as
with one woman but he was a generous lover and Charles and that’s a lot to do with how immersed
remained friends with most of his mistresses. I was in the part.”
Charles II – The Power & The Passion 19
Cast interview
Rufus plays a physical sovereign and viewers will
see him fencing his agile way across the small
screen. “But I can’t really fence,” he confesses
modestly. “It’s the magic of rehearsal and cameras.
At drama school I did a little fencing and lots of
jobs required it, so I’ve done bits and bobs before
but, basically, you learn whatever is necessary for
when the cameras are on. But complete the
sequence and if someone were to say, ‘All right,
carry on,’ you’d be crap!”
Rufus studied at London’s Central School of Speech
and Drama, where he won the Best Newcomer
Award for his London stage debut in Making It
Better. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for
his role in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia and won the
Broadway Theatre World Award for Translations.
He is currently filming Tristan And Isolde, directed
by Kevin Reynolds, in which he plays Lord Mark,
first in the west of Ireland, then ironically back
in Prague.
Sewell was born in Twickenham to Welsh mother Jo
and Australian animator father Bill, who worked on
Yellow Submarine. His father died when he was 10
and he has an older brother, Caspar.
If he hadn’t become an actor, he thinks he would
have pursued the musical career he began with his
brother, playing drums in teen bands, but the magic
of film weaved its spell when he was a child.
He recalls: “It wasn’t like a thunderbolt, but I
remember being very young and watching Charles
Laughton in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and
thinking, ‘I could do that’. I remember him in the
rafters and seeing the little child inside him, behind
his eyes; this little creature stuck in this horrible
body. I thought that was interesting, the fact that
you could see his soul.
I also remember trying to work out why I liked
Anthony Hopkins and Marlon Brando.There was
something about them – the fact that you could
see something different in their eyes than their face
was trying to tell you – that maybe there were two
different stories going on, like real people.”
Charles II – The Power & The Passion 20
Synopses
Synopses
Episode One of the devout and mousy Catharine from Portugal,
and she insists on being chief among the ladies-in-
waiting. Barbara has her own agenda and is
prepared to stoop to any level to achieve her ends.
Episode Two
With no sign of a Royal pregnancy, the succession
is a thorny issue. Charles’s impetuous brother and
heir to the Throne, James, Duke of York,
complicates matters with his conversion to
Catholicism.With the prospect of a Catholic King
an anathema to the Protestant English, Barbara is
busy priming Charles’s eldest son, Monmouth, for
greatness: he might be a bastard, but he’s a
Protestant bastard.
When Catharine becomes pregnant, Barbara’s
scheming seems to have been for nothing but,
tragically, the Queen miscarries.With the lack of a
viable Protestant heir to the Throne, Charles is
under pressure to divorce Catharine and remarry.
The beautiful Lady Frances Stewart is groomed by
Barbara as a potential future Queen but, just when
Penniless and powerless, after nearly a decade in Charles seems tempted to propose, she elopes and
exile from Republican England, Charles II’s oldest flees the Court.
and dearest friend, the Duke of Buckingham,
abandons him and returns home to make his peace
with Cromwell. But when loyal minister Sir Edward Episode Three
Hyde brings news of Cromwell’s sudden death, the
prospect of Charles regaining the Crown seems
within his grasp.
General Monck picks up on the nation’s growing
discontent and persuades Parliament to invite
Charles Stuart back to take up his Throne. Charles
makes his triumphant ride into London on his 30th
birthday, following another victory with the long-
anticipated seduction of the beautiful and tantalising
Barbara Villiers.
With the virile Charles spawning illegitimate
children, the need for a Queen and an heir
becomes paramount. Barbara is confident enough As fire blazes through London, destroying whole
of her charms not to be threatened by the arrival swathes of the city, Charles and James fight valiantly
Charles II – The Power & The Passion 21
Synopses
to contain it. Many see the fire as God’s judgement
on Charles and his licentious Court and, as
awareness of Barbara’s depravity grows, the
Monarch’s popularity wanes. But Barbara is about
to be eclipsed in Charles’s heart as he falls under
the spell of sparky, streetwise actress Nell Gwynn.
Minette, Charles’s beloved little sister, is sent from
France as Louis XIV’s envoy.The endless wrangling
with Parliament makes Charles desperate to
appropriate money from another source, and
France is prepared to grant him a subsidy in return
for support against the Dutch. Charles also
negotiates a second, covert treaty, whereby the
French King will provide unlimited funds, should he
convert to Catholicism.
Minette, having concealed a debilitating sickness
from her cherished brother, dies on return to
France. Charles is devastated by her death.
Comfort comes from Louise de Kéroualle,
Minette’s beautiful lady-in-waiting who, alongside
Nell, becomes another devoted Royal mistress.
Under pressure to enforce the Test Act, Charles
avenges his frustration by sacking Lord Shaftesbury
from the Privy Council. Shaftesbury quickly enlists
Buckingham in the Protestant cause and plans to
champion Monmouth over James as heir to the Charles lives out the final years of his reign in
throne. Charles seems vulnerable on all fronts relative peace, yet he is profoundly conscious of the
when news of a plot to murder him is revealed. chaos that will ensue after his death. In a prescient
moment, he advises William of Orange to prepare
himself; both Monmouth and James will try and fail
Episode Four to rule England. In a final, ironic gesture, Charles
repays Catharine for her devotion by converting to
The trail leads to the squalid but charismatic Titus Catholicism on his deathbed.
Oates, whose accusations take in every eminent
Catholic, including James and Queen Catharine
herself. In the atmosphere of panic, a witch-hunt
ensues and Charles is powerless to save the many
innocent people whose lives are blighted by Oates’s
lies. Charles’s position is further weakened when
Parliament obtains letters alluding to the treaties
with France.
As Shaftesbury pushes for the exclusion of James as
Charles’s heir, Charles responds by sending
Monmouth, the Protestant candidate, abroad.
Charles dissolves Parliament to rule as an absolute
Monarch and asserts James’s right to the Throne,
exiling Monmouth permanently.
Charles II – The Power & The Passion 22
Documentaries
Accompanying Documentaries
The Boy Who Would Be King Queen Henrietta Maria, was ashamed of his dark
and swarthy appearance. He was born into a nation
Contact: Naomi Luland, 020 8752 6499
divided – religious fervour and political tension had
escalated into a stand-off between Parliament and a
Monarch, his father, who insisted on the divine right
of Kings.
