Wire in the Blood

Wire in the Blood is a British crime drama television series, created and produced by Coastal Productions for the ITV network, that ran from 2002 to 2008. The series is based on characters created by Val McDermid, including a university clinical psychologist, Dr. Anthony "Tony" Valentine Hill (Robson Green), who is able to tap into his own dark side to get inside the heads of serial killers. Working with detectives, Hill takes on tough and seemingly impenetrable cases in an attempt to track down the killers before they strike again.

Contents
[hide]
 * 1 Theme
 * 2 Characters
 * 3 List of episodes
 * 3.1 Series One (2002)
 * 3.2 Series Two (2003–2004)
 * 3.3 Series Three (2005)
 * 3.4 Series Four (2006)
 * 3.5 Series Five (2007)
 * 3.6 2008 special
 * 3.7 Series Six (2008)
 * 4 International airings
 * 5 DVD releases
 * 6 Awards and nominations
 * 7 Cancellation
 * 8 References
 * 9 External links

Theme[edit]
The series is set in the fictional town of Bradfield, which is assumed to lie within West Yorkshire. It 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. 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.

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.

A constant theme is Carol’s, and later 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. There is also a romantic storyline showing a growing development in Tony’s relationships with both Carol and later Alex. Whilst starting as friendships, both detectives begin to develop romantic feelings for Tony, although these feelings never develop into a relationship.

Characters[edit]
Dr Tony Hill is a clinical psychologist whose expertise has proved invaluable to the police. Intelligent and endearing, if somewhat eccentric, he is driven by a tangible sense of right and wrong and his understanding of human behaviour enables him to empathise strongly with both victim and killer. Tony formed a close bond with DCI Carol Jordan, between them putting many serial killers behind bars. So he was devastated to find out she had left Bradfield to work in South Africa. Despite his often bizarre behaviour, Tony’s ability to get results when evidence is scarce has won him the support of DI Alex Fielding, who eventually trusts him as part of her team. But Tony’s involvement with the police often affects him deeply as he finds it difficult to distance himself from disturbing cases.
 * Dr. Anthony "Tony" Hill (Robson Green) (Series 1 - 6)

The plastic "blue bag" that Tony Hill is often seen with was gleaned from Robson Green's research for Wire in the Blood, which involved spending time with revered criminal psychologist Julian Boon, who Green describes in part as an "extraordinary, intelligent, nice guy who carried his life in a blue bag and travelled on a double-decker bus. No-one looked at him twice." A hardworking officer and head of the Major Incident Team (MIT) of Bradfield Metropolitan Police's CID, who formed a close relationship with Tony Hill, successfully working with him to secure the arrest of several killers. In series two, Carol is promoted from Detective Inspector to Detective Chief Inspector. Although the two soon grow closer they never achieve the romantic relationship that Carol desires with Tony and in the end Carol left Bradfield to take another position in South Africa. Speaking of Hermione Norris’ portrayal of Carol Jordan, Val McDermid said that she "brings real intelligence and insight to her role, demonstrating that there's a lot more to her skills than we got to see in Cold Feet." [1] DI Alex Fielding is a senior detective at Bradfield CID and is a dedicated professional, always willing to put in the hours to get the case solved. Her warmth and down-to-earth style have gained her the respect of her police colleagues and Dr Tony Hill. She has learned to trust that Tony’s intuition can sometimes mean the key to cracking a case when physical evidence is hard to come by. But the pressure of working on murder investigations sometimes causes a strain at home where she is a single mum to young Ben. When the stresses of life take their toll, she finds it difficult to ask for help. DS Kevin Geoffries has proved himself a worthy member of the team, despite a few mistakes in the past. He respects Tony and believes he can offer an extra dimension to the investigations. Kevin works closely with DC Paula McIntyre and their professional bond has made them good friends. A lively and feisty young detective, Paula doesn’t get fazed easily. She is keen to take on more responsibility and pleased to have strong role-models in Carol and later, Alex. Paula also has a deep respect for Dr Tony Hill after he saved her life during an investigation. She’ll do what it takes to catch a killer. An excellent and experienced senior officer, but one who is shown to be more concerned with ends rather than means. Brandon is shown to expect quick results from the MIT and from Carol in particular. In the episode, Sharp Compassion, Brandon suffers from a heart attack. Although his character continues to appear in the novels, Brandon was replaced in the show in Redemption, by ACC Paul Eden. Alex's boss Assistant Chief Constable Eden is college-educated, fast-tracked and confident. Focused, tailored and practical, he demands results and is suspicious of Tony. He secretly hopes Alex will not become as close to Tony as Carol did. A persistent and perseverant officer with the Major Incident Team (MIT) of Bradfield Metropolitan Police's CID. In the final episode of Series 2, Sharp Compassion, Merrick assaults D.S. Kevin Geoffries after he compromises one of Merrick's closest informants. It is assumed that this leads to his demotion or relocation; as he does not appear in any later episodes.
 * 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.C. Paula McIntyre (Emma Handy) (Series 2 - 6)
 * A.C.C. John Brandon (Tom Chadbon) (Series 1 - 2)
 * A.C.C. Paul Eden (Peter Sullivan) (Series 3 - 4)
 * D.S. Don Merrick (Alan Stocks) (Series 1 - 2)

Other recurring characters include (*** Spoilers ***):
 * D.S. Annie Reiss (Reiss only appears in Series 1, after which she is replaced by McIntyre)
 * 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)
 * Angelica Bain (the serial killer from the pilot episode, whom Tony obsesses with for the duration of Series 1)
 * The serial killer known as 'Michael', the main antagonist throughout Series 6
 * The murderous solicitor, Geoffrey Markham, who appears in several episodes of Series 2.

List of episodes[edit]
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)[edit]
Filming took place from 22 October 2001 to 14 February 2002 in various locations around Newcastle upon Tyne, Durham and Northumberland, including Bollyhope Quarry (Durham), Chopwell Woods (Gateshead) and the fabulous Eshott Hall (Northumberland) which was used for the Vance residence.

Series Two (2003–2004)[edit]
The series was filmed in locations in and around Newcastle including the main location of the old Bank of England building in Pilgrim Street, Newcastle. Also used: Finchale Priory, Durham Cathedral, Calder's Brewery near the Newcastle Arena plus various temporary (daily) locations. Every episode of series two was the leader in its time slot.

Series Three (2005)[edit]
Filmed in and around Newcastle and Northumberland.

Series Four (2006)[edit]
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.

Series Five (2007)[edit]
Filmed in and around Newcastle and Northumberland from 15 January - 20 April 2007.

2008 special[edit]
Prayer of the Bone is a Coastal/ BBC America co-production and is filmed in and around Austin and La Grange, Texas (USA).

Series Six (2008)[edit]
Filmed in and around Newcastle and Northumberland in early 2008 and wrapped on 30 March.

International airings[edit]
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 New Zealand on TV 1, in Sweden on TV4, in France on Canal+ and 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 theHallmark Channel, in Switzerland by RSI LA1 (Italian Switzerland Television) and in Croatia on HRT.

It is also currently screening on British televisions on the channel ITV3 as of May 2014.

DVD releases[edit]
Region 2 is distributed by Revelation Films, Region 1 by Koch Vision and Region 4 by Magna.

Cancellation[edit]
ITV cancelled the series in 2009, citing the high production costs (which were estimated at up to £750,000 per episode) and the large number of new series being broadcast on the network.