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DCI Banks: Aftermath on ITV – Episode 2 summary

Posted on October 4, 2010
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DCI Banks: Aftermath based on the best-selling novel by Peter Robinson.

Please be aware that this summary contains spoilers from the second episode which aired on the 4th October, 2010 on ITV. Please stop reading if you haven’t watched the episode. Episode 1 Summary and thoughts.

So Marcus Payne has died and following an autopsy the medical examiner has declared his death as unlawful – he was killed and had no defensive marks on his hands or arms – leading to an internal disciplinary for WPC Janet Taylor. Janet admits to savagely beating Payne while he was handcuffed and changes her statement admitting guilt.

Banks soon discovers, thanks to an eye witness, that Marcus Payne had an accomplice when Leanne, the only remaining missing girl was abducted. He then sets about hunting his accomplice down with the help of his fellow officers.

Fingerprints lead to Jackie Wray (Barry Sloane) and he is hauled in for questioning and following a heated exchange Banks leaves the interrogation room. Peter Robinson, creator of DCI Banks on Amazon.

Annie Cabbot and Banks come to the realisation that Lucy Payne is the accomplice but when Banks visits Lucy in hospital he finds a confident woman who has “lawyered up”. She lays the blame on her neighbour Maggie claiming she was having an affair with her husband.

Despite promising to keep Payne’s murder in house, Annie Cabbot is sent to arrest WPC Janet Taylor following a positive toxicology report for vodka the night she was on duty.

Lucy Payne we discover was kept in a cage for the first ten years of her life, beaten, abused and systematically raped by her family. Banks forces a confession out of her; she breaks down under the pressure and is arrested for her part in …

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DI Banks – Aftermath on ITV

Posted on September 27, 2010
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Forget ballooning around Australia, Stephen Tomkinson returned to our television screens tonight in the new ITV drama series DCI Banks: Aftermath. The first of a two part pilot series kicked off with a bang, domestic abuse, a copious amount of blood and four bodies in a cellar.

You really can’t ask for much more can you?!!! Episode 2 Summary Here (contains Spoilers)

I heard about the production following my review of Robinson’s latest Bank book called Bad Boy – where Banks’s daughter Tracy has fallen for the wrong boy. Her flatmate’s boyfriend is good-looking, ambitious, and surrounded by an intoxicating air of mystery. He’s also very dangerous.

Produced by Left Bank Pictures and based on the novel Aftermath by crime writer Peter Robinson, the series was shot in Yorkshire earlier this year.

Aftermath tells the story of an ordinary house in an ordinary street, which is about to become infamous. When two young police constables are sent to the house following a report of a domestic disturbance, they stumble upon a truly horrific scene.

When they fail to get a reply, the young WPC peers through the letterbox and discovers a blood-stained body lying on the floor.  Lucy Payne is close to death and while an ambulance is called the two constables search the cellar only to find a locked door and a shadow blocking out the light.

Breaking down the door they come face to face with a serial killer (Marcus Payne) who runs at the constables erratically wielding a machete. Within seconds PC Morrissey‘s neck has been slashed twice and is crumpled on the floor dying, with self-preservation key the WPC brandishes her baton and Marcus Payne is left in a coma.

It’s a rather frenetic start to the series and although the action doesn’t continue throughout …

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Sherlock (BBC) on DVD and Bluray

Posted on August 8, 2010
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With a release date of August 30th, the Sherlock DVD or Sherlock HD (Bluray) is a must purchase for any Sherlock fan. Did you miss an episode? If so this is your chance to catch up on the best drama to hit the BBC for a number of years.

Update: Both DVD and Bluray are now available to buy

A contemporary take on the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories, Sherlock is a thrilling, funny, fast-paced adventure series set in present-day London. Co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the new Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as his loyal friend, Doctor John Watson. Rupert Graves plays Inspector Lestrade.

John Watson: doctor, soldier, war hero, lost soul. Fresh from fighting the war in Afghanistan, a chance encounter brings him into the world of Sherlock Holmes: loner, detective, genius. A woman in pink lies murdered in an abandoned house.

The fifth victim of a seemingly motiveless killer. Inspector Lestrade is the best Scotland Yard has got. But he knows he’s nothing compared to a young man called Sherlock. Sherlock can tell a software designer by his tie, an airline pilot by his thumb. He has a unique analytical brain unlike anyone else in the world, who earns his living and staves off boredom by solving crimes. The weirder and more baffling the better…Sherlock on Bluray

The two men couldn’t be more different, but Sherlock’s inspired leaps of intellect coupled with John’s pragmatism soon forge an unbreakable alliance. Across three, 90 minute, thrilling, scary, action-packed and highly entertaining television movies, Sherlock and John navigate a maze of cryptic clues and lethal killers to get at the truth.

