Wire in the Blood

Wire in the Blood
Final series intertitle.
Genre	Crime drama
Written by	Val McDermid (novels)
Starring	Robson Green Hermione Norris Simone Lahbib
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	6
No. of episodes	24
Production
Executive producer(s)	Sandra Jobling
Producer(s)	Philip Leach
Running time	90 mins
Production company(s)	Coastal Productions
Broadcast
Original channel	ITV (ITV1/STV/UTV)
Picture format	16:9
Original run	14 November 2002 (2002-11-14) – 31 October 2008 (2008-10-31)
External links
Website
Production website

Wire in the Blood was a British crime drama television series, devised and produced by Coastal Productions for the ITV network that ran from 2002 to 2009. The series is based on characters created by Val McDermid; a university clinical psychologist, Dr Anthony "Tony" Valentine Hill (Robson Green), is teamed with a tough female Detective Inspector. In the first three series, she is Carol Jordan (Hermione Norris) but is replaced by Detective Inspector Alex Fielding (Simone Lahbib) from series four to six.

ITV cancelled the series in 2009, citing high production costs (up to £750,000 per episode) and the large number of new series being broadcast on the network. An adaptation for U.S. television is being developed by CBS Television Studios and DreamWorks Television. A pilot episode is being written by Ildy Modrovich.

Plot, themes and characters

The series is set in the fictional town of Bradfield, assumed to lie within West Yorkshire. All of the main episodes revolve around a serial killer whom Hill helps to track down by means of a profile, based on the killer's actions. The Texas-based special is unusual in that rather than finding a serial killer, Hill ends up examining the guilt of the suspect already on trial.

The series follows the Major Incident Team (MIT) of Bradfield Metropolitan Police's CID and the assistance provided to the detectives by clinical psychologist and serial offender profiler Dr. Tony Hill. From Series 1 to 3, the MIT is headed by Detective Inspector (Chief Inspector from Series 2) Carol Jordan. The two develop a close relationship, which is further explored in McDermid's novels, in which Jordan is always head of the MIT. In the first episode of Series 4, Jordan is replaced - without real explanation - by Detective Inspector Alex Fielding, who (despite being initially hesitant to accept Tony's support) eventually develops an equally close relationship.

Members of the MIT include DS Kevin Geoffries, DS Don Merrick, DS Annie Reiss, and DC Paula McIntyre. Reiss only appears in Series 1, after which she is replaced by McIntyre. In the final episode of Series 2, Merrick assaults Geoffries after he compromises one of Merrick's closest informants. It is assumed that this leads to his demotion or relocation; he does not appear in any later episodes.

A constant theme is Carol / Alex's struggle with their senior officers, who are often less trusting of Tony's eccentric methods and far-fetched theories than Carol and Alex. Assistant Chief Constable John Brandon is introduced in the first episode of Series 1, shown to be an excellent senior officer, but one concerned more with ends than means, expecting quick results from the elite MIT. In the final episode of Series 2, Brandon suffers a heart attack; in the first episode of Series 3, Paul Eden is introduced as the new ACC responsible for Carol's division. In the third (penultimate) episode of Series 4, Eden is injured in a chemical explosion, shortly after it had been revealed to the IPCC that Eden had committed an act of corruption in aiding a powerful magistrate after the magistrate killed a rent boy in his apartment. Eden's injuries and probable termination for his offenses are presumably the reasons why his character doesn't return in Season 5. In the first episode of Season 5, actor Christopher Colquhoun portrays new ACC James Morrison, but he doesn't appear in any subsequent episodes.

Other recurring characters include Dr. Ashley Vernon (the police medical examiner, replaced by Dr. Liam Kerwin in Series 6), Ben Fielding (Alex's son), Tim Eccles (the police's resident IT expert), Maggie Thomas (an institutionalized serial killer whom Tony obsesses with), Dr Kate Lloyd (a senior lecturer at Bradfield University and Tony's immediate superior), and Angelica Bain (the serial killer from the pilot episode, whom Tony obsesses with for the duration of Series 1). Other recurring 'villains' include the serial killer known as 'Michael', the main antagonist throughout Series 6, and murderous solicitor Geoffrey Markham, who appears in several episodes of Series 2. Actor Pip Torrens appears in two different episodes as different characters, MI5 officer James Harrison and Detective Inspector Brennan.

Origins of title

The title of the series is taken from one of McDermid's novels, but originated as a line in T. S. Eliot's poem Burnt Norton, one of the Four Quartets. Several other McDermid novels also use phrases from Eliot, including the story used for the first episode of the series. Both that and the first episode of the fourth series take their names from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (although the latter is from an allusion made by Eliot to the Book of Ecclesiastes).

