Waking the Dead (TV series)

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Waking the Dead
The Waking the Dead logo, as seen in the opening title sequence.
Genre	Drama
Creator(s)	Barbara Machin
Starring	Trevor Eve Sue Johnston Tara Fitzgerald Wil Johnson Félicité Du Jeu
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	31 (as of 19 February 2007)
Production
Running time	approx. 1 hour (per part)
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC One
Original run	September 4, 2000 – present
Links
Official website
IMDb profile

Waking the Dead is a British television crime drama series produced by the BBC featuring a team of CID police officers, a psychological profiler and a forensic scientist or pathologist.

The pilot episode was transmitted in September 2000 and there have been a total of six series, with the latest concluding in February 2007. Each story is split into two hour-long episodes, normally shown in the evening of consecutive days on BBC One. A third series episode won an International Emmy Award in 2004. The programme is also shown on BBC America in the United States as well as the Nine Network in Australia, though the BBC America showings are edited to allow for more commercials.

The first four series have been released on region 2 DVD and the first also on region 1. The programme's official website states a seventh series is currently being filmed, but no transmission dates have been set.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Characters 2.1 Main characters 2.2 Former characters 3 Episodes 4 Production 4.1 Ratings 4.2 Awards and nominations 5 DVD releases 6 Notes and references 7 External links

[edit] Plot

The programme follows the work of a special police team who investigate "cold cases", usually murders that took place a number of years ago and were never solved. The team uses evidence which has just come to light, as well as modern technology to examine previous evidence. Trevor Eve portrays the workaholic and often eccentric Peter Boyd around whom plotlines are often centered. As the series has progressed, storylines have focused on the personal lives of the characters as well as the criminal investigations (for example, Boyd's temper control in "Anger Management").

[edit] Characters

[edit] Main characters

• Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd (Trevor Eve) — The head of the Cold Case Unit, Boyd has a unique style of policing (not least shouting at and physically assaulting suspects in the interview room). His involvement in the CCU stems from the unexplained disappearance of his young son in the 1990's.^[1] Though sometimes appearing detached, Boyd is close to his team, particularly Mel Silver, whose death still haunts him two years later. He mentioned in series 1 he was married but no explanation to what happened.

• Psychological profiler Dr. Grace Foley (Sue Johnston) — Grace has nearly 30 years experience in her field, originally entering the force as forensic profiler. Her presence on the Unit provides a rational counter to Boyd's dogmatic and somewhat unorthodox methods but she enjoys a close working relationship with him, often engaging in witty banter with him. In series 1 she says that "she has kids to go home to...."

• Detective Inspector Spencer Jordan (Wil Johnson) — Spencer works closely alongside Boyd in many cases, often joining him in "good-cop-bad-cop" routines in the interview room. Before joining the CCU, Spencer worked for the Atomic Energy Constabulary. His partner from that job shot him in "Cold Fusion". After he had returned to work and his wound had healed, he got a tattoo around the scar, which Grace suggested was a way of coping with the ordeal.

• Detective Sergeant Stella Goodman (Félicité du Jeu, 2005 – present) — Stella joined the CCU as the permanent replacement for Mel in "Black Run" and became good friends with Spencer. Boyd was initially hostile towards her but eventually came to accept her. This trust was betrayed in "Cold Fusion" when it was revealed she had been (unwittingly) sending information on the Unit to her godfather. By the beginning of "Wren Boys", the team's confidence in her seemed to be fully restored.

• Forensic Pathologist Eve Lockhart (Tara Fitzgerald, 2007) — Eve took over the lab from Felix and was already firmly entrenched in her work at the beginning of "Wren Boys", her first episode. Eve's career has allowed her to accumulate a body farm bringing a unique approach to her work.

[edit] Former characters

• Detective Sergeant Amelia "Mel" Silver^[2] (Claire Goose, 2000 – 2004) — Much like Grace, Mel freely questions Boyd if she believes he is looking in the wrong direction in a case. She was close to everyone on the team, especially Frankie. She was killed in "Shadowplay" and appeared in archive footage in "Towers of Silence". In the sixth series, her death came back to haunt the Cold Case Unit with a mysterious pendant being sent to the office, with the sender claiming it belonged to Mel. It subsequently emerged that she was secretly working on a case with an American 'war' expert, this is explained in 'Yahrzeit'.

• Forensic pathologist and scientist Frankie Wharton (Holly Aird, 2000 – 2004) — Frankie took a conscientious approach to her job and was good friends with Mel. After Mel's death, Frankie left the CCU to return to research. Actress Holly Aird left the programme due to her pregnancy.

