TV News: Banks & Gently return next week

DCI Banks and Inspector George Gently return to UK screens next week.

The third series of DCI Banks, based on Peter Robinson's series, with Stephen Tompkinson in the lead role, is six episodes, with two-parters of Wednesday's Child, Piece of My Heart and Bad Boy (the sixth, sixteenth and nineteenth books respectively in the series) and begins on Monday 3rd February at 9pm on ITV1.

From the ITV website:

The series sees the return from maternity leave of DS Annie Cabbot, played by Andrea Lowe (Love Life, Monroe), immediately thrown into a harrowing case for a new single mother. Having acknowledged their feelings for one another in the last series, the new episodes focus on whether a romantic relationship between Banks and Annie can ever be a reality. However, there are inevitable complications as the pair come to acknowledge their own unique and challenging roles as colleagues and parents.

Caroline Catz (Doc Martin) also returns to the series playing DI Helen Morton, the disarmingly blunt and often socially inept detective who joined Banks’ team when Annie left for maternity. Helen has to confront her inflexible approach to both her home and work life; can her relationship with Banks help her to understand when to bend the rules? With both Helen and Annie working under Banks, will he successfully be able to juggle the opposing views of these two strong willed independent women? How far will Banks go to keep both these women at his side?

This series also sees the surprise introduction of Banks’ university dropout daughter, Tracy. Although on the surface, Banks and Tracy have a good relationship, it becomes clear that neither father nor daughter really know each other as well as they pretend. The distance between the pair means Banks cannot see the real danger Tracy soon throws herself into until it is too late.

Inspector George Gently, starring Martin Shaw, returns for a sixth series (seventh if you include the pilot) consisting of four ninety-minute episodes and is set in 1969. The series takes its name from the George Gently series by Alan Hunter though Hunter's books were set in East Anglia, the series is set, and now filmed, in Northumberland.

The first episode, Gently Between the Lines, is on Thursday 6th February at 8.30pm on BBC One:

It is 1969, and approximately six months since the shootings in the cathedral. Gently is taken by surprise when he learns of Bacchus's resignation, realising that his sergeant has lost his confidence. Still suffering his own scars from the incident, Gently sets about fixing Bacchus and insists that he help him investigate a death in custody - a case that has both Gently and Bacchus questioning what it means to be a police officer at a time when attitudes to the police are changing. Meanwhile, the victim's family ask the pertinent question: 'aren't the police supposed to protect us?'.

More Inspector George Gently

News from the BBC website of the two next episodes of Inspector George Gently, starring Martin Shaw and Lee Ingleby, a series loosely based on the long-running series of books by Alan Hunter:

Martin Shaw returns to Sixties Northumberland in Inspector George Gently with two new feature-length films written by Peter Flannery.

This classic series, with its growling, passionate detective hero (Shaw) and his headstrong, un-pc sidekick, Bacchus (Lee Ingleby), lovingly recreates the Swinging Sixties as it finally hits the North East. Full of warmth and humour, seen through their "perfect" copper partnership, Inspector George Gently brings a colourful nostalgia to the period; when darned socks and a clout round the head were the norm. The series also gives a fascinating insight into a society on the cusp of change, and the difficulties that the police had to face in the Sixties to investigate and solve their crimes – without the help of modern technology.

Writer Peter Flannery says: "Inspector George Gently has taken on a new lease of life since the series came home to its geographical and spiritual roots last year. The city of Durham – in true Geordie fashion – has welcomed the show with open arms and the cast and crew simply love being there."

The first film, Goodbye China, delves into police brutality and corporal punishment when a youth disappears and an old "grass" of Gently's dies. Guest stars include: Neil Pearson, Dean Lennox Kelly, Christine Bottomley, Mark Benton, Lucy Akhurst, Shaun Prendergast and Alexandra Gilbreath.

In the second film, Gently Upside Down, Gently and Bacchus are thrown into the new world of pop and media celebrity when a schoolgirl vanishes and her friend is catapulted into the public eye. Guest stars include: Neil Morrissey, Vincent Regan, Louise Delamere, Kaye Wragg, Sean Gilder and Christopher Coghill; introducing Kate Bracken.

A further two films of Inspector George Gently have already been commissioned by the BBC to be filmed in 2012.

