Whitechapel (TV series)

Whitechapel
First series titlecard
Genre	Dramatic television series
Written by	Ben Court Caroline Ip
Directed by	S.J. Clarkson (series 1) David Evans (series 2)
Starring	Rupert Penry-Jones Phil Davis Steve Pemberton
Composer(s)	Ruth Barrett
Country of origin	UK
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	12 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Sally Woodward Gentle
Producer(s)	Marcus Wilson David Boulter
Editor(s)	Liana Del Giudice Anthony Combes
Cinematography	Balazs Bolygo Kieran McGuigan
Running time	45 minutes
Production company(s)	Carnival Films
Broadcast
Original channel	ITV, STV, UTV
Original run	2 February 2009 (2009-02-02) – present
External links
Website

Whitechapel is a British television drama series produced by Carnival Films, in which detectives in London's Whitechapel district deal with murders which replicate historical crimes. The first series was first broadcast in the UK on 2 February 2009 and depicted the search for a modern copycat killer replicating the murders of Jack the Ripper.

A second series was commissioned by ITV in September 2009 with the focus on the Kray twins. The first episode of this second series was broadcast on 11 October 2010.

A third series was commissioned by ITV in March 2011, which was extended to six episodes as three two-part stories.

The first and second series were cablecast in the United States on six consecutive Wednesday evenings beginning 26 October 2011 on the BBC America cable network. The third began airing in the U.S. on Wednesday evening 28 March 2012, also on BBC America.

On 24 September 2012, ITV renewed Whitechapel for a fourth series consisting of 6 episodes, slated to premiere in 2013.

Production

The first season was written by Ben Court and Caroline Ip. ITV Director of Drama Laura Mackie said "Whitechapel is a very modern take on the detective genre which combines the Victorian intrigue of the original case with the atmospheric backdrop of a contemporary East End of London. This is not simply about bloodthirstily recreating the Ripper murders, but rather focusing on the three main characters at the heart of the story and the black humour that binds the team together."

Reception

Whitechapel debuted on 2 February 2009 at 9pm with 8.13 million viewers on the overnight ratings. Season one received positive reviews, and holds a Metacritic score of 75 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

A review in the Leicester Mercury said that it was "Life on Mars, without the time-travel" adding "what Whitechapel lacked in originality, it more than made up for with atmosphere and enthusiasm." After Episode 2 aired on 9 February, Andrew Billen in The Times said that he had warmed to it more and more, adding, "slowly, the show is making Ripperologists of us all, as Jack's 'canonical' murders are separated from the ones he actually committed. It is all in the worst possible taste and bloody good fun." However, The Daily Telegraph was less impressed, writing "The premise was feeble, the script imbecilic, the acting on autopilot, the direction lacking in any glimmer of tension."

Season two received favorable reviews, and holds a Metacritic score of 69 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Main cast

l to r DS Miles (Phil Davis)
DI Chandler (Rupert Penry-Jones)
Edward Buchan (Steve Pemberton)

Character name	Actor	Profile	First appearance	Last appearance
DI Joseph Chandler	Rupert Penry-Jones	A fast-track, media-conscious Detective Inspector. His first big murder case deals with a copycat killer imitating Jack the Ripper. Suffers with OCD which on occasions has hindered and helped him in solving cases.	1.1	N/A
DS Ray Miles	Phil Davis	Veteran police officer who has a low tolerance for time-wasters.	1.1	N/A
Edward Buchan	Steve Pemberton	Ripperologist who offers his aid to Chandler. As a young man, he made a documentary about the Kray twins.	1.1	N/A
Fitzgerald	Christopher Fulford	Miles' right-hand man. Formerly a DC, he leaked case details of the Ripper to the press; in Series 2, we learn that he has been demoted to PC.	1.1	2.2
DC Sanders	Johnny Harris	Member of Chandler's team.	1.1	1.3
DC Emerson Kent	Sam Stockman	Youngest member of the team.	1.1	N/A
DC John McCormack	George Rossi	Member of Chandler's team. He commits suicide during the Kray case after being forced to betray his team.	1.1	2.3
Commander Anderson	Alex Jennings	Chandler's boss and mentor.	1.1	2.3
Dr Caroline Llewellyn	Claire Rushbrook	Police pathologist.	1.1	N/A
DC Finlay Mansell	Ben Bishop	Joins Chandler's team in Series 2.	2.1	N/A
DC Megan Riley	Hannah Walters	Experienced member of the team.	3.1	N/A

Episode list

Series 1 (2009)

• Paul Hickey as Dr David Cohen, a doctor at the local hospital.
• Sally Leonard as Frances Coles, one of the intended murder victims.
• Simon Tcherniak as Dr George Phillips, Frances' boyfriend.
• Branko Tomović as Antoni Pricha, one of the main suspects in the new Jack the Ripper case.
• Sophie Stanton as Mary Bousefield, a police officer and victim of the new Ripper.
• Jane Riley as Sarah Smith, a key witness in the enquiry.
• Ben Loyd-Holmes as Private John Leary, the first suspect in the Ripper case.

