DCI Banks

DCI Banks
Title Card
Genre	Crime drama
Starring	Stephen Tompkinson Andrea Lowe Lorraine Burroughs Jack Deam Colin Tierney
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	8 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Andy Harries Francis Hopkinson
Producer(s)	Stephen Smallwoad
Running time	45 mins
Production company(s)	Left Bank Pictures
Broadcast
Original channel	ITV1
Original run	27 September 2010 (2010-09-27) – present (series)

DCI Banks is a British crime drama series produced by Left Bank Pictures for the ITV network. The series is based on Peter Robinson's Inspector Alan Banks novels and stars Stephen Tompkinson as Alan Banks.^[1]