As the brutal and bloody English Civil War began to
rage, the young Charles was forced to grow up fast:
at the age of 14 he was appointed head of the
King’s forces in the West Country. By the age of 15,
he was exiled to France and developed a taste for
the hedonistic vices of gambling and sex.
The documentary looks behind Charles’s
reputation as a scandalous womaniser. His love life
was legendary; he had 12 mistresses who bore him
more than 13 illegitimate children. Among his
mistresses was his former wet-nurse, Cristabella
Wyndham, who seduced him at the tender age of
14. Many historians believe he secretly married one
mistress – Lucy Walter, a beautiful but dissolute
Welsh girl – and that their son, the future Duke of
Monmouth, was the legitimate heir to the Throne.
After his father was beheaded on the orders of
Oliver Cromwell, Charles was forced to flee for his
life, and spent six dangerous, uncomfortable weeks
as a fugitive. He was rescued by an underground
Coinciding with Adrian Hodges’s four-part drama,
network of brave Catholic families, including the
The Boy Who Would Be King is an adventure-packed
Penderils. The Boy Who Would Be King talks to their
documentary which reveals the events that shaped
living descendants, including Michael Palin, about the
Charles II’s complex and contradictory character.
exciting story of Charles’s escape.
He was by turns charming, sex-obsessed,
unprincipled, courageous and a brilliant For the first time, Palin visits his ancestor’s home,
political strategist. Moseley Hall, to experience for himself the
inhospitable places where the future King hid as a
The Boy Who Would Be King combines compelling fugitive – a small priest-hole and an unlikely resting
dramatised scenes and a narrative from leading place in an oak tree.
expert historians, including Lady Antonia Fraser,
Professor Ronald Hutton, Richard Holmes and Palin says: “This was a rare chance to do a bit of
Professor John Morrill. digging in the family skeleton cupboard and find out
if an old family story was myth or reality.”
The story begins with Charles’s birth in 1630. He The producer/director is Nick Rossiter, the
was nicknamed the Black Boy because his mother, executive producer is Jonathan Stamp.
Charles II – The Power & The Passion 23
Documentaries
Cromwell – Warts And All Bristol) share opposing views about Cromwell –
was he a hero or a villain? Holmes sees Cromwell
Contact: Annie Frederick, 020 8576 1617
as one of the most important reformers of history
who sowed the seeds of many of our most-
cherished democratic principles. Hutton, however,
believes Cromwell was a Machiavellian politician
who betrayed his friends and his beliefs.
Oliver Cromwell, the first man of non-royal blood
to rule Britain, set in motion many of the ideas
about monarchy and democracy that became so
important in later centuries. He was also the first
leader to write a formal constitution, a principle
that was copied in America and France in the
18th century.
Cromwell – Warts And All is produced and directed
by Bafta Award-winner Andrew Thompson (The
Human Body, Horizon, Constant Craving, Timewatch
and Darien – Disaster In Paradise).
The remarkable story of Oliver Cromwell, from
humble beginnings as an East Anglian cattle farmer
to supreme ruler of England, Scotland and Ireland,
is told in Cromwell – Warts And All.
One of Britain’s most controversial figures, hated
and revered in equal measure, Cromwell started a
popular revolution which turned into the English
Civil War. He abolished Christmas and coined the
phrase “warts and all” (Cromwell had several
prominent warts on his face). He also ordered the
execution of his King, Charles I. Fascinating new
research uncovers the real reason why Cromwell
wanted Charles I dead.
The programme includes reconstructions of key
scenes from Cromwell’s life, with Jim Carter
as Cromwell.
Expert historians Richard Holmes (War Walks and
Great Britons) and Ronald Hutton (University of
Charles II – The Power & The Passion 24
Merseybeat
Merseybeat
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Cast and production credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Cast interviews:
Leslie Ash plays Inspector Charlie Eden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Mark Womack plays DI Pete Hammond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Joanna Taylor plays PC Jackie Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Josie D’Arby plays PC Jodie Finn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Scot Williams plays PC Glenn Freeman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
The rest of the team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Episode synopses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Merseybeat
Introduction
Merseybeat is back on
the beat
more urban stories, which I feel confident we’ve
done.The show is still about the people behind the
uniform but it is more streamlined and tied to
every-day policing than it used to be.”
Liverpool, like any other big city, offers a wide
range of subjects for Merseybeat to delve into.This
series sees how the team tackles internet abuse,
when a child goes into an internet chat room and
meets someone who’s not who they say they are;
looks after a young boy whose father has left him
home alone while he has gone off on holiday; and
reacts to a woman who steals a baby from a
maternity unit.
“This series, we’ve tried to find areas that people
have opinions about, that they care about, things
that are topical and they can relate to,” explains
Young. “We all see the headlines but Merseybeat
gives us the chance to see how the police might
handle a particular situation.”
And in the new series viewers meet the CID
team for the first time, headed up by DI Pete
Hammond (Mark Womack). Pete is a hard-nosed
The cast of Merseybeat is back on the beat with a officer who pulls no punches.Through the CID
new series which returns to BBC One in November. team we are able to see more of the complete
picture as to how the Newton Park police
This is the fourth series of the popular police station operates.
drama which, for the first time, has been shot
entirely in Liverpool. Says Murray: “By introducing CID we’ve been able
to explore whole new areas of storytelling.With
Mal Young, executive producer on Merseybeat and the creation of a new police station, set right in the
BBC Controller of Continuing Drama Series says: middle of a living urban community, I think we have
“We’ve always had good characters and good firmly placed the show in a much stronger and
storylines on Merseybeat but the series was a bit more contemporary context.We’ve always had a
anonymous because it wasn’t rooted anywhere. strong ensemble cast but, in this series, they’re
Visually, Liverpool is going to form a very nice better than ever.”
backdrop but what is up front is still that space to
investigate stories about what it is to be a police Young expands: “We purposefully didn’t bring CID
officer in a modern-day police force.” into the first three series because we wanted the
pace of the show to concentrate on the uniformed
Chris Murray, series creator and executive officers and to establish them. Now, by introducing
producer, agrees: “On series four, without losing any CID, we have the chance to investigate bigger
of the warmth of previous series, we wanted to crimes: murders, big drug rackets, things that
move the show into Liverpool to tell tougher and people are really affected by day to day.
Merseybeat 27
Introduction
“We also found that there was a lot of competition and viewers get an opportunity to see what it’s like
between the uniform and CID departments and so to be a police officer, whereas something like The
in the new series, we introduce a new character Bill is much more about police procedure, and so I
called Glenn Freeman, played by Liverpool-born definitely think there is room for both.”
actor Scot Williams, who is very ambitious and
wants to be in CID and wear plain clothes.”
