91Èȱ¬
ONE Winter Highlights 2004 - Drama
England
Expects
The
Afternoon Plays
In
Denial Of Murder
Inspector
Lynley Mysteries
Down
To Earth
Family
Business
Sea
Of Souls
Auf
Wiedersehen, Pet
Jonathan
Creek
Redcap
The
Deputy
Hustle
England Expects
Steven
Mackintosh stars in a hard-hitting drama about a man who is drawn
back to his far right past as his life spirals out of control.
Mackintosh
plays Ray, a responsible family man, fiercely protective of his
daughter, Nikki. But he is also a control freak and, when things
start to go wrong – first at work and then at home –
he begins to lose his grip on reality.
As
his behaviour becomes increasingly erratic and he looks for someone
other than himself to blame, he turns towards people from his past
– people who are prepared to exploit him for their own ends.
England
Expects is produced by award-winning programme-maker Ruth Caleb.
Her
91Èȱ¬ ONE credits include Dominic Savage's Out Of Control, which won
the Michael Powell Award for Best British Film at the Edinburgh
International Film Festival, and Antonia Bird's Care, which won
the Prix Italia for Best Drama. (SA)
The
Afternoon Plays
91Èȱ¬
Daytime presents an afternoon treat of five very different, self-contained,
hour-long dramas, featuring many popular faces of TV drama, including
Robson Green and Tina Hobley.
The
five stories offer a diverse perspective of contemporary life in
the UK: from Weekend Love, a sparky story of love
and friendship and learning to tell the difference, to Freeview,
a heart-warming tale of hope and humour, set on a Glaswegian council
estate.
Also
featuring high-calibre talent behind the camera, with Sarah Lancashire
making her directorial debut with The Bingo Club,
The Afternoon Plays are the perfect tonic to combat the winter blues.
(BJ-O)
In
Denial Of Murder
 Stephen
Tompkinson plays campaigning local journalist Don Hale in a factually
based drama which explores the controversial case of Stephen Downing
and the murder in 1973 of Wendy Sewell (played by Caroline Catz)
in Bakewell cemetery in the Peak District.
Don
Hale's determination to prove Downing's innocence captured the imagination
of the press and public alike.
Based
on extensive research and written by Neil McKay, In Denial Of Murder
tells the moving and tragic story behind the headlines, combining
the story of Hale's campaign with an account of the life of the
murder victim.
The
drama reunites the award-winning team behind This Is Personal: The
Hunt For The Yorkshire Ripper. (CD)
Inspector
Lynley Mysteries
Nathaniel
Parker and Sharon Small are reunited as the posh cop and his sidekick,
DI Lynley and DS Havers, in a new series of the acclaimed detective
drama based on the novels by Elizabeth George.
Following
the explosive ending to the last series when Havers fired a flare
gun at a colleague, she finds herself busted back to uniform as
a lowly Detective Constable.
Naturally,
she blames Lynley for not taking her side, which leads to an antagonistic
atmosphere between them.
Lynley,
meanwhile, is having problems at home with his wife, Helen (Lesley
Vicarage) – not least because they never see each other. (FW)
Down
To Earth
Ricky Tomlinson and Denise Welch join Angela Griffin and Ian Kelsey
(Frankie and Matt Brewer) in the new series of Down To Earth, as
Tony and Jackie Murphy, the brawling northern duo whose relationship
becomes the subject of local gossip.
Tony
is a loveable, modern-day Del boy, always looking to make a quick
buck. He is full of scams that often involve the assistance of Matt.
Life
on the farm is still proving a challenge for the Brewers: Frankie's
pregnancy is the subject of mixed emotions; Matt struggles to come
to terms with his eldest daughter, Becky, falling in love with Danny,
the new farm help; wicked whispers result in a loss of customers;
and a face from the past spells uncertainty for the couple.
Elizabeth
Bennett, Ram Jon Holder, Claire King and Gary Webster also star.
(CP)
Family
Business
Marky
(Jamie Foreman) runs Brooker and Son, a family building and renovation
business.
Marky
has a passion for maintaining the 'perfect family life', but the
reality of what's happening around him proves to be very different.
He
may be the successful family builder, great at improving other people's
lives, but things are falling apart in his own home.
His
son has disappeared before his first term at Oxford and his daughter
is struggling with her identity.
Whilst
it might be easy to hide behind his clients' problems, he more than
anyone should know that you can't paper over the cracks forever.