List of characters

• Dr. Anthony "Tony" Hill (Robson Green) (Series 1 - 6)
• D.C.I. Carol Jordan (Hermione Norris) (Series 1 - 3)
• D.I. Alex Fielding (Simone Lahbib) (Series 4 - 6)
• D.S. Kevin Geoffries (Mark Letheren) (Series 1 - 6)
• D.S. Don Merrick (Alan Stocks) (Series 1 - 2)
• D.C. Paula McIntyre (Emma Handy) (Series 2 - 6)
• Dr. Ashley Vernon (Mark Penfold) (Series 1 - 5)
• A.C.C. John Brandon (Tom Chadbon) (Series 1 - 2)
• A.C.C. Paul Eden (Pete Sullivan) (Series 3 - 4)
• Dr. Liam Kerwin (Michael Smiley) (Series 6)
• Tim Eccles (Jethro Skinner) (Series 4 - 5)
• D.S. Annie Reiss (Doreene Blackstock) (Series 1)
• Maggie Thomas (Elaine Claxton) (Series 1 - 2)
• Ben Fielding (Thomas Byrne and Aaron Crisp) (Series 4 - 6)
• Dr. Kate Lloyd (Sally Edwards) (Series 2 - 3)
• Geoffrey Markham (Stanley Townsend) (Series 2)
• Jason (Kenny Doughty) (Series 1)

List of episodes

Only the first two episodes of the first series, "The Mermaids Singing" and "Shadows Rising", the second episode of series four, "Torment", and the second episode of series six, "Falls the Shadow", are based on McDermid's books; the rest are original plots written by others.

Series One (2002)

#	Title	Original airdate	##
1 x 1	The Mermaids Singing	14 & 21 November 2002	1
Clinical psychologist Tony Hill is teamed up with DI Carol Jordan in the hunt for the torture killer of several men. Based on McDermid's book of the same name.
1 x 2	Shadows Rising	28 November & 5 December 2002	2
Tony suspects that a serial killer is at work when the bodies of two young girls are discovered. Meanwhile, the stalker of TV celebrity couple Jack and Amanda Vance appears to be escalating dangerously. Based on McDermid's novel The Wire in the Blood.
1 x 3	Justice Painted Blind	12 & 19 December 2002	3
When three of the former jurors in a high-profile murder case are killed in the same fashion, it seems that someone is pursuing their own brand of justice.

Series Two (2003 – 2004)

#	Title	Original airdate	##
2 x 1	Still She Cries	17 December 2003	4
A deceptive and predatory serial killer fixates on Carol.
2 x 2	The Darkness of Light	21 December 2003	5
The discovery of three buried murder victims killed 500 years apart and a fire in a nearby hotel points to a mysterious and secretive religious cult.
2 x 3	Right to Silence	28 December 2003	6
Associates of an imprisoned gangland boss are being killed one by one.
2 x 4	Sharp Compassion	11 January 2004	7
A killer is targeting patients at the Bradfield Cross hospital.

Series Three (2005)

#	Title	Original airdate	##
3 x 1	Redemption	21 February 2005	8
Tony suspects a serial killer when the bodies of three boys are discovered.
3 x 2	Bad Seed	28 February 2005	9
Newly released killer William "Mack the Knife" MacAdam is Tony's prime suspect when a series of brutal murders send Bradfield reeling.
3 x 3	Nothing But the Night	7 March 2005	10
Tony is bewildered by an apparently schizophrenic killer whose methods fluctuate wildly.
3 x 4	Synchronicity	14 March 2005	11
A sniper appears to be killing at random, leaving deck cards at the scenes of crime. Meanwhile, Tony has to deal with his own mortality when he is diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Series Four (2006)

Hermione Norris does not return as Carol Jordan in series 4 (the character having emigrated to South Africa), but remains a character in the books. Simone Lahbib joins the cast as D.I. Alex Fielding.

#	Title	Original airdate	##
4 x 1	Time to Murder and Create	20 September 2006	12
As a rape case ends in failure for Tony, a sadistic serial killer is at work.
4 x 2	Torment	27 September 2006	13
The grisly murder of a prostitute recalls a series of similar murders years ago - ones whose perpetrator is locked up in a mental asylum. Based on McDermid's novel The Torment of Others.
4 x 3	A Hole in the Heart	4 October 2006	14
Tony is troubled by the attempted suicide of one of his students as well as the mystery of a series of deaths that are tied to a suicide cult.
4 x 4	Wounded Surgeon	11 October 2006	15
Tony has no doubt the first killer he helped catch, recently released from prison, has started killing again.