• Forensic pathologist and scientist Felix Gibson (Esther Hall, 2005) — Felix took over the lab after Frankie's departure and, like her predecessor, would leave the office to join her colleagues in the field. She was an employee of the Home Office, and would not hesitate to stand-up to Boyd. Esther Hall played the role for one series before leaving. It is currently unknown why the character left.

• Detective Sergeant Andrea Stephenson (Georgia Mackenzie, 2005) — Appeared in "Towers of Silence". She was drafted into the unit from Kent CID because she had previously investigated a case linked to the one the team reopened in that story.

[edit] Episodes

Pilot by Barbara Machin (4 September and 5 September 2000)

Series One (broadcast 2001)

• "Burn Out" by Peter Jukes (18 June and 19 June)
• "The Blind Beggar" by John Milne (25 June and 26 June)
• "A Simple Sacrifice" by Simon Mirren (2 July and 3 July)
• "Every Breath You Take" by Barbara Machin (9 July and 10 July)

Series Two (broadcast 2002)

• "Life Sentence" by John Milne (2 September and 3 September)
• "Deathwatch" by Stephen Davis (9 September and 10 September)
• "Special Relationship" by Simon Mirren (16 September and 17 September)
• "Thin Air" by Ed Whitmore (3 November and 4 November)

Series Three (broadcast 2003)

• "Multistorey" by Ed Whitmore (14 September and 15 September)
• "Walking on Water" by Simon Mirren (21 September and 22 September)
• "Breaking Glass" by Stephen Davis (28 September and 29 September)
• "Final Cut" by Stephen Davis (5 October and 6 October)

Series Four (broadcast 2004)

• "In Sight of the Lord" by Tony McHale (11 July and 12 July)
• "False Flag" by Stephen Davis (18 July and 19 July)
• "Fugue States" by Ed Whitmore (25 July and 26 July)
• "Anger Management" by John Milne and Andy Hay (1 August and 2 August)
• "The Hardest Word" by Doug Milburn (8 August and 9 August)
• "Shadowplay" by Ed Whitmore (15 August and 16 August)

Series Five (broadcast 2005)

• "Towers of Silence" by Joe Cozens (18 September and 19 September)
• "Black Run" by Raymond Khoury (25 September and 26 September)
• "Subterraneans" by Ed Whitmore (2 October and 3 October)
• "Straw Dog" by Declan Croghan (9 October and 10 October)
• "Undertow" by Oliver Browns (16 October and 17 October)
• "Cold Fusion" by Ed Whitmore (23 October and 24 October)

Series Six (broadcast 2007)

• "Wren Boys" by Declan Croghan (7 January and 8 January)
• "Deus Ex Machina" by Nicholas Blincoe (14 January and 15 January)
• "The Fall" by Damian Wayling (21 January and 22 January)
• "Mask of Sanity" by Laurence Davey and Declan Croghan (28 January and 29 January)
• "Double Bind" by Richard Warlow (4 February and 5 February)
• "Yahrzeit" by Declan Croghan (18 February and 19 February)

[edit] Production

• Director of Photography series III -VII : Mike Spragg
• Producer series III - V : Richard Burrell
• Producer series VI-VII  : Colin Wratten

[edit] Ratings

The first series secured strong ratings, with "Burn Out, part 1" receiving 8.4m viewers and a 38% share.^[3] Persistently high ratings meant the programme was recommissioned each year for either the summer or winter schedule.

The 2007 series began with strong ratings, with "Wren Boys, part 1" achieving 9.2m viewers and a 35.2% share.^[4] The second part dropped to 8.6m but still gained a 33% share.^[5]

[edit] Awards and nominations

Following the successful transmission of the third series and an International Emmy Award nomination, a further two series were commissioned with the episode numbers expanded from four to six.^[6] Waking the Dead won an International Emmy Award the following year for "Multistorey" written by Ed Whitmore and directed by Bob Bierman.^[7]

[edit] DVD releases

The first series was released on region 2 by BBC DVD and from series 2 onwards under the 2 Entertain brand. Region 1 is distributed by BBC Video and region 4 by Roadshow.

DVD name	Release dates
	Region 2	Region 1	Region 4
The Complete Series One & Pilot	September 12, 2005	October 24, 2006	March 2, 2006
The Complete Series Two	June 26, 2006	TBA	TBA
The Complete Series Three	September 25, 2006	TBA	TBA
The Complete Series Four	January 29, 2007	TBA	TBA

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• Waking The Dead at bbc.co.uk
• Waking the Dead episode guide at bbc.co.uk
• Shadowplay shooting script at BBC Writers Room
• Waking The Dead at BBC America
• Waking The Dead at the Internet Movie Database