The world’s favourite detective has come out of the fog. With sparkling scripts and unforgettable performances from the two leads, …

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Sherlock – The Great Game Episode 3

Posted on August 3, 2010
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Sunday sees the third (The Great Game) and final episode in the current Sherlock series, brought to you by the BBC. The Sherlock DVD which features all three episodes is out later this month.

Episode 3 Summary Here

Very little information regarding the final episode is currently available but I’ll be bringing you another episodic review following its transmission on Sunday night (BBC One and BBC HD) at 21:00. The one and only repeat planned this week is on the HD channel at 0035 in the early hours of Monday morning so don’t forget to set SKY+!

A strange clue in an empty room, a blood-soaked car, a priceless Old Master, a deranged bomber. With the clock ticking, the curtain rises on a battle of wits between Sherlock, John and the shadowy stranger who seems to know all the answers…

Will Sherlock prevail? You’ll have to tune in to find out!

Episode Reviews Available:-

A Study in Pink          Review

The Blind Banker        Review

Full Cast Listing for “The Great Game”

Benedict Cumberbatch … Sherlock Holmes

Martin Freeman…       Doctor John Watson

Rupert Graves …         DI Lestrade

Una Stubbs     …         Mrs Hudson

Loo Brealey    …         Molly Hooper (as Louise Brealey)

Zoe Telford     …         Sarah

Vinette Robinson…     Sgt Sally Donovan

Jeany Spark     …         Homeless Girl

Doug Allen     …         Joe

Haydn Gwynne…       Miss Wenceslas

John Sessions  …         Kenny Prince

David Ryall     …         Lord Huxley

Deborah Moore…        Crying Woman

Lynn Farleigh  …         Professor Cairns

Lauren Crace   …         Lucy

Rita Davies     …         Blind Lady

San Shella       …         Alan West

Caroline Trowbridge…Mrs Monkford

Di Botcher      …         Connie Prince

Matthew Needham… Bezza

Alison Lintott …         Julie

Kemal Sylvester…       Tube Guard

Stefano Braschi…        Raoul

John Lebar      …         Golem…

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Sherlock’s “The Blind Banker” Episode 2 review

Posted on August 2, 2010
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It’s all about the Orient! From the very beginning, you could tell “The Blind Banker” was going to be another slick episode of Sherlock Holmes from the Oriental tea making to Watson’s troubles with the self-shopping aisle hurling abuse at the machine when faced with an annoying automated voice. The Sherlock DVD is going to be unmissable.

“Item not scanned, item not scanned, please scan item again”, Watson slightly embarrassed at his lack of shopping experience replies “can you please keep your voice down?” and to top it off when he finally manages to scan his last item of shopping  the machine has another go….

”Card not authorised please use an alternative payment method, card not authorised please use an alternative payment method” to which he quips “alright I get it” and storms out without his shopping! All the while Sherlock is back at Baker Street fending off a masked swordsman hell bent on killing the detective!

Ratings for episode 2 follow this review.

If you missed tonight’s episode then catch it while you can on the BBC iPlayer in HD.

On his return to the flat he informs Sherlock he failed to get the shopping telling him he had a row with a chip and pin machine! Haven’t we all Watson, haven’t we all!

The real story begins when Sherlock and Watson visit a high end bank in the heart of London. One of their offices has been broken into overnight and the intruder has left a calling card of yellow graffiti. Nothing appears to have been stolen. Sherlock investigates in a way only he can. Following on from “A study in Pink” Benedict Cumberbatch gives a stellar performance with his amazingly quick dialogue. How this …

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BBC’s Sherlock a huge ratings winner

Posted on July 27, 2010
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A claim by tabloid newspaper “The Sun” has given the latest indication on the popularity of the new Sherlock series to hit UK scenes. BBC one’s (and HD) modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes pulled in a reported 7.5 million viewers on Sunday for the first episode “A Study in Pink”.

Sherlock represents a huge ratings improvement for a Sunday night and the BBC are unlikely to lose a winning formula with the viewers who are still keen, after his invention by Doyle, to soak up anything Sherlockian!

Taking the following quote with a pinch of salt, we are talking “The Sun” here

“To say the top brass are made up by the Holmes ratings is an understatement,” a source told The Sun.

They really want to do more so the question is not really if, but how and when can we do them.”

Robert Downey Jr begins shooting Sherlock Holmes “2″ this October.

Episode 2, “The Blind Banker” airs this Sunday at the earlier time of 2030 (BBC One) and 2130 (BBC HD) witha HD repeat at 0100 Monday.

Credits

Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch)
Dr John Watson (Martin Freeman)
Mrs Hudson (Una Stubbs)
Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey)
Sarah (Zoe Telford)
DI Dimmock (Paul Chequer)
Soo Lin Yao (Gemma Chan)
Director (Euros Lyn)
Producer (Sue Vertue)
Executive Producer (Steven Moffat)
Executive Producer (Mark Gatiss)
Writer (Stephen Thompson)
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Sherlock’s back and means business “A Study in Pink” review

Posted on July 25, 2010
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Wonderful, absolutely wonderful.