Series Five (2007)

#	Title	Original airdate	##
5 x 1	The Colour of Amber	11 July 2007	16
Dr Tony Hill (Robson Green) and DI Alex Fielding (Simone Lahbib) are in a race against time when a young girl is seen being snatched by a man in a car. Liam Mower (Billy Elliot the Musical) guest stars.
5 x 2	Nocebo	18 July 2007	17
A teenage girl and a young boy are found dead and they appear to have been victims of a ritual killing. Alex (Simone Lahbib) is upset by the lack of care shown by their bereaved families as she’s having problems of her own with her son Ben.
5 x 3	The Names of Angels	25 July 2007	18
Tony is faced with a series of deadly puzzles when a killer rapes and strangles young female victims in Bradfield. He chooses to dress and identify them as young women he killed several years before in Europe.
5 x 4	Anything You Can Do	1 August 2007	19
The murder of an elderly woman, suffocated in her own home, seems too deliberately staged to be an accident or robbery.

2008 special

#	Title	Original airdate	##
	Prayer of the Bone	7 January 2008	20
Tony Hill finds himself in unfamiliar surroundings when he travels to Texas to assist the local district attorney in the case of Darius Grady who is accused of murdering his wife and two children.

Series Six (2008)

#	Title	Original airdate	##
6 x 1	Unnatural Vices	12 & 19 September 2008	21
Dr Tony Hill (Robson Green) is brought in by Inspector Alex Fielding (Simone Lahbib) to reveal the identity of a grisly serial murderer who is capturing, imprisoning, torturing and then eating his victims while they are still alive.
6 x 2	Falls the Shadow	26 September & 3 October 2008	22
Tony Hill (Robson Green) is brought in by Inspector Alex Fielding (Simone Lahbib) to uncover the identity of a serial murderer who is killing prostitutes and experimental psychologists in a very specific sequence. Loosely based on the novel The Last Temptation by Val McDermid.
6 x 3	From the Defeated	10 & 17 October 2008	23
Dr Tony Hill (Robson Green) is brought in by Inspector Alex Fielding (Simone Lahbib) to investigate a series of kidnappings and murders where it appears that the victims were also killers. Story continues in the (final) episode "The Dead Land".
6 x 4	The Dead Land	24 & 31 October 2008	24
Continues the story from episode "From the Defeated". Dr Tony Hill (Robson Green) is brought in by Inspector Alex Fielding (Simone Lahbib) to uncover the identity of a killer who is murdering homeless men in a ritualistic fashion. The cannibalistic serial killer Michael, whom Tony captured in 'Unnatural Vices', takes Tony hostage. Guest stars: Mary Jo Randle as Janet Williams and John Hopkins as DI Andy Hall.

International airings

The series has appeared in the US on the cable channel BBC America, in Australia on the public channel ABC, in Belgium on the public channel Canvas, in Estonia on the public channel ETV, in Finland on TV 1, in Sweden on TV4, in France on NT1, in Germany on ZDF, in Latin America on HBO, in Poland on TVP1, in Denmark on DR2, in South-East Asia on the cable channel the Hallmark Channel, in Switzerland by RSI LA1 (Italian Switzerland Television) and in Croatia on HRT.

DVD releases

Region 2 is distributed by Revelation Films, Region 1 by Koch Vision and Region 4 by Magna.

DVD name	Release dates
	Region 2	Region 1	Region 4
Wire in the Blood - The Complete Series 1	5 May 2003	22 June 2004	8 June 2004
Wire in the Blood - The Mermaids Singing	22 March 2004	11 November 2003	16 July 2003
Wire in the Blood - Shadows Rising	22 March 2004	13 January 2004	16 July 2003
Wire in the Blood - Justice Painted Blind	22 March 2004	16 March 2004	16 July 2003
Wire in the Blood - Still She Cries		17 August 2004	14 May 2004
Wire in the Blood - The Darkness of Light			14 May 2004
Wire in the Blood - Right to Silence			14 May 2004
Wire in the Blood - Sharp Compassion			11 June 2004
Wire in the Blood - The Complete Series 2	5 March 2004	12 July 2005	9 September 2004
Wire in the Blood - The Complete Series 3	6 October 2006	7 February 2006	1 November 2005
Wire in the Blood - The Complete Series 4	22 October 2007	5 February 2008	9 April 2008
Wire in the Blood - The Complete Series 5	7 July 2008	10 June 2008	9 April 2008
Wire in the Blood - The Complete Series 6	2 March 2009	14 July 2009	3 March 2009
Wire in the Blood - Completely wired box set	30 November 2009		November 2011

Award nominations

Year	Ceremony	Awards	References
2009	Edgar Allan Poe Awards	Winner of 'Best Television Episode Teleplay' - Patrick Harbinson (Prayer of the Bone)
2006	Edgar Allan Poe Awards	'Best Television Episode Teleplay' - Guy Burt (Redemption)
2005	Edgar Allan Poe Awards	'Best Television Feature or Mini-Series Teleplay' - Alan Whiting

External links

• Wire in the Blood at itv.com
• Wire in the Blood at Coastal Productions
• Wire in the Blood at BBCAmerica.com
• Wire in the Blood at the Internet Movie Database