Episode	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original airdate	Viewers (millions)
1	"Part 1"	S. J. Clarkson	Ben Court & Caroline Ip	2 February 2009	9.26
As the final step before promotion, fast-tracker DI Joseph Chandler is posted to Whitechapel by Commander Anderson to lead the investigation into the murder of a woman. However, the case does not turn out as straightforward as Chandler had hoped. The victim, Cathy Lane, is found by CSO Mary Bousfield, bleeding to death with her throat cut in the yard of a Board School, with the killer watching only a short distance away. The Whitechapel squad—front-line, hard-bitten DS Ray Miles and DCs Kent, McCormack, Sanders and Fitzgerald—arrive at the scene after Cathy is pronounced dead and are less than pleased to hear of the imminent arrival of yet another new DI, a 'plastic', a 'paper policeman' who has no idea what he is doing. Chandler arrives, armed with the knowledge of his courses and text books, ready to solve his first murder.
2	"Part 2"	S. J. Clarkson	Ben Court & Caroline Ip	9 February 2009	8.20
As it is clear this case is no longer a straightforward murder that Chandler can wrap up quickly, he is summoned to see Commander Anderson and his superiors who are very concerned that London may have a Jack the Ripper copycat – especially the impact of this leaking to the press. They tell Chandler he is on his own and that he must solve this case quickly. Having earned a small degree of grudging respect, Chandler leads his squad as they begin researching Jack the Ripper, reading books and looking at DVDs, in an attempt to discover who the new Ripper may be. It is a race against time before he strikes again and they have nothing to go on, except what history tells them, and matters are not helped when one of the team, trying to oust Chandler, leaks details of the case to the press.
3	"Part 3"	S. J. Clarkson	Ben Court & Caroline Ip	16 February 2009	8.72
Chandler has a close encounter with the murderous impostor but fails to catch or follow him; only the timely appearance of a passer-by allows him to escape with his life. His attacker's home, however contains enough clues for the final hunt to begin after the team find the Ripper's apartment. There, finding out that he assumed numerous disguises throughout their case to undermine them incognito, they deduce his most startling alias: David Cohen. With time running out fast, Chandler and Miles manage to find and stop the Ripper before he completes his recreation of the murder of Mary Jane Kelly. However, Chandler remains to look after a seriously wounded Miles while the Ripper escapes and later commits suicide.

Series 2 (2010)

• Peter Serafinowicz as DCI Cazenove, the corrupt Head of the Organised Crime Division.
• Craig Parkinson as Jimmy and Johnny Kray, the heirs to the legacy of the original Kray twins
• Chrissie Cotterill as Angie Brooks, mother of the Kray twins.
• Andrew Tiernan as Steven Dukes, a local gangster who help the Krays rise to power.

Episode	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original airdate	Viewing Figures (millions) Sourced by BARB; figures include ITV1 HD
1	"Part 1"	David Evans	Ben Court & Caroline Ip	11 October 2010	7.00
Since the events of the Ripper case, Chandler is now permanently stationed at Whitechapel with Miles, McCormack and Kent. Fitzgerald has been demoted to PC with his position taken over by DC Finley Mansell. Deemed failures as a result of their inability to catch the Ripper, they are low down in the pecking order in comparison to the Organised Crime Division (OCD) run by DCI Cazenove, heralded for reducing street crime to negligible. The team bemoan the fact that there are no murders. Chandler's interest is piqued, however, when Anderson informs him another big case will find him soon. A dead body is soon discovered floating in the Thames, and a series of horrific attacks follow which appear to echo the Kray twins' infamous crimes of the 1960s. Despite Buchan's timely advice, Chandler suspects the local gangster Steven Dukes to be the mastermind, only to realise that he is facing a criminal duo seeking bloody revenge for the Krays' incarceration.
2	"Part 2"	David Evans	Ben Court & Caroline Ip	18 October 2010	6.52
A man is murdered in an old haunt of the Kray Twins, a pub called 'The Blind Beggar' in Whitechapel, the scene of a similar murder by Ronnie Kray in 1966. The barmaid says that the killer was Jimmy Kray and that he lives down the road with his mother, Angie Brooks. Chandler and Miles interview Angie, who reveals she visited Ronnie Kray in Broadmoor and he provided her with a sperm sample with which she became pregnant with identical twins, Jimmy and Johnny Kray. Dr Llewellyn explains forensics will not show which twin is the killer, so they need to investigate the Krays the old fashioned way. Chandler's investigations rattle the twins and he's bundled into a car for a meeting, learning that Jimmy is clearly insane and Johnny is finding it hard to control him when he turned down their offer of backing off. The team's perseverance leads them into personal danger; Miles' son is threatened and Kent is terrorized by uniformed officers on the twins' payroll. Mansell receives a wreath delivered at his home, McCormack has a gun pointed at his head and Chandler is beaten before being dumped in Epping Forest. At rock bottom, Chandler asks for Buchan's help and takes his advice to use Jimmy's insanity to separate the twins. However, learning that Fitzgerald is on the twins' payroll, the meeting with Johnny goes awry while he and his brother rake the pub with automatic fire. Inside, Chandler spots a gun and fires back. When their ammunition is spent, the twins leave. Fitzgerald is arrested soon after while warning Chandler that he is the only one trying to stop the twins and is on borrowed time.
3	"Part 3"	David Evans	Ben Court & Caroline Ip	25 October 2010	6.03
After the shooting, Chandler instructs Miles to drive to Anderson's house. While Anderson and Chandler talk, Miles becomes worried when the only person he can't reach is McCormack. Racing to his house, they find him hanging in his garden shed. Llewellyn rules that the death is a suicide. McCormack's death appears to mark the end of the inquiry, but it's all for show. The investigation moves to a secret location, Buchan's house, which will be the new incident room. Anderson can only hold the Krays off for three days and they are only too aware that they have no witnesses, no evidence and no leads. They link Ronnie Kray's liking for young boys with Jimmy Kray's 'Blonde Boy'. When the 'Blonde Boy' reveals himself as a girl, the team wonder what else is fake about these twins. Managing to obtain DNA of Ronnie and Jimmy, Chandler's group manages to confirm that their Kray twins are not related to the originals. Using this information to coax Dukes' support in exposing their organization, the Krays are arrested while it is revealed that only their mother Angie knew the truth and lied to them about Ronnie being their father. However, the Krays are assassinated while in custody with Anderson taking advantage of the resulting power vacuum within the police department. Soon after, Anderson accepts Chandler's request to set up a special team.