Sherlock Holmes is back on tv, slicker, quicker and better than ever – well he doesn’t match Basil Rathbone but Benedict Cumberbatch certainly held up the Holmes tradition in brilliance.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the series but what a brilliant 90 minutes of BBC drama. Slick, full of one liners and amazing delivery the cast fronted by Cumberbatch didn’t disappoint. The BBC have a hit on their hands and I can definitely see another series emanating from this tri factor.

As I mentioned yesterday, the first episode is loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A study in Scarlet” (if by the way you get chance to read the book, I would advise it, only one of four full length novels it is, like Holmes a masterpiece!

Watson has returned from Afghanistan and is looking for new digs. A friend of Holmes introduces the pair and the detective immediately figures out Watson’s past from a 30 second introduction – the rest as they say is history. The pair meet the following day at 221B Baker Street and we, the viewers, are introduced to “Housekeeper” Mrs Hudson played by Una Stubbs.

Tonight’s episode, A study in Pink, sees Holmes and Watson chasing a serial killer hell bent on playing a dangerous game of kamikaze suicide which has DI Lestrade (Rupert Graves) in a quandary, unsure of which direction the suicides are taking him.

Holmes has a problem with Anderson (the on-site forensic guy) – in fact I’d go as far to say that Anderson annoys the hell out of Holmes and as we see on more than one occasion the “amateur” detective has no time for the policeman! While raiding 221B Baker Street on a trumped up drugs raid …

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A study in Pink – Sherlock on the BBC

Posted on July 24, 2010
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The waiting is nearly over, the long awaited Sherlock mini-series will  hit our screens tomorrow on BBC One and BBC HD at 21:00. (Repeated 0030 on Monday on BBC HD) – A study in Pink Review – Did you like it ? Let me know

With the pilot scrapped and turned into a mini-series, fans of the illustrious detective are in for a treat on Sunday when Sherlock and Watson meet and strike up a partnership. Check out the trailer.

A war hero (Watson), invalided home from Afghanistan, meets a strange but charismatic genius who is looking for a flatmate; it is London, 2010, and Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes are meeting for the first time. A string of impossible suicides has Scotland Yard baffled – and only one man can help.

The first episode in the series is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet, first published in 1887. Holmes and Watson meet when When Dr John Watson takes rooms in Baker Street with the amateur detective, he has no idea that he is about to enter a shadowy world of criminality and violence.

‘A Study in Scarlet‘ is a book in two halves. The first works out who the murderer is (and told by Watson in the first person), the second takes us to foreign shores and looks at how the case ended up where it did and the aftermath. Both halves have a different feel and it will be interesting to see how Moffat has managed to re-tell this story.

Did you know that Conan Doyle wrote the novel at the age of 27 in less than three weeks?

Cast and Crew for Sherlock 2010

Sherlock Holmes ……… Benedict Cumberbatch
Dr John Watson ………..Martin Freeman
DI Lestrade ………………Rupert Graves

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Sherlock’s coming to the BBC (trailer)

Posted on July 17, 2010
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Originally commissioned as a pilot, a further three episodes were ordered in 2009. The series will debut on Sunday 25 July 2010, though the original pilot will not be shown (according to the Sun). Great news for HD fans, it will be shown simultaneously on BBC One and in HD at 9pm for 90 minutes.

Sherlock was filmed in and around Cardiff and on location in London. Although the events of the books are being transferred to the present day, existing elements are being incorporated into the new characters to “ground the forthcoming tales in reality, and appease ardent fans of the classic tales”; for example, Martin Freeman’s Watson will be returning from the war in Afghanistan.

Co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the new Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as his loyal friend, Doctor John Watson. Rupert Graves plays Inspector Lestrade.

The iconic details from Conan Doyle’s original books remain – they live at the same address of 221b Baker Street, have the same names and, somewhere out there, Moriarty is waiting for them. Sherlock Holmes has received somewhat of a resurgence following Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal.

Steven Moffat says: “Conan Doyle’s stories were never about frock coats and gas light; they’re about brilliant detection, dreadful villains and blood-curdling crimes – and frankly, to hell with the crinoline. Other detectives have cases, Sherlock Holmes has adventures, and that’s what matters.”

This three part series starts on 25 July. Fansite for the series here


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CBS’s Harper’s Island – my premiere thoughts

Posted on April 10, 2009
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I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from CBS’s new thriller series Harper’s Island. The promotions were plentiful and showed a great deal of promise – but would the series premier live up to the hype? I think it did, in fact it excelled my expectations and I for one can’t wait to see what and who happens next!