You can read the whole article and more information on the episodes at the BBC website.

TV News: Inspector George Gently's back on Sunday

Two more episodes of Inspector George Gently have been filmed and the first, Gently Evil, will be on Sunday night at 8.30pm (according to my tv guide) on BBC1.

Here are some details from the BBC Press Office:

Martin Shaw returns as old-school detective Inspector George Gently in the crime drama set in the Sixties, written by Peter Flannery.

It's 1966, and when a young woman is found murdered in an idyllic coastal village in Northumberland, Gently and Bacchus find themselves investigating a family with unimaginable secrets.

Initially it appears that the woman's estranged husband, Alan Charlton, father of their enigmatic young daughter Agnes, is responsible for the killing. Then they meet the child's uncle, Darren Paige.

With a rogue reporter, Max Osgood, desperate to get an exclusive story on the family, the police have their work cut out.

As Gently and Bacchus investigate the disturbed family, they discover an alarming truth.

In an added complication, Bacchus is having marriage problems and becomes jealous of Gently when he realises how close the older man has become to his wife, Lisa, and toddler Leigh-Ann.

Some background information on the filming (now in England and not Ireland) can be found on the BBC Press Office website

Incidentally, is Bacchus the most irritating policeman on tv?

The new Inspector George Gently episodes

The first of four new Inspector George Gently episodes, starring Martin Shaw as GG, was shown last night on BBC One. The four episodes are:

Gently with the Innocents

Gently in the Night

Gently in the Blood

Gently Through the Mill

Clicking on the above episode titles will take you to the BBC press release for that episode which contains a detailed plot outline plus some backstage trivia and/or filming locations in Ireland.

A full list of the Gently novels by Alan Hunter, can be found here.

Four more George Gently episodes

From Digital Spy:

The BBC has commissioned four new George Gently dramas to air next year.

Based on Alan Hunter's Inspector Gently book series, the new films will focus on veteran Scotland Yard detective George Gently (Martin Shaw) and his partner John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) as they solve crimes in '60s Northumberland.

Peter Flannery and Mick Ford will co-write the four instalments.

"The joy of writing the Gently stories lies in the period and the place," said Flannery. "The place because it's where I grew up; the period for the same reason, plus it gives me a chance to write about a country on the cusp of change.

"Each issue I look at at the heart of a crime - abortion, sexuality, youth gangs, child abuse, race, terrorism - was seen differently in the early '60s compared to today. As L. P. Hartley said, 'The past is another country. They do things differently there'."

George Gently on the telly (again)

Martin Shaw is back as George Gently. The first of two new episodes is on at 8pm on Sunday. From the BBC press release:

Following the success of his first television outing last year, George Gently is back with two gripping new cases for BBC One, adapted for the screen by Peter Flannery (Our Friends In The North) and Mick Ford (William And Mary) from the George Gently series of novels by Alan Hunter.

Martin Shaw reprises his role as Inspector George Gently, whose impassioned investigations reveal the dark underbelly of a society on the cusp of change. The dramas are set in 1964 Northumberland.

Martin Shaw is joined once again by Lee Ingleby (Wind In The Willows) who stars as the ambitious Detective Sergeant John Bacchus. Guest stars Tim Healy (Auf Wiedersehen Pet) and Robert Glenister (Hustle) complete the stellar cast.

The first of the two self-contained dramas is Bomber's Moon, which sees Gently and Bacchus investigating the death of Gunter Schmeikel, a returning German POW whose body is found in the harbour of a small fishing village.

More George Gently

The George Gently programme repeated last night, supposedly set in the North-East (though the books are set in East Anglia!) was actually filmed in Ireland: Dublin and Wicklow. Having a look for filming locations, I stumbled upon the Irish film board website which indicates two more episodes are planned:

GEORGE GENTLY – Episodes 2 & 3
After the success of Episode 1 entitled GENTLY’S LAST CASE, which was shot on location in Dublin last Christmas, this BBC TV series is to come back to Dublin to shoot Episodes 2 & 3. Directed again by Ciaran Donnelly and produced by Element, this 1960’s detective series stars Martin Shaw as Inspector George Gently, one of the few good men at Scotland Yard where corruption is rife and unchecked. The series is set at a time when the line between the police and criminals has become increasingly blurred; when the proliferation of drugs is about to change the face of policing forever; when Britain’s youth stand on the brink of a social and sexual revolution. Episode one entitled GENTLY’S LAST CASE shot on location in Dublin in early ’07 and was very well received when it screened on the BBC.

