Murder in Mind (TV series)

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Murder in Mind
GenreCrime drama
Thriller
Created byAnthony Horowitz
Theme music composerBrian Bennett
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes23 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersMal Young
Christopher Moss
ProducerPaul Knight
CinematographyJohn Simmons
EditorNigel Parkes
Running time60 minutes
Production companyPaul Knight Productions
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release22 April 2001 (2001-04-22) –
29 June 2003 (2003-06-29)

Murder in Mind is a British television anthology series of self-contained stories, each with a murderous theme, seen from the perspective of the murderer. The series was created by Anthony Horowitz, and broadcast on BBC One from 22 April 2001 to 29 June 2003.[1]

Murder in Mind featured different actors in every episode, and ran for a total of three series, incorporating 23 episodes.[2] A nine-disc DVD boxset, containing all three series, was released in June 2005.[3]

Episodes[edit]

Series overview[edit]

SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1722 April 2001 (2001-04-22)17 June 2001 (2001-06-17)
285 January 2002 (2002-01-05)28 May 2002 (2002-05-28)
3825 January 2003 (2003-01-25)29 June 2003 (2003-06-29)

Series 1 (2001)[edit]

No. Title Directed by Written by Ratings (in millions)[4]
Sourced by BARB.
Original airdate
1"Teacher"Coky GiedroycAnthony Horowitz6.9222 April 2001 (2001-04-22)

Edward Palmer (Suchet) is a respected headmaster at a state boys' school. However a minor indiscretion in his personal life on a council estate leads to an accidental but horrific crime. One night Palmer approaches a rent boy for sex but quickly realizes he has made a terrible mistake, the rent boy pulls a knife demanding cash, but in a struggle he is killed. There's worse to come for Palmer, he was seen...and there's evidence at the murder scene which makes him an easy target for blackmail. His only daughter Catrin (Kearney), a nurse, has a plan. Can Palmer, a pillar of the community, take the law into his own hands, or, after battling with his own conscience, will he pursue even more desperate measures?

Starring David Suchet and Gillian Kearney
2"Flame"Nick JonesStephen Leather6.9929 April 2001 (2001-04-29)

A firefighter (McFadden) discovers that his wife is having an affair with his colleague and is in the process of seeking a divorce. He is approached by a "problem-solver," James Napeworth (Allen), who offers him a solution.

Starring Steve McFadden and Keith Allen
3"Motive"Frank W. SmithAnthony Horowitz5.486 May 2001 (2001-05-06)

A couple (Harker and Dinsdale) decide to murder their babysitter. But what, if any, are their motives for doing so and can they cover up the crime?

Starring Susannah Harker and Reece Dinsdale
4"Mercy"Ferdinand FairfaxAnthony Horowitz6.3520 May 2001 (2001-05-20)

Dr. Collins (West) has helped his wife Margaret (Parfitt) with a so-called assisted suicide. To the police, he is a suspect. To the public, Dr. Collins is a hero. But what is the truth?

Starring Timothy West, Judy Parfitt and John Gordon Sinclair
5"Vigilante"Frank W. SmithStephen Leather5.323 June 2001 (2001-06-03)

A police officer (Kelsey) and two mates pay a visit to a man, accused of being a 'paedophile' by the local press, intending to obtain the location of a local missing girl. However, events quickly spiral out of control and loyalties are put to the test.

Starring Ian Kelsey and Tim Healy
6"Neighbours"Ferdinand FairfaxSimon Sharkey8.0610 June 2001 (2001-06-10)

The Squires (Thompson and Van Outen) move in next door to Nigel (Whately) and Joanne (Goodall) Liddy and start making their lives a suburban nightmare. Eventually, Nigel's patience starts wearing out and he decides to take action.

Starring Kevin Whately, Caroline Goodall, John Thomson and Denise Van Outen
7"Sleeper"David Innes EdwardsGuy Burt6.4117 June 2001 (2001-06-17)

Deborah (Hawes) suffers sleep terrors and is prone to sleepwalking, and it is severely affecting her relationships and studies. After she suspects her boyfriend of cheating, he leaves. The next morning, Deborah wakes up with blood on her clothes and next to a blood-stained hammer.

Starring Keeley Hawes, Scot Williams and Ed Stoppard

Series 2 (2002)[edit]

No. Title Directed by Written by Ratings (in millions)[4]
Sourced by BARB.
Original airdate
1"Passion"Gerry PoulsonSimon Sharkey6.705 January 2002 (2002-01-05)

A lonely call centre supervisor (Quirke) is infatuated with her manager (Womack), who she believes is unappreciated and neglected by his wife. When she suspects that a colleague (Davis) is having an affair with him, she plans to remove both obstacles from his life with the hope that he will then realise a love for her.

Starring Pauline Quirke, Lucy Davis and Mark Womack
2"Disposal"Frank W. SmithJ.C. Wilsher5.1227 January 2002 (2002-01-27)

A mild-mannered waste disposal manager (Brydon) accidentally records evidence of his wife having an affair with his brother-in-law. He sets about planning revenge; the perfect murder - efficient and with no suspicion. But is it possible? (This episode features the main character(s) breaking the fourth wall and talking direct to the audience as the events unfold.)