Series 3 (2012)

Whitechapel was commissioned for a third series in March 2011. Unlike the previous two series, which were each based on a single event, the new series was split into three separate 2-part stories. The new six-episode season was shown in 2012 in its usual ITV time slot. Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davis and Steve Pemberton resumed their roles in the programme.

• Christina Chong as Lizzie Pepper (forensics)
• David Schneider as Marcus Salter
• Camilla Power as DI Mina Norroy
• Paul Chequer as Nathan Merceron
• Lydia Leonard as Morgan Lamb
• Alistair Petrie as Dr. Simon Mortlake

Episode	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original airdate	Viewing Figures (millions) Sourced by BARB; includes ITV1 HD and ITV1 +1
1	"Case One (Part 1)"	John Strickland	Ben Court & Caroline Ip	30 January 2012	7.35
DI Chandler and DS Miles investigate the slaughter of four people at a tailor's fortified workshop. Ed Buchan, retained by Chandler as the team's historical adviser, believes that the huge archive at Whitechapel station will provide the necessary insight into this baffling crime that appears to echo the Ratcliff Highway murders 200 years earlier.
2	"Case One (Part 2)"	John Strickland	Ben Court & Caroline Ip	6 February 2012	6.88
Following on from the incident at the tailor's workshop, a second mass murder occurs, and again there was no obvious break-in and no forensic evidence.
3	"Case Two (Part 1)"	Richard Clark	Ben Court & Caroline Ip	13 February 2012	7.12
As Chandler and Miles attend the christening of Miles's daughter, a fox runs through the streets of Whitechapel with a human arm in its mouth. Soon, more body parts from the same victim are washed up by the river, all containing evidence of a fatal poisoning. Buchan believes the crimes echo the Thames torso murders of the 1880s - can the team, with the help of a female DI attractively like Chandler in her habits, crack the gruesome case?
4	"Case Two (Part 2)"	Richard Clark	Ben Court & Caroline Ip	20 February 2012	6.95
When traces of the aphrodisiac Spanish fly are found in murder victims, Chandler and Miles question what kind of killer they could be up against. The team are taken to the heart of a dark obsession where romance and love take a sinister turn.
5	"Case Three (Part 1)"	Jon East	Ben Court & Caroline Ip	27 February 2012	6.78
When a babysitter is murdered, the only witness thinks she saw the bogeyman do it. Chandler, Miles, and the team suspect a dangerous patient and former Whitechapel resident, obsessed with Lon Chaney and London After Midnight, who's recently escaped from a psychiatric unit. Meanwhile, Buchan, guilt-ridden over his failure in the previous case, is unsure if he should remain a murder-archivist.
6	"Case Three (Part 2)"	Jon East	Ben Court & Caroline Ip	05 March 2012	7.11
With the body count rising, Miles and Chandler clash over the direction of the investigation. Having already survived the killer's wrath once, Morgan Lamb is of particular interest to the team - especially Chandler. As the chase escalates, will the detectives be able to put their differences aside in the face of their toughest adversary yet?

External links

• Whitechapel at the Internet Movie Database
• Whitechapel at TV.com