Scot is a new addition to the series and Mark
Womack, Gary Cargill,Tupele Dorgu and Claire
Sweeney also join the cast. It is no coincidence that
all five originate from the Liverpool area which is
something that Mal Young felt was vital for the
success of the show.
“I decided that any new characters coming into the
series had to be from Liverpool because I wanted
them to form part of the relocation of the show.
So, we’ve got some new actors who are in big roles
for the first time and it has been great to see them
develop their characters. And alongside them
there’s the recognisable faces of Mark Womack and
Claire Sweeney, who joins the cast towards the end Check out the Merseybeat website at:
of the series.” www.bbc.co.uk/merseybeat
And many of the old faces will be returning too.
Newly-promoted Superintendent Jim Oulton (John
McArdle) heads up operations at Newton Park,
assisted by Inspector Charlie Eden (Leslie Ash).
They, together with the rest of the regular team of
PC Jackie Brown (Joanna Taylor), PC Jodie Finn
(Josie D’Arby) and PC Larry “Tiger” Barton (Chris
Walker), were struggling to come to terms with the
death of their colleague, Steve Traynor (Jonathan
Kerrigan), in the final episode of the last series.
But life soon becomes even more complicated for
the team as they try to juggle the daily challenges
that their job brings together with the pressures
that they face in their personal lives. Larry is
planning for his wedding; Charlie and Pete have a
secret past which they resolve to keep from the
rest of the team; and Glen reveals what has been
keeping him up all night!
“We probably go home less with the characters in
this series because the stories have become much
bigger and more involving,” says Young. “But we do
see their home lives really come crashing into the
police station. Merseybeat is very character-driven
Merseybeat 28
Cast and
production credits
Cast credits
Superintendent Jim Oulton ............ John McArdle
Inspector Charlie Eden ............ Leslie Ash
DI Pete Hammond ............ Mark Womack
Sergeant Bill Gentle ............ David Hargreaves
PC Larry Barton ............ Chris Walker
PC Jackie Brown ............ Joanna Taylor
PC Jodie Finn ............ Josie D’Arby
PC Glenn Freeman ............ Scot Williams
Cust Sgt Lester Cartwright ............ Gary Cargill
Natalie Vance ............ Tupele Dorgu
DS Roz Kelly ............ Claire Sweeney (episodes 7-8)
............
............
Production credits
Writers ............ Chris Murray (episodes 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8)
............ Nick Saltrese (episodes 5 & 7)
............ Rod Lewis (episode 6)
Directors ............ Keith Boak (episodes 1 & 3)
............ Sven Arnstein (episodes 2 & 4)
............ Adrian Bean (episodes 5 & 7)
............ Ian Barnes (episodes 6 & 8)
Line Producer ............ Maria Ward
Executive Producers ............ Mal Young and Chris Murray
Directors of Photography ............ Darrell Thornton and Peter Fearon
Production Designer ............ David Bowes
Make-up Designer ............ Linda Davie
............
Merseybeat 29
Cast interviews
Leslie Ash plays “I think it’s true to say that none of the characters’
lives have been the same since,” laughs Ash.
Charlie Eden “Charlie is very career-minded and wants to prove
several points in what is still very much a man’s
world. I respect the character very much. She’s
quite hard but I think she’s had to be.”
On a personal level, Charlie’s life couldn’t be more
different to that of Leslie’s. She is happily married
to ex-Leeds United footballer Lee Chapman and
they have two sons, Max and Joe. “My family is what
keeps me going and they’ve supported me through
some very difficult times over the past couple of
years. I couldn’t be without them. But Charlie is the
complete opposite to me, she has actually left men
standing at the altar and I love that about her.
“I don’t think that marriage and children is for her
and she symbolises what a lot of women her age
are now choosing to do. But if I could give her one
piece of advice, then I would say that it is okay to
mix family life with a career; it’s okay to be
vulnerable and fall in love with someone, you don’t
Charlie Eden
always have to end up being hurt.”
Rank: Inspector
Marital status: Single – having left four men
That could prove to be very sound advice as, this
standing at the altar!
series, romance could be on the cards for Charlie
when a face from her past walks into her life.
Leslie Ash
“There’s a new character introduced to Newton
Lives: South London
Park, DI Pete Hammond (Mark Womack). He and
Studied: Italia Conti School
Charlie had a romantic history about 15 years ago
Previous credits: Men Behaving Badly,
but Pete is now married to someone else,” explains
Where The Heart Is
Ash. “Seeing Pete again really opens up Charlie’s
vulnerable side and she doesn’t want to admit to
Did you know? herself that she still cares for him.There is still a
spark between them which they’re both in denial
• This isn’t Leslie’s first role as a policewoman – about, so it makes for some explosive moments
she previously appeared alongside Jill Gascoigne between them and complications could result!”
playing Fred in CATS Eyes.
• Leslie and her husband, Lee, own several clubs Pete Hammond is one of the CID team, a new
and bars, including Teatro in London’s Soho. addition to Merseybeat. “Introducing CID has had
• Leslie’s big break came in 1979 when she big implications to the storylines of Merseybeat,
starred as temptress Steph in the classic teenage which has been fantastic.This series will see the
angst Mod movie Quadrophenia, alongside Phil team tackle murders and much harder storylines.
Daniels, Sting and Ray Winstone. I had to do my first drugs drop this series, which
was pretty exciting.”
Another difference with the new series is that it is
When Inspector Charlie Eden walked into Newton
now filmed in Liverpool city centre, which is
Park police station at the end of the last series of
something that Leslie has really enjoyed. “I love
Merseybeat she turned the lives of the officers
Liverpool and I’ve had some really great
upside down.
Merseybeat 30
Cast interviews
experiences filming in the North. London doesn’t For Mark Womack, the best thing about landing the
have the monopoly on cool, Liverpool has part of DI Pete Hammond in the new series of
everything and more.The bars are great and the Merseybeat is that it has given him the chance to
restaurant scene is second to none. Mind you, my return to his hometown of Liverpool. “It’s fantastic
days of clubbing are definitely behind me! These to be back,” enthuses Womack. “Liverpool is such
days, I’m much more likely to be in bed by 9.30pm, an amazing city, it’s got it all: music, culture, arts
which is ironic considering that Lee and I own a and film. Jimmy McGovern and Frank Cotterill
couple of bars of our own!” Boyce both originate from Liverpool and I also
heard a rumour that Andy Garcia might be coming
to the area to do some filming, but that could be
Mark Womack plays wishful thinking!