Starring Rob Brydon and Geraldine Somerville
3"Rage"David Innes EdwardsAnthony Horowitz5.872 March 2002 (2002-03-02)

A kitchen-knife salesman, Eddie (Dudgeon), is having an increasingly bad day. After a road-rage incident, Eddie believes that he has killed a man. His overbearing mother (Crosbie) insists that he does not contact the police to confess and sets about ensuring he is not detected. As the pressure mounts and Eddie begins a friendship with the widow (O'Neill), an investigating Detective begins getting closer to the identity of the murderer.

Starring Annette Crosbie, Neil Dudgeon and Maggie O'Neill
4"Swan Song"Frank W. SmithAnthony Horowitz4.8120 March 2002 (2002-03-20)

A sexy nightclub singer (Robson) plots with her lover (Greco) to murder her rich husband (Webb) so she can inherit his money and develop her singing career.

Starring Michael Greco, Samantha Robson, Danny Webb and Jesse Birdsall
5"Flashback"Ferdinand FairfaxStephen Leather5.3223 March 2002 (2002-03-23)

A newly-appointed Judge (Havers) is shot on the steps of a courthouse. A series of flashbacks take us back to the events leading up to his last criminal court case as a QC; the violent murder of a high-class prostitute (Kensit).

Starring Nigel Havers, Patsy Kensit, Jamie Foreman, Art Malik and David Hemmings
6"Victim"Audrey CookeGuy Burt4.736 April 2002 (2002-04-06)

Two friends move into the basement flat of a landlord (Stuke), who exhibits unusual behaviours. At the same time, a series of murders of local women are being reported in the local press. As one, Emily, gets closer to him, Lucy becomes increasingly suspicious of him.

Starring Neil Stuke, Camilla Power and Frances Grey
7"Memories"Nick JonesStephen Leather5.9120 April 2002 (2002-04-20)

A surgeon (Pearson) suffers recurring nightmares of being chased in woodland as a young boy. Can he unravel the mystery of his memories?

Starring Neil Pearson, Rebecca Lacey and Anne Stallybrass
8"Regrets"Gerry PoulsonSimon Sharkey5.5928 May 2002 (2002-05-28)

After a bank error results in a struggling business owner (Waterman) losing his business, house and marriage, he decides to get revenge...

Starring Dennis Waterman and Samantha Beckinsale

Series 3 (2003)[edit]

No. Title Directed by Written by Ratings (in millions)[4]
Sourced by BARB.
Original airdate
1"Echoes"Coky GiedroycAnthony HorowitzTBA25 January 2003 (2003-01-25)

After a Victorian skeleton is found on her estate, a young woman (Fitzgerald) starts to experience strange happenings in the night. She calls for help from a psychic (Rhys) and they uncover parallels with the present.

Starring Tara Fitzgerald, James Wilby and Paul Rhys
2"Favours"Frank W. SmithJ.C. Wilsher5.682 February 2003 (2003-02-02)

After making a new life, a pub landlord (Kemp) finds his past catching up with him in the form of old acquaintance Chaz (Davis), who needs one last favour...

Starring Gary Kemp, Gaynor Faye and Phil Davis
3"Stalkers"Gerry PoulsonGregory Evans4.40[5]15 February 2003 (2003-02-15)

Children's author Hat Vezey (Little) attempts to avoid an infatuated stalker (Morrissey), who becomes increasingly dangerous.

Starring Neil Morrissey, Natasha Little and Barbara Flynn
4"Suicide"Sven ArnsteinSimon Sharkey6.4022 February 2003 (2003-02-22)

A woman (Rigg) is found dead, apparently from suicide. However, as the police dig deeper, the suicide is not all that it appears.

Starring Diana Rigg and John Bowe
5"Contract"Adrian BeanGuy Burt5.653 April 2003 (2003-04-03)

Three city workers (Theakston, Raji James and Andrew Clover) hire a hitman (Faith) to prevent their fraudulent secret being revealed but after they believe that the 'mark' dies of natural causes, they decide that the deal is over.

Starring Adam Faith and Jamie Theakston
6"Landlord"David ThackerSimon Sharkey5.9611 May 2003 (2003-05-11)

An unscrupulous landlord (Lyndhurst) rents a flat to a young student, who is overcome by fumes from a faulty boiler. He must then take desperate steps to cover his tracks.

Starring Nicholas Lyndhurst and Ruth Gemmell
7"Justice"Alrick RileyEric Deacon5.0119 June 2003 (2003-06-19)

After a confrontation with the son of a local criminal, a father (Dunbar) finds that events start to spiral out of control. He starts to suspect that Alex (Salmon), a Police officer and boyfriend of his ex-wife (Baxendale), is involved.

Starring Helen Baxendale, Adrian Dunbar and Colin Salmon
8"Cornershop"Menhaj HudaStephen Leather4.8529 June 2003 (2003-06-29)

A mild-mannered Indian shopkeeper (Patel) is being increasingly harassed and threatened by racist thugs. One night, in a surprising show of strength, he kills the chief troublemaker, but how is he to cover his tracks, especially under the scrutiny of his overbearing wife (Wadia), a very determined detective (Healy) on his case and his daughter's wedding coming up? Well, he does have one friend who might be able to help him....

Starring Bhasker Patel, Nina Wadia and Tim Healy

References[edit]

  1. ^ "BBC - Drama - Murder in Mind".
  2. ^ "Murder in Mind | Drama Channel".
  3. ^ "Murder In Mind [DVD] [2001]". amazon.co.uk. 20 June 2005. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  4. ^ a b c "Viewing Data — Top Tens". BARB. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  5. ^ Gibson, Owen (17 February 2003). "24 returns to record ratings". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 February 2010.

External links[edit]