HARPER’S ISLAND is about a group of family and friends who travel to a secluded island off the coast of Seattle for a destination wedding. This island is famous for a streak of unsolved murders from seven years ago. Although they’ve come to laugh and to love, what they don’t know is they’ve also come… to die. As the wedding festivities begin, friendships are tested and secrets exposed as a murderer claims victims, one by one, transforming the wedding week of fun and celebration into a terrifying struggle for survival.

For the record, I did not see the first murder coming. Ok I had an idea that given the fact it was dark and the cameras were lurking in the woods something would happen but the victim? Last person I thought of!! This series has potential!!

In every episode, someone is killed and every person is a suspect, from the wedding party to the island locals. By the end of the 13 episodes, all questions will be answered, the killer will be revealed and only a few will survive.

The premiere opens with what can only be described as a gruesome murder – a terrible way to die – not that there is ever a good way to be killed but the first one is particularly horrifying! All I’ll say is boat, prop and scuba tank – ouch!!!!

Featuring a stellar and rather familiar cast, Harper’s Island appears to be …

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Weeds – a credit crunching bargain !!!

Posted on March 17, 2009
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I can’t quite believe what I’m looking at! Amazon sent me and probably thousands more an email this morning showcasing their latest blu-ray offers and included in the mix are truly amazing bargains! Weeds season 1 and 2 priced at $12.99 each – Hurry!

When Weeds was launched a few seasons ago I didn’t know how to take it – the soundtrack put me off the programme and despite the top notch acting and comedy I couldn’t get it out of my head so I left the programme in limbo a third of the way into season one!

However on receiving the email this morning I am sorely tempted to give Weeds another go especially considering both season one and two are priced at just $12.99 each! That’s right, $12.99 for a full season of blu-ray goodness folks!

Season three is priced at a very respectable $17.99 and considering Amazon want over $80 for the boxset (season 1-3) it’s a bargain! If you are looking for a review on Season 1 then look no further …..!!

For those of you in the UK or worldwide the three seasons are multi regional – to check those and other titles please visit the following website

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24 to get eighth and final season

Posted on March 1, 2009
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Kiefer Sutherland’s 24 character Jack Bauer gets to live another day!

The hit show’s executive producer Howard Gordon has told E! that there will be an eighth season of the series.

“We’re gearing up for a May start date,” he said. “I’m with the writers now just putting our heads together, coming up with an idea. Unless we fail to come up with an idea that’s satisfactory, you’ll see an eighth season.”

However, the producer also hinted that the eight season could be Jack Bauer’s last, despite rumours of a possible post series movie.

“We may decide ultimately if there’s not a movie (story] worth telling, Jack may see his last day on television,” he said. “He could die in the series. I think that’s possible.”

Sutherland says he’s undecided as to whether day 8 will be his last, he’s watching the clock in a way he never has before.

“I don’t think about [the end of 24] a lot, but I did this year for the first time,” he confesses. “It was one of those weird moments where the stage was unusually quiet; it was like a ghost town. I was looking around [thinking] about all the work that went into building this thing and it hit me: This will end one day, and I’m going to be sad about it.

“Whether season 8 is the end or not, I don’t know,” he continues. “I love making the show, so I’m leaving my options open. And in all fairness, I think the audience will dictate that more than anybody.”

So there you have it! The end is not quite set in concrete but the producers have started the machines and the cement is being prepared. Terrorists around the world rejoice, Jack only has a day left on his …

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Law and Order : UK

Posted on February 24, 2009
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Law and Order:UK launched last night on the ITV channel and I for one was pleasantly surprised at the quality and how close they kept to the original franchise in the USA. Apart from the obvious difference like geographical location, accents and different criminal processes it was in fact Law and Order US!!!! I think this will be a huge hit and if the ratings echo my sentiments I’m sure a second series of more than seven episodes will be ordered.

Bradley Walsh (DS Ronnie Brooks) stars as the main police detective and to be fair did a much better job than I expected. I went in fearing the worse and was more than pleasantly surprised at his delivery. His sidekick (DS Matt Devlin played by Jamie Bamber) was funny (although I’m not sure if we were supposed to take him seriously or not!) and the pair struck up a very comfortable screen partnership. One of the great selling points of the Law and Order format is the speed at which things move. Half the programme relates to the police investigation and the other deals solely with the criminal justice, crown prosecution and the struggles to get the case to court.

Welcomed back on the small screen is ex Doctor Who/Torchwood star Freema Agyeman who plays the young junior prosecutor Alesha Phillips. She does a good job and helps to gel the two main characters on the legal side namely the director of the CPS and crown prosecutor. Last nights’ episode dealt with an overzealous property tycoon who stopped at nothing to get her tenants out of their contracts and make money on the redevelopment of the property. As I’ve mentioned, it was a slick operation and had me enthralled from start to finish.

The iconic “dumb …

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