Pete Hammond “My family all still live in the area, as do some of my
best mates, including actor Gary Mavers. I would
love to live and work here permanently; the only
reason I live in London is because that’s where my
wife and son are.”
And this isn’t the first time that Mark has played a
copper from Liverpool. He played DC Mark
Callaghan (better known as Cally) in the ITV drama
Liverpool 1. Since his days as a detective constable in
Liverpool 1, Mark has earned a promotion – in
Merseybeat he is now a detective inspector. “I’m
obviously making a habit of playing Scouse
coppers,” laughs Womack. “But Pete Hammond is
very different to Cally. He’s a bit mad and brings
nothing but trouble to Newton Park, as he’s always
falling out with his colleagues. He’s very hard and
not really very likeable – if I had to describe him in
one sentence then I would call him the Phil Mitchell
of Merseybeat!”
Pete adds a new dimension to the series as he
Pete Hammond allows the writers to explore the new area of
Rank: Detective Inspector Newton Park’s CID. “Pete’s been there all the time
Marital status: Married but we just haven’t been aware of him! Having CID
at Newton Park allows the writers to drive the
Mark Womack plot into new areas.The storylines get grittier as
Born: Liverpool but now lives in the team is driven into investigating murders and
North London other violent crimes.
Studied: RADA
Previous credits: Liverpool 1, Hillsborough, “Pete can be very flirtatious and gets on very well
Clocking Off with what seems like half the station. He has a
history with Charlie Eden and they are undecided
Did you know? whether they should disclose this to
Superintendent Jim Oulton (John McArdle). Pete
• Mark is married to actress Samantha Janus and can be aggressive and chauvinistic and he’s not very
together they have a son called Benjamin. nice really but, because of that, he’s really good to
• Mark is a fan of Liverpool FC. play. Cally, on the other hand, was very measured
and laid back. Out of the two, I would say that I am
Merseybeat 31
Cast interviews
more like Cally as, like him, I fell in love with the Did you know?
main character, Isobel (Samantha Janus).”
• Joanna’s fiancé, Danny Murphy, has a cameo
Mark and Samantha have been together for four role in episode four of Merseybeat.
years and have a two-year-old son called Benjamin.
Mark also has a seven-year-old son from his first
marriage. Since working together on Liverpool 1, Joanna Taylor is a real-life footballer’s wife … well,
Mark and Samantha were reunited on Judge John nearly! She’s engaged to to Liverpool FC footballer
Deed and Mark is looking forward to them doing Danny Murphy and has left behind her southern
more work together. “Samantha’s a brilliant actress roots for a new life in the north.
and it would be a privilege to work with her more
often and, what’s more, we could help each other “Liverpool has become my second home now,” says
with our lines when we’re at home!” Taylor. “I’ve lived up there for such a long time
filming Hollyoaks and now Merseybeat and the
people have always made me very welcome.When I
left Hollyoaks, I was looking forward to spending
Joanna Taylor plays more time in London with my family and friends
Jackie Brown but, when I was offered the part in Merseybeat, I
couldn’t turn it down. And then I met Danny so
hopefully I will be living in the North West for life.
“With my job I don’t think it really matters where
you live because you can end up filming anywhere
in the country or even the world. Earlier this year I
was in Bulgaria making a film called Deep Impact
with Dean Cain.That was good fun but it was very
cold in March when we were out there.”
Joanna returns to the screen this autumn playing
feisty copper PC Jackie Brown in the new series
of Merseybeat.
“This series, Jackie gets herself involved in a love
triangle with Inspector Eden (Leslie Ash) and the
new Detective Inspector, Pete Hammond (Mark
Womack),” explains Taylor. “Pete and Charlie have a
history together which Jackie is fully aware of, but I
don’t think she really cares. She just steams in there
Jackie Brown with Pete, although I think Pete is just as much to
Rank: Police Constable blame as he is married with a young baby.
Marital status: Single
“Jackie is very ambitious but she’s not a bad
Joanna Taylor character really. She doesn’t get on that well with
Born: Born in South London but now lives anyone at Newton Park because she’s so career
in Cheshire orientated, whereas someone like Tiger (Chris
Studied: Guildford School of Acting Walker) wants to have a laugh with everyone and
Previous credits: Hollyoaks has a lot of mates at the station.”
Upcoming: A film called PI: Post Impact
Merseybeat 32
Cast interviews
Joanna compares herself to Jackie in terms of the
Did you know?
ambition that they both share. “I would like to think
that I am as ambitious as Jackie but hopefully I’m
• Josie does a lot of work for the Red
kinder to other people than she is.That said, I’m
Cross and, in October, her work took her
not one of these people who is desperate to go to
to South Africa.
Hollywood. It would be a fantastic opportunity but
• Josie’s favourite book is Conversations With God
I’m really enjoying the work I’m doing now.”
by Neale Donald Walsh.
But there are distinct differences between the two.
“Jackie isn’t really bothered about a personal life The new series of Merseybeat signals a new start
whereas Danny and I are engaged now.We were for PC Jodie Finn.The death of her close colleague,
hoping to get married last summer but I was filming Steve Traynor (Jonathan Kerrigan), at the end of
Merseybeat and then the football season started, so the last series, seems to have had a profound effect
we will definitely get married next summer, on her actions as she really throws herself into
although we haven’t set a date.” her job.
“I think Jodie was quite naive when she first started
Josie D’Arby plays at Newton Park,” says D’Arby. “But in this series
she’s become more confident in her ability to do
Jodie Finn the job which has been much more exciting to play.
She’ll stand up to people, even her superiors, which
she wouldn’t have done before. I think the fact that
she is now confident has bled into the way that I
felt on set as I have also become more confident. In
effect, we’ve shared a similar experience. I was new
to television acting and Jodie was new to police
work, and we’ve both grown more confident in
what we do.”
But that’s where the similarities stop as Josie is
quick to point out that she couldn’t be more
different to PC Finn, which was one of the reasons
that she was attracted to the role.
“Jodie’s so completely different to me,” laughs
D’Arby. “I’m a real pacifist and she’s a real tough
character. And she can be so negative sometimes,
always thinking that if things can go wrong, then
they will, whereas I would never think like that.”
But Jodie’s tough character is really challenged in
Jodie Finn one episode where she and her colleague, PC
Rank: Police Constable Jackie Brown (Joanna Taylor), find a young boy
Marital status: Single whose father has gone off on holiday and left him
on his own, a subject that sadly has become a
Josie D’Arby headline-grabber in recent months.