You can watch George Gently online for six more days on the BBCiplayer (not sure if there are geographic restrictions and you may need to use IE).

Dalziel and Pascoe (tv show)

I've been remiss is mentioning that the eleventh(?) tv series of Dalziel and Pascoe briefly returned to our screens. The two parter, Demons on our Shoulders, was screened on the 6th and 13th May.

I'm half way through watching George Gently which was shown last month so when I'll get to this Dalziel and Pascoe, who knows!

The latest book by Dalziel and Pascoe creator, Reginald Hill, was reviewed recently on Euro Crime.

Martin Shaw as George Gently

Further to my post about Martin Shaw taking on the role of George Gently, the BBC has released a press release detailing the first episode:

Britain, 1964: a time when the line between the police and criminals has become increasingly blurred; when the proliferation of drugs is about to change the face of policing forever; when Britain's youth stand on the brink of a social and sexual revolution.

Inspector George Gently is one of the few good men at Scotland Yard, his sense of public duty an increasingly rare commodity in a police force where corruption is rife and unchecked.

But his relentless pursuit of notorious gangsters such as Joe Webster (Phil Davis, Bleak House) leads to the murder of Gently's beloved wife Isabella, a killing arranged by Webster himself in an act of revenge upon Gently.

When a grieving Gently learns of the murder of a young biker, Johnny Lister (Christian Cooke, Where The Heart Is), who was part of a Northumberland drugs ring, it has all the hallmarks of a Webster operation and he insists on being given the case, deciding it will be his last...

In Northumberland, George takes on the headstrong young Detective Sergeant Bacchus (Lee Ingleby, The Street) who is convinced that the prime suspect for Johnny Lister's murder is Ricky Deeming (Richard Armitage, Robin Hood), the charismatic leader of the Defenders biker gang.

But as the case grows ever more complex, Gently must decide if Bacchus can be trusted – hot-tempered and ambitious, could he too be drawn to the corrupt road taken by so many of his contemporaries? Or can Gently keep Bacchus's integrity intact?

As the case reaches its violent climax, Gently begins to feel that his brand of policing is needed now more than ever – and perhaps he is not ready to call this his last case after all...

Expect it on BBC1 in the Spring.

Martin Shaw to play another policeman

Not content with Doyle, Judge John Deed and Adam Dalgleish it seems Martin Shaw's law enforcement career is to continue with the filming of the 'Gently' series by Alan Hunter.

There's an article in Media Guardian which seems to require registration so I've borrowed the pertinent details:

Martin Shaw, star of the BBC1 series Judge John Deed, may be preparing to hang up his wig and take on a major new BBC drama role - that of 1950s East Anglian copper, George Gently.

The BBC has commissioned drama specialist Company Pictures to develop a series based on the books by Alan Hunter, who died in February last year.

The series has not yet been commissioned, but is almost certain soon to be given the go-ahead on BBC1.

A senior BBC source said: "Martin Shaw is very keen to do this new drama, and if it gets the green light, which is very likely, Judge John Deed will undoubtedly come to an end."

Judge John Deed is made by the corporation's in-house drama department.

Shaw has been optioned to play the chief inspector, who featured in 48 novels Hunter wrote between 1955 and 1999.

The character's name was used in 32 of the books' titles, such as Gently Does it and Landed Gently.

The character of Gently has been likened to that of George Simenon's Inspector Maigret, who was the subject of an ITV adaptation in the early 1990s starring Michael Gambon.

Most of Hunter's novels were inspired by, and set in, his native East Anglia, which is also Shaw's home. In the 1977 novel Gently Instrumental, for example, the chief inspector is called to a music festival, modelled on the Benjamin Britten festival of Aldeburgh in Suffolk, where a clarinettist is found murdered after flouncing out of a rehearsal.

Gently is also said to resemble the author. Both smoked a pipe.

I'd better get my bibliography ready on the Euro Crime website!

In addition, Brian Cooper writes a series (9 so far) about two policeman in 1940s East Anglia. I reviewed The Norfolk Triangle a few years ago but wasn't terribly impressed.