Waking the Dead (TV series) Totally Explained

Everything about Waking The Dead Tv Series totally explained

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. A pilot episode was transmitted in September 2000 and there have been a total of seven series since. Each story is split into two hour-long episodes, shown on consecutive nights 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 UKTV (Australia and New Zealand) and the Nine Network in Australia, though the BBC America showings are edited to allow for commercials. Older series are occasionally shown on public television stations in the United States.

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").

Characters

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 1990s. Though sometimes appearing detached, Boyd is close to his team, particularly Mel Silver, whose death still haunts him two years later. Another aspect of Boyd's character which has occasionally compromised his impartiality is his weakness for attractive women, at least one of whom turned out to be implicated in a murder investigated by the team. According to information seen briefly on screen whilst he's being fingerprinted after his arrest for drink driving, Boyd's middle name is Timothy, and he was born on the 15th of July, 1950. His address is given as 17 Probert Road in Greenwich. His son returned in the first episode of the seventh series.(External Link)

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 the pilot she says that "she has kids to go home to", but in the resulting series it's clear that she never married and doesn't have children. In series 5 it's revealed that she fell in love with the married officer in charge of her first case and fell pregnant. He later died in a car crash, with the result that Grace had an abortion.

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'd 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'd 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 – present) — 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. It is also revealed in "Sins" that she helped in a mass grave excavation in Bosnia.

Former characters

Detective Sergeant Amelia "Mel" Silver (Claire Goose, 2000 – 2004) — Much like Grace, Mel freely questioned Boyd if she believes he's looking in the wrong direction in a case. She was close to everyone on the team, especially Frankie. It was revealed in 'Fugue States', that she was previously named 'Mary Price', and her mother was called 'Jane Price'. She was taken from her mother as a child, as her mother was seen as mentally unfit. She later sees her mother and finds she's a half sibling. 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'. (External Link

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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 wouldn't 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'd previously investigated a case linked to the one the team reopened in that story.

Serials

Series 1 (2001)

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Series 2 (2002)

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Series 3 (2003)

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Series 4 (2004)

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Series 5 (2005)

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Series 6 (2007)

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Series 7 (2008)

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Series 8 (2009)

The BBC has confirmed an 8^th series for Waking the Dead which will consist of five episodes and will start recording later on this year. Trevor Eve is confirmed to be returning.

Reception

The first series secured strong ratings, with "Burn Out, part 1" receiving 8.4m viewers and a 38% share. 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. The second part dropped to 8.6m but still gained a 33% share.
Following the successful transmission of the third series and an International Emmy Award nomination, a further two series were commissioned with the number of stories expanded from four to six. Waking the Dead won an International Emmy Award the following year for "Multistorey" written by Ed Whitmore and directed by Bob Bierman.

DVD releases

The first five series have been released on region 2 by 2 entertain Ltd under the BBC DVD banner. Region 1 is distributed by BBC Video and region 4 by Roadshow.

DVD name	Release dates
DVD name	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	October 16 2007	TBA
The Complete Series Three	September 25 2006	TBA	TBA
The Complete Series Four	January 29 2007	TBA	TBA
The Complete Series Five	September 10 2007	TBA	TBA
The Complete Series Six	May 19 2008	TBA	TBA

Notes and references

Further Information

Get more info on 'Waking The Dead Tv Series'.

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