Born: Newport,Wales but now lives
in London. “It was a great episode to film and very moving.
Studied: RADA The boy’s mother had left several years ago but
Previous credits: Top Of The Pops, Jodie gets involved and helps the boy to track her
Bigger Breakfast down. Gary Chan, who plays the young boy, was
Merseybeat 33
Cast interviews
brilliant but it was quite a harrowing episode for
me to work on.”
In order to learn more about what it’s like to be a
police officer in a busy northern city, Josie spent a
day with the police force in Runcorn.
“It was such a diverse day,” recalls D’Arby. “I saw an
armed robbery taking place and also spent time
getting to know the local communities. As a result, I
have a lot of respect for the police and what they
do – they really lay themselves on the line and I
know I couldn’t do it for real.
“I think a lot of what I saw is incorporated into
Jodie’s character. She is certainly compassionate and
she would go out of her way to help people. But if
you’re not innocent then you don’t want to come
up against Jodie!”
While playing Jodie Finn has certainly been a Did you know?
challenge for D’Arby, her biggest challenge to date
has definitely been taking part in the Channel 4 • Scot is a huge fan of the BAFTA-award winning
series, The Games. BBC drama Spooks and admits it’s the only thing
he makes sure he’s at home to watch.
“I competed alongside Gail Hipgrave, ex-Spice Girl • Scot’s uncle works on the coaching staff at
Mel C and James Hewitt,” explains D’Arby.“Basically. Liverpool FC.
what they did was transform us into athletes over
the space of three months. So, now I’m an
accomplished ice skater. amongst other things! For someone so young, it’s hard to believe that
Scot has achieved so much in such a short space
“I took part because I wanted to see how fit I of time.Yet, already he has starred in Backbeat, the
could be in my lifetime. Now I’ve got an film about The Beatles, several plays and TV shows
appreciation of how wonderful it feels to be this fit. including Hillsborough and Nice Guy Eddie.
I’m definitely going to keep it up.” Now he’s joining the cast of popular police
drama Merseybeat.
Scot Williams plays “I play a young police officer called PC Glenn
Glenn Freeman Freeman,” explains Williams. “He’s very ambitious
and wants to impress his superiors so that he can
get into CID and so he does whatever it takes to
Glenn Freeman get a result. Because he really doesn’t want to be a
Rank: Constable uniformed officer, I think he finds it difficult to get
Marital status: Single on with the rest of the team. Having said that,
there’s some definite flirting with Jackie Brown
Scot Williams (Joanna Taylor) but I think her eye’s elsewhere!
Born: Liverpool, but now living in London
Previous credits: Nice Guy Eddie, Serious “It’s established in episode one of the new series
And Organised that Glenn has a gambling problem. He’s trying to
Coming Up: Peter Greenaway’s film, The get a mortgage for a house and he could get any
Tulse Luper Suitcases house but, with Glenn, it has to be a big house. He
Merseybeat 34
Cast interviews
wants everything big, he’s got a nice sports car and “I’m originally from the Penny Lane area. I live in
wears nice clothes. So, he loses a lot of money London now, but I just went home for two or
gambling and is forced to moonlight, which is three months and it shocked me. It’s so exciting, it’s
obviously against the rules. He’s working in a just gone nuts. But the reason I moved away from
karaoke bar which has its moments, especially Liverpool was the real lack of ambition, it really felt
when his superintendent and his sergeant come in sorry for itself a few years ago. Every time you
on a stag do!” opened the local press, it was ‘Oh aren’t we great?
We’ve got The Beatles, we’ve got football, we’ve got
All very comical but Scot’s character isn’t laughing great architecture,’ and it was just clinging on to
when things take a serious turn… the past. As an actor, I was travelling to London 30
or 40 times a year for castings.When I did get
“Glenn starts working for a chauffeur company work it was outside of Liverpool, so I had to move
which is far more serious. He gets caught up in a away. But I’ve been back and I’ve always stayed in
drugs deal and, because he is so ambitious, he contact with organisations like Bafta North and
effectively starts working undercover – against the now it’s like a little Hollywood, everything is filming
advice of his colleagues. It all very nearly ends in there! There’s a small but very successful film office;
tears. His job is threatened and you start to see Bafta North are there and there’s independent
who he is, that he desperately wants to be a good film producers. People don’t have to leave the
police officer but he’s got this edge, which is city to finish their films.You can do the whole
dangerous, and he can’t get away from it.” thing in Liverpool and everyone is accommodating
and friendly.
For Scot, this dark side to PC Glenn Freeman
makes him all the more attractive to play. “I like to “I don’t think I’ll be able to move back but I’d like
play any character that is unpredictable. I liken it to to have a base there. And I’m proud of it, that’s
a spider when it runs across the floor and then it where I’m from. I think there are several cities in
stops, and you don’t know where it’s going to go. I the world that you have to live in at one stage in
love that. For the first couple of episodes of your life. London, New York, Paris, Rome – all
Merseybeat, Glenn definitely has an edge, there’s exciting cultural, capital cities. I think Liverpool will
something going on between the lines that we be the second best city in Britain.”
don’t really know about. A young man with a
serious gambling addiction, you don’t know who his And there’s another reason why Liverpool will
friends are, you don’t know who his wife is – you always be special for Scot…
don’t know anything about him.”
“I’m a big Liverpool fan. My uncle works on the
It was important to Scot that the character of coaching staff and I used to go when I was a boy.
Glenn Freeman had quite a bit of depth and When I was 11 or 12 years old I went to the
Merseybeat did give him the opportunity to have a European semi-final second leg – Liverpool versus
hand in the character’s development. Panathinaikos. It was only when I grew up that I
realised it was a European Cup semi final! It must
“Me and Mark (Womack) did a show called be terrible being the young generation in Liverpool
Liverpool 1 a few years ago which was a gritty cop now. I’ve got friends with 12-year-old sons and
show set in Liverpool. And because they wanted to they’ve never seen Liverpool win the league!”
bring Merseybeat into Liverpool and make it more
urban, we worked with the director and the
producer to develop the characters. It was one
of the main reasons that I wanted to work on
the show.”
Another opportunity afforded by working on
Merseybeat was the chance to return to Liverpool,
Scot’s home town.
Merseybeat 35
The rest of the team
The rest of the team
John McArdle is Chris Walker is
Superintendent Jim Oulton PC Larry Barton
Jim has found it hard to juggle his personal and Better known as “Tiger”, PC Larry Barton has a
professional life over the past few months and the kind heart and is often on hand to give words of
two have overlapped on several occasions. He has advice to other members of the team. He always
now been promoted to Superintendent following seems to be on the receiving end of bad luck but
the departure of Susan Blake. Relishing his that could all change in this series as he prepares
promotion, and with his marriage having failed, to remarry. He doesn’t like sticking to the rules
Jim throws himself into his job. and often bends them slightly to suit himself.
Merseybeat 36
The rest of the team
David Hargreaves is Claire Sweeney is DS Roz Kelly
Sergeant Bill Gentle (episodes 7 and 8)
Bill works at the heart of the call centre. He’s an Roz Kelly joins the CID team as part of the drugs
old-style copper who has a point to prove to the squad to investigate a drugs smuggling case which
rest of the team: that he is as fit as any of them. He has ended in murder. DS Kelly is a strong-willed,
therefore takes his job very seriously. He’s always feisty copper who’s seen it – and done it – all
on hand to give advice to the new recruits or keep before.This attitude immediately ruffles feathers
them in check when they step out of line. amongst her new colleagues, not least DI Pete
Hammond (Mark Womack). But DS Kelly also has a
secret which, if revealed, could have far-reaching
effects for both her personal life and her career.
Merseybeat 37
Synopses
Synopses
Episode 1 – Hearts And Minds Meanwhile, the situation between DIs Pete
Hammond (Mark Womack) and Charlie Eden
Kim and Tom Vale return from their honeymoon to (Leslie Ash) has become increasingly tense – it’s
sounds of a scuffle in the next door flat and a child looking impossible that they can ever bury their
screaming.Tom goes to investigate and finds 11- differences and work together. But for PC Larry
year-old Callum being attacked by a thug looking Barton (Chris Walker), tensions of a different kind
for money. Both Callum and Tom are injured. But beckon – it’s his wedding day.
why is Tom, even though he got a clear view of his
attacker, so reluctant to testify?
Episode 4 – True Colours
At Newton Park police station, DI Pete Hammond
(Mark Womack) knows the truth about why Tom Kerry Johnstone is arrested for stealing a baby
Vale won’t speak out but he too is reluctant to from a maternity unit, but is she a distraught
explain to Supt Jim Oulton (John McArdle). But mother who deserves understanding or are her
when events take a tragic turn and the case motives rather more sinister?
becomes a murder investigation, it may be that some
home truths will have to be faced by all parties. At the same time, DI Pete Hammond (Mark
Womack) is investigating a local adoption agency.
He needs to find out whether the agency is offering
Episode 2 – Warrior Moon babies for sale to the highest bidders. He and DI
Charlie Eden (Leslie Ash) pose as a couple who are
PCs Larry Barton (Chris Walker) and Glenn desperate to adopt, but playing husband and wife is
Freeman (Scot Williams) discover a dead woman in rather too close to home as secrets kept for 15
the river. Her husband breaks down in the years are finally revealed.Where do Pete and
interview room and thinks he must have killed her Charlie go from here?
while having one of his frequent stress-related
attacks. DI Pete Hammond (Mark Womack) is Back at Newton Park station, Liverpool footballer
delighted to have a result but Inspector Charlie Danny Murphy turns up to make a presentation to
Eden (Leslie Ash) isn’t so sure… Sgt Cartwright’s (Gary Cargill) under-11 girls
football team. But for Supt Jim Oulton (John
Relationships are further strained at Newton Park McArdle), an ardent Everton fan, this proves to be a
as PC Larry Barton (Chris Walker) has to face up step too far.
to the tragic aftermath of a police car chase which
went wrong, while DI Pete Hammond and Charlie
Eden find that past romantic liaisons have a habit of Episode 5 –
catching up with them. Angels With Dirty Faces
Maureen Bradshaw reports that her late father has
Episode 3 – Broken Dreams had £25,000 stolen from under his bed – but the
only visitor he had before he died was local priest
PCs Jackie Brown (Joanna Taylor) and Jodie Finn Father Hopkirk. Early investigations discover that
(Josie D’Arby) are dealing with the case of a “home Father Hopkirk is coincidentally raising money to
alone” kid.Young Lewis Roe has been left in the send a local boy to America for a life-saving
house while his dad has been cavorting in Majorca, operation – surely the priest can’t be in the frame?
but Lewis’s mum left the family home some time But when it emerges that Albie Bradshaw is an ex-
ago. Can Jodie reunite Lewis with his mother? armed robber, is a different kind of morality at work?
Merseybeat 38
Synopses
Meanwhile, an unsound conviction comes back to waiting for her? It seems that Kelly also has
haunt Sgt Bill Gentle (David Hargreaves) when he something to hide …
attends the funeral of a man he put away for
murder. Gentle revives his former partnership with
retired copper Bernard Oulton (Supt Jim Oulton’s Episode 8 – Day Of Reckoning
father) to turn over some old stones. Did they
really get it so wrong all those years ago? And, if Fifteen-year-old Amy Wright has fallen in love with
they did, who was really the guilty party? a man from an internet chat room. PCs Larry
Barton (Chris Walker) and Jackie Brown (Joanna
Taylor) are called in to investigate after Amy’s
Episode 6 – Repeat Offender mother raises concerns that the man might be
older (and more dangerous) than he seems. Larry
There is a serial rapist on the loose but his latest risks everything on a strategy of posing as Amy in
attack ends in failure and is witnessed by a young order to lure the man out into the open…
boy. DI Pete Hammond (Mark Womack) needs to
crack the case before the rapist strikes again, but DS Roz Kelly (Claire Sweeney) has an unwelcome
Supt Jim Oulton (John McArdle), still feeling like a reunion with her armed robber father, Eddie Lewis.
fish out of water as “the man upstairs”, wants to be She suspects he’s working on another job and
involved in the case too. It’s crucial that the two warns him off. But taking a different kind of interest
men bury their differences to get a result. in Lewis’s visit is DI Pete Hammond (Mark
Womack), who decides to do some digging of his
Station receptionist Natalie Vance’s (Tupele Dorgu) own. An altercation with Gary Naylor, a local hard
brother is brought in for stealing cars. PC Glenn case with a reputation for selling guns, leaves
Freeman (Scot Williams) believes he is fronting an Hammond for dead on a deserted building site.
operation that procures expensive cars to order Can he be reached in time?
and sells them on.When Natalie confronts her
brother with the truth, she faces an agonising
dilemma: does she turn him in to save him from a
long-term career in crime … and the nick?
Episode 7 – Distant Vices
A young drug smuggler has been horrifically
murdered, but the victim, Clare Robinson, is a
model student with a blameless past.What could
have convinced her to smuggle drugs into the UK
from Jamaica?
DS Roz Kelly (Claire Sweeney), from Newton Park
Drugs Squad, is brought in to help DI Pete
Hammond (Mark Womack) but their investigations
throw up more questions than answers, until they
meet up with Helen, a girl Clare met while
travelling 18 months previously. DS Kelly and DI
Hammond know that Helen is hiding something,
but the question is, what?
All is not what it seems for DS Roz Kelly either.
Who is the man who loiters outside the station,
Merseybeat 39
Judge John Deed
Judge John Deed
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Cast and production credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Interviews with the cast:
Martin Shaw plays Judge John Deed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... . . . 44
Jenny Seagrove plays Jo Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... . . . 44
Simon Ward plays Sir Monty Everard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... . . . 45
Simon Chandler plays Sir Ian Rochester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... . . . 45
Caroline Langrishe plays George Channing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... . . . 45
Episode synopses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... . . . 47
Judge John Deed
Introduction
Judge John Deed
returns to BBC One
“The law itself is a major character in Judge John Government legislates and circumscribes the law,
Deed,” says BAFTA award-winning writer and the more judges will rebel.”
producer GF Newman.And in this series there is
more emphasis on the workings of the law than Deed’s ex-wife, George Channing (Caroline
previously. But, Newman points out, the personalities Langrishe), continues to be a guiding force in
and relationships that keep audiences rapt are not Deed’s life. She has a great deal of affection for him
neglected.“The storylines focus on the law in and tries to warn him about the forces of reaction
tandem with the developing – and in some cases opposing him.
deteriorating – relationships of the characters.”
New to the series is High Court Judge Sir Monty
The ongoing battle between Deed (Martin Shaw) Everard (Simon Ward). As Presider, Sir Monty is
and the establishment continues unabated, but it senior to Deed and has been brought in to exert
takes a sinister twist when, unable to topple the some control over him and try to keep him in line.
judge, Deed’s adversaries go after Jo (Jenny Newman says: “Monty represents the establishment
Seagrove).Things look bad for Jo when she ends up and gives Deed a very good run for his money;
facing a disciplinary tribunal. But when Deed tries to there is considerable antagonism between them.
haul her out of trouble, Jo resents his intervention. In fact, Monty tries to wipe Deed off the map.
Although he is aggressive and forceful in office,
Reaching an all-time low, Deed seeks professional Monty is dominated by his fierce wife,Vera
help.Yet, when the therapist begins to peel back the (Joan Blackham).”
layers, Deed deals with the resultant feelings of
vulnerability in a way which can only further
estrange him from Jo.
However, Deed remains true to his beliefs about
justice and refuses to bend to pressures from “the
brethren” (fellow judges). Newman says: “As
appointees of the establishment, judges tend to
want to please their peers. But, perversely, Deed is
prepared to be alienated by them.”
Newman feels that this theme is a true reflection
of a trend in Britain’s judiciary system. “The path
Deed treads is now being taken more and more in
real life,” he suggests. “As the Government
becomes more authoritarian, judges tend to want
to express their independence.We are seeing this
increasingly in the area of sentencing.
“We have common law in this country,” he
continues, “which is tried and tested over time and
judges’ rulings become precedents. In this way,
judges have always been allowed to use their own
common sense.Therefore, the more the
Judge John Deed 42
Cast and
production credits
Cast
Judge John Deed ............ Martin Shaw
Jo Mills ............ Jenny Seagrove
George Channing ............ Caroline Langrishe
Sir Monty Everard ............ Simon Ward
Charlie Deed ............ Louisa Clein
Row Colemore ............ Christopher Cazenove
Sir Joseph Channing ............ Sir Donald Sinden
Rita “Coop” Cooper ............ Barbara Thorn
Sir Ian Rochester ............ Simon Chandler
Production credits
Executive producers: ............ Mal Young and Ruth Caleb
Writer/producer ............ GF Newman
Director (Ep 1 & 2) ............ Andy Hay
Director (Ep 3) ............ David Kerr
Director (Ep 4) ............ GF Newman
Production executive ............ Camilla Griffith-Jones
Associate producer ............ Alison B Matthews
Script editor ............ Ben Bickerton
Make-up designer ............ Linda Morton
Costume designer ............ Colin Lavers
Publicist ............ Premier PR
Judge John Deed 43
Cast interviews
Martin Shaw plays “Deed is similar to me in that he refuses to be
bullied. His takes an intellectual stance because he
Judge John Deed believes in the sanctity of the law.”
Deed faces a series of challenges in the new series.
“As always, the professional challenge is to stand up
to those who would manipulate him and don’t like
him being as independent as he is,” says Shaw. “His
personal challenge comes from trying to find the
root of his problem with women. He’s definitely a
womaniser. He realises that it’s an obsession which
doesn’t give him the satisfaction he craves. So he
goes into therapy – with mixed results. He is finally
starting to recognise that his behaviour towards
women is not balanced!”
But the highlight for Martin was the rare chance to
perform alongside his son, Luke, who appears in
Episode 3. “It’s the first time we have been in a
scene together. It was great – extraordinary! But I
did feel quite self-conscious for a few minutes.”
Jenny Seagrove
plays Jo Mills
Martin Shaw never doubted that Judge John Deed
would prove to be a ratings and critical success. He
says: “I’m absolutely delighted, but not surprised. It
always had that buzz of excellence about it – even
more so now. It’s the only thing I’ve worked on that
has got better, series by series.The key to its
success is undoubtedly good writing and the
continuity of cast and crew that we’ve enjoyed.
“I receive more letters about Judge John Deed than
anything else I’ve ever done. And they are all along
the lines of saying thank you for making an
intelligent drama that’s not patronising and one that
makes you think.
“I admire his intellect and his sense of fair play and
I like him as a person,” Shaw says of Deed. “I do
sometimes disagree with his judgements, but I’m
not a learned judge; the series is impeccably
researched and I’m just an amateur! But I’m
fascinated by the law and think it’s a wonderful
drama in itself.
Judge John Deed 44
Cast interviews
“Jo has got a lot stronger in this series,” says Jenny by his wife,Vera (Joan Blackham). “Monty is basically
Seagrove. “She is pulling away from John’s influence. a very flawed human being,” laughs Ward, “married
She still loves him, but because she is so angry with to a terrifying wife!”
him she’s having to grow up and be less of a ‘pupil’.
