No Offence
| No Offence | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
| Created by | Paul Abbott |
| Directed by | David Kerr Catherine Morshead Misha Manson-Smith Harry Bradbeer |
| Starring | Joanna Scanlan Elaine Cassidy Alexandra Roach Paul Ritter Will Mellor Colin Salmon Saira Choudhry |
| Theme music composer | Vince Pope |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Paul Abbott Martin Carr |
| Producers | Anna Ferguson Simon Meyers |
| Production location | Manchester |
| Running time | 47 minutes |
| Production company | AbbottVision |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 5 May 2015 – present |
No Offence is a 2015 British television police procedural comedy-drama shown on Channel 4, created by Paul Abbott.
The show follows a team of detectives from the Manchester Metropolitan Police (a fictionalised version of Greater Manchester Police), focusing on their investigation into the serial murders of girls with Down's syndrome.[1][2] The show was filmed on location in Manchester.[3] Channel 4 have renewed No Offence for a second series of eight episodes.[4]
Plot
D.I. Viv Deering (Joanna Scanlan) is scathing in her leadership of a team of detectives at the Manchester Metropolitan Police. D.C. Dinah Kowalska (Elaine Cassidy) misses out on a promotion to D.S. due to a mistake in her professionalism, but she proceeds to uncover a link between a murder, the body of a drowned woman and the disappearance of a third girl. The team soon realise someone is killing Down syndrome girls across Manchester, and, while negotiating different cases, they attempt to solve the case as more girls come into danger.[5]
Cast
Main cast and characters
- Joanna Scanlan as D.I. Vivenne Deering, a cast-iron cop with a tough-love approach to managing her team. She is at the prime of her life and dizzyingly capable in her job. However, with a high-flying career comes a disintegrating home life.[6][7]
- Elaine Cassidy as D.C. Dinah Kowalska, a strong yet impulsive member of the team. She passes over a promotion to sergeant to her colleague Joy following a stupid mistake, and it's not long before she makes another move in following her emotions which threatens her job.[6][7]
- Alexandra Roach as D.S. Joy Freers, an equally brilliant detective but one who is shy of the spotlight. Her promotion to sergeant ahead of Dinah completely throws her out of her comfort zone; if only she recognised her own brilliance behind her anxiety.[6][7]
- Will Mellor as D.C. Spike Tanner, a risk-taking headstrong man amongst the powerful women of the group. In one way, he is an emotional glue for the group, ensuring they are a united force, but he is also a cheeky fun-loving guy.[6][7]
- Paul Ritter as Randolph Miller, an eccentric in forensics despite the team's general despair of his lacklustre attitude to the job. Often hungover, it's lucky Randolph's a maverick who's amazing at his job.[6][7]
- Colin Salmon as Detective Superintendent Darren Maclaren, the big boss who even Viv has to answer to. He is both straight-talking but manipulative when he wants to be; he is the only man who can take on Viv, and even then she's more than a handful.[6][7]
- Saira Choudhry as P.C. Tegan Thompson, a tough and ambitious cop on the team. She refuses to suffer fools and has a good relationship with her police partner Stuart; is there a hint of romance?[6][7]
- Tom Varey as P.C. Stuart O'Connell, a smart and switched-on cop, and Tegan's partner. He aims to make sergeant one day, but he can't get drawn into the trouble his colleagues so like to indulge in.[6][7]
- Ste Johnson as P.C. Jonah Mitchell, an overweight and mischievous cop. It doesn't stop him from throwing himself into his job with the best of them though. He's Taz's partner.[6][7]
- Neet Mohan as P.C. Taz Ahmed, a happy-go-lucky yet calming influence on the team, and Jonah's partner.[6][7]
Recurring cast and characters
- Risteárd Cooper as Laurie Gaskell
- Charlie May-Clark as Cathy Calvert
- Kate O'Flynn as Dr. Peep
- Hanna Bieniuszewicz as Magda Kowalska
- Mia Blakeley as Tessa Kowalska
Episode list
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | DVD/Blu-ray release date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 3 | Region 4 | ||||
| 1 | 8 | 2015 | — | 10 August 2015[8] | — | 6 April 2016[9] | |
Series 1 (2015)
| Episode # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (in millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Catherine Morshead & David Kerr | Paul Abbott | 5 May 2015 | 3.19 | |
|
Dinah catches sight of a wanted robbery suspect on her way into work, but when she chases him right into the path of a double decker bus, her candidacy for promotion to sergeant is thrown into question. Meanwhile, two young girls with down's syndrome have been murdered, and a third young girl is missing. Dinah notices a link between all three cases, and it's not long before the team find themselves running out of time to find the latest victim before the killer strikes again. | ||||||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | David Kerr & Catherine Morshead | Paul Abbott | 12 May 2015 | 2.33 | |
|
As Dinah lends a helping hand to the victim Cathy Calvert, Viv and the team feel the force of the repercussions as they find themselves outranked as the case is handed over to McLaren's team. Meanwhile, Joy's first case as Sergeant leads her and Spike onto the trail of a deadly drug that already claimed the lives of three victims. Using a rather underhand tactic, they manage to stake-out the location of the drug factory before securing the evidence they need to arrest their prime suspect. | ||||||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Catherine Morshead | Paul Tomalin | 19 May 2015 | 2.09 | |
|
Convinced that the serial killer will strike again soon, Dinah attempts to use a fresh lead as bait to tempt the killer out from his cage. Meanwhile, Joy and Spike deal with an arson attack on the home of an Asian woman, who failed to make it out alive. As they arrest their prime suspect in the middle of his wedding reception, they soon begin to realise that they may have the wrong man, and that victim's own brother may be responsible for the attack that claimed her life. | ||||||