Written
by the award-winning Tony Grounds, Family Business also stars Elizabeth
Berrington, Claire Rushbrook, Trevor Peacock, Meg Wynn Owen, Danny
Dyer and newcomers Ronnie Fox and Abbie Nichols. (?)
Sea
Of Souls
Past-life
experiences, psychic abilities and voodoo are all in
a day's work for a team of parapsychologists who investigate
extraordinary circumstances surrounding ordinary people.
Sea
Of Souls is a new investigative drama starring Bill Paterson, Archie
Panjabi and Peter McDonald as the research team at Glasgow's Clyde
University, who endeavour to explain the inexplicable.
The
series features two-part storylines with guest stars including Michelle
Collins, Siobhan Redmond and Rakie Ayola. (JM)
Auf
Wiedersehen, Pet
The
return of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet was one of the television events
of last year. Having successfully relocated the Middlesbrough Transporter
Bridge to the Arizona desert, there's no job too big for the nation's
favourite brickies.
Oz
and the team are back but, this time, it's rum, salsa and cigars
for the boys in Havana.
Cuba's
capital is a city of Spanish colonial buildings with a faded and
crumbling beauty. Restoration has become a priority and the gang
are employed to rebuild the British Ambassador's residence.
But
that's not their only mission: one of them is singled out to join
the British secret service and becomes 'Our Man in Havana'.
Series
four reunites once again Jimmy Nail, Tim Healy, Kevin Whately, Timothy
Spall, Christopher Fairbank, Pat Roach and Noel Clarke. (FW)
Jonathan
Creek
Alan
Davies returns as the self-effacing hero to solve three new mysteries,
written by David Renwick and featuring guest stars Adrian Edmondson,
Celia Imrie, Bamber Gascoigne and Alice Patten. Julia Sawalha also
returns as the prim and pushy Carla Borrego.
A 'ghost
hunter' dies in a tragic boating accident; his body mysteriously
disappears.
In
episode two a highly respected police officer is chosen for an Eyes
and Ears profile. But then some damning evidence is discovered.
Is he, in fact, a ruthless killer?
In
episode three, a priceless porcelain figure is stolen from a small
town museum. Is the train of tragic events that follows a manifestation
of its destructive nature? (KC)
Redcap
Tamzin
Outhwaite dons the Red Cap once more and returns as Sergeant Jo
McDonagh in the popular crime drama set on a British army base in
Germany.
Jo
and the Army's elite Special Investigations Branch investigate
Eastern European war criminals, a suspected spy within the Ministry
of Defence, the mysterious deaths of two young soldiers and the
murder, abduction and trafficking of Eastern European girls bound
for prostitution in the west.
Jo's
judgement is also called into question when it turns out her lover
may be a British traitor.
Douglas
Hodge, James Thornton and Gordon Kennedy also star. (FP)
The
Deputy
Warren
Clarke plays fictional Deputy Prime Minister and Birmingham MP Bob
Galway, a man of the people – opinionated, principled and
pragmatic – in a one-off drama written by Richard Stoneman.
The
Deputy is a funny, wry, fast-paced and sexy drama which explores
Galway's life and work, from the nightmare of shuffling constituency
business and parliamentary affairs to ministerial responsibilities,
and how it impacts on his personal life.
Surrounded
by inefficient, highly sexed private secretaries, a beleaguered
Bob strives to protect his reputation, his career and his conscience,
as he tries to outsmart his adversaries in Westminster.
Making
life increasingly difficult for him are Stephen Sharples, a self-seeking
career politician, played by Jack Dee; and Terri Leonard, the Prime
Minister's sharp-witted director of communications, played by Dervla
Kirwan. (CP)
Hustle
The
first rule of law is: 'You can't con an honest man.'
From
the makers of Spooks, Hustle follows the fortunes of a group of
expert con artists let loose on the streets of London.
Mickey
is master of the dying art of the 'long con' and godfather of the
gang; Danny is young, hungry and determined to prove he's got what
it takes; Albert is the best in the business at identifying the
'mark'; Ash is a seasoned con artist and an expert 'fixer'; and
beautiful, street-sharp Stacie completes the team.
Mickey
is played by Adrian Lester, Danny by Marc Warren, Albert by Robert
Vaughn, Ash by Robert Glenister and Stacie by Jaime Murray. (MH-S)
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