Of Sir Monty’s failings,Ward jokes: “I want to be
“The anger she feels towards him is also helping a good judge. I hate it when Sir Monty makes
her to find her own voice – which she needs in this bad decisions. But Monty must have been a
series because she’s being got at from all sides.The good judge once – or he would never have
CPS, the police, the judiciary – they are all trying to been made Presider!”
discredit her and the judge.
“Jo is the only person who stands up to Deed; she
doesn’t back down. And he really loves her. She is
Simon Chandler
his perfect mate, both sexually and intellectually.
But he needs the excitement of the chase – and
plays Sir Ian Rochester
the conquests.”
As Permanent Secretary in the Lord Chancellor’s
Does Seagrove identify with any part of Jo’s character? department, Sir Ian is responsible for the smooth
“Almost everything!” she says.“Jo fights for causes and running of the UK legal system and acts as a
gets emotionally involved. So do I. I am passionate go-between between the Government and the
about animal welfare and the environment. Courts. “He keeps the wheels turning,” says
Simon Chandler.
“But,” she continues, “she’s better at confrontation
than I am. She has had to learn to stick up for “Sir Ian is a civil servant, not part of ‘the brethren’.
herself. She’s a parent and she’s in a business run by But he has huge influence,” he continues. “Sir Ian
men so she has had to learn how to be aggressive approved of the choice of Sir Monty as Presider
in a positive way.” because he thought he could control Monty and
therefore control Deed. But it doesn’t work out
because Monty is too reactionary.
Simon Ward plays “Sir Ian is very much ‘The Establishment’. He pulls
strings behind the scenes in order to get certain
Sir Monty Everard cases heard by specific judges. Politicians and his big
business friends use him to get things going their
New to this series is the pompous new Presider, own way.
Sir Monty “Legover” Everard. Sir Monty is senior to
Deed and has been brought in by the establishment “Some cases he absolutely does not want Deed
to try to impose some control over him. to hear because he knows he will show leniency.
And he’s furious when he discovers that Monty
From the outset, there is considerable antagonism has handed Deed a controversial case against a
between them. Deed is a conundrum and an mobile phone company because he knows
irritation to Sir Monty. “Everything Deed does Deed won’t bow to the pressures of industry
annoys Monty,” says Simon Ward. “His political and Government.”
views, his ethics, his morals: they are all appalling.
“Above all else, Monty has total faith in ‘the
brethren’, which causes him a huge problem when
Caroline Langrishe plays
it comes to Deed. Deed is a brother. But, brother,
what a brother! Deed certainly isn’t ‘one of us’.”
George Channing
Although Sir Monty holds an immensely powerful Deed’s ex-wife, George, spends more time in the
position and is aggressive in public, he is dominated courtroom in this series than previously. She is the
Judge John Deed 45
Cast interviews
QC defending the stressed directors of a mobile
phone company. “I’m strutting my stuff in wig and
gown – opposite Jo and in front of Deed. Pretty
heady stuff!” says Caroline Langrishe.
“It comes naturally to George to defend the
capitalists against the nice little people!” she laughs.
“George is a bit of a tyrant; she’s very, very
confident and I think that comes from a
combination of her background, class and education
and her high-powered job. She’s utterly ruthless at
work and therefore very successful. Fortunately, she
has one saving grace, which is her wit.
“And, despite the fact that she is ruthless, she’s very
straight. If George suspects anything underhand is
going on, that’s just not acceptable to her –
especially not if it’s close to home.That’s why she
tips Deed off when she sees that he’s about to be
got at. She knows he is a decent man and they have
a very ‘grown-up’ divorce.”
Judge John Deed 46
Synopses
Synopses
Episode 1 – Health Hazard Judge John Deed is still seeing his therapist, Rachel
Crawcheck, and the emotional revelations continue
Sir Ian Rochester (Simon Chandler) is furious when to unnerve him. But, when he and Rachel end up in
the vainglorious new Presider, Sir Monty “Legover” bed together, it ends his therapy – along with his
Everard (Simon Ward), miscalculates and hands Mr chances of a relationship with Jo.
Justice Deed (Martin Shaw) a controversial case
against a mobile phone company. Unable to wrest Deed discovers that Row is part of a conspiracy
the case back, Sir Ian turns his malign attention to to acquit the MP so that he can continue his
Jo Mills (Jenny Seagrove) in order to defeat Deed. damaging investigation in order to aid a take over
by a rival arms company. Friendship
As a result, Jo is brought up before a disciplinary notwithstanding, Deed starts proceedings
hearing for having an improper relationship with against Row and his putative boss for attempting
Deed and is forced to cut her ties with him. Deed to pervert the course of justice.
turns up unexpectedly at the hearing, being chaired
by Everard, who is forced to accept the word of a
high court judge, despite the evidence to the Episode 4 –
contrary. Sir Monty will have to wait to exact Economic Imperative
his revenge.
Single mother Diana Hulsey (Lara Cazalet) pursues
her case against the mobile phone company for
Episode 2 – Judicial Review causing her terminal brain tumour. Despite their
strong relationship, Jo Mills is shocked when Diana
When Sir Monty Everard grants a political asks her if she’ll take on her little boy once she dies.
benefactor a non-custodial sentence, Deed flies
into a rage and publicly accuses him of corruption. Meanwhile, Sir Ian Rochester conspires with the
Pushed into a corner, Everard bites back. Jo Mills Trade Secretary, who is uncomfortably close to
takes the brunt of his ill will and is ostracised by the phone company.They want to discredit Deed,
the legal profession. who’s hearing the case. Child pornography is
found in Deed’s computer.When Diana dies,
Jo pleads with Deed to give up his fight. Finally, he the phone company refuses to settle, believing
agrees to see a therapist, Rachel Crawcheck (Amita Deed is washed up.
Dhiri), with unnerving results. But Deed still refuses
to back down until the over-lenient sentence is But, with just moments to spare, a computer
appealed. Finally he out-manoeuvres Sir Ian expert helps Deed deal with the evidence as Sir Ian
Rochester and saves Jo’s career. and Sir Monty Everard approach with security
guards to seize his computer.
Episode 3 – Conspiracy
Jo Mills is prosecuting an MP accused of attempted
murder.The MP had been investigating deaths in
the arms industry, and Row Colemore
(Christopher Cazenove) floats the idea that the
charge has been fabricated in order to shut him up.
Judge John Deed 47