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Misha Manson-Smith | Jack Lothian | 26 May 2015 | 1.69 | |
|
A fourth victim is kidnapped by the serial killer, and Dinah and Viv enlist the help of the young girl's best friend to de-code secret messages in her diary between her and the killer. Meanwhile, Jonah and Taz have the painful job of telling the mother of a suicide victim of his tragic passing, but their visit to the victim's home leads them to find the man's wife dead and puts them onto the trail of a secret underground operating theatre where an illegal trade in black market organs is taking place. | ||||||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Catherine Morshead | Paul Abbott & Jimmy Dowdall | 2 June 2015 | 1.87 | |
|
After finally making online contact with the killer, the team attempt to use a former victims' best friends bait, in the hope that the killer will finally show his face. Meanwhile, Spike has to deal with an angry mob who have assaulted an estate agent. However, when Spike discovers that the victim is a former child murderer, whose identity has been changed to prevent such incidents from occurring, his level of compassion begins to decline rapidly. | ||||||
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Misha Manson-Smith | Mark Greig | 9 June 2015 | 1.75 | |
|
Having finally secured the evidence against prime suspect Patrick Llewellyn, the team organise a raid on his house, but the ensuing chase ends in tragedy when he is killed in a collision with a lorry. A search of his flat fails to yield any clues, until Cathy claims that her attacker had an accomplice - and Dinah and Viv soon suspect that the second man may be one of the team. Meanwhile, Joy and Spike investigate a slavery case where a young boy who tried to escape has been left with serious injuries. | ||||||
| 7 | "Episode 7" | Harry Bradbeer | Paul Tomalin | 16 June 2015 | 1.58 | |
|
Viv sets Dinah the task of eliminating each member of the team as the possible accomplice, but both soon find evidence which points to the most unlikely suspect of all. Viv faces a personal dilemma of whether to confront the killer or bury the evidence. Meanwhile, Joy and Spike investigate the brutal shooting of a surgeon. They soon discover that a young schoolgirl is responsible, and try to prove that her teacher, and inspiration, coached her into doing so. | ||||||
| 8 | "Episode 8" | Harry Bradbeer | Paul Abbott | 23 June 2015 | 1.76 | |
|
Dinah and Viv clash over her personal struggle to confront the killer. Jonah faces disciplinary action after his attempt to save a mother and baby goes badly wrong. | ||||||
Reception
Audiences
In the UK, the first episode launched with 2.5 million viewers, Channel 4's biggest midweek drama launch for more than three years. Although subsequent episodes lost overnight viewers, dropping as low as 1.2 million, the weekly consolidated series average remained at 2.5 million and finished 47% up on Channel 4's slot average. [10]
In France, the first episode of series 1 aired 29 February 2016 on France 2 and was watched by 5.46 million viewers, 20.4% of the TV audience. The next three episodes was shown back to back that evening and together achieved an average 4.6 million viewers, 20.4% of the TV audience.[11]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Festival de la fiction TV de La Rochelle | Best Foreign Fiction | No Offence | Won[12] |
| RTS Craft & Design Awards | Best Music, Original Titles | Vince Pope | Nominated | |
| 2016 | BAFTA Television Awards | Best Drama Series | No Offence | Nominated |
| Broadcast Awards | Best Drama Series or Serial | No Offence | Nominated | |
| Best Original Programme | No Offence | Nominated | ||
| Irish Film and Television Awards | Best Actress in a Lead Role - Drama | Elaine Cassidy | Nominated | |
| RTS Programme Awards | Best Drama Series | No Offence | Won[13] |
References
- ^ Dianne Bourne (3 November 2014). "First pictures from the set of No Offence, new police drama from Paul Abbott". Manchester Evening News.
- ^ "Shameless writer Paul Abbott's new cop drama No Offence to launch on Channel 4". The Independent.
- ^ "Cast announced for Paul Abbott's No Offence - Channel 4 - Info - Press". channel4.com.
- ^ Delgado, Kasia (23 June 2015). "It's back to the scene of the crime as No Offence gets a second series". Radio Times. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ^ "No Offence - All 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Delgado, Kasia (5 May 2015). "Meet the cast and characters of No Offence". Radio Times. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "No Offence - Characters". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ Powell, Emma (5 August 2015). "No Offence star Will Mellor calls for Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps live tour". Evening Standard. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ "Future Releases - Movies and TV on DVD and Blu-Ray in Australia". Stack. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ Plunkett, John (23 June 2015). "No Offence to return for second series on Channel 4". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ Boucher, Kevin (1 March 2016). "Audiences : Camping Paradis leader, No Offence démarre fort, Bachelor au plus bas" [Audiences: "Camping Paradise" leader, "No Offence" starts strong, "Bachelor" at the lowest]. PureMédias (in French). Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ Langlais, Pierre (19 September 2015). "Festival de La Rochelle : huit séries à découvrir ou à retrouver" [Festival of La Rochelle: eight series to discover or rediscover]. Telerama (in French). Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^ "RTS Programme Awards 2016". Royal Television Society. Retrieved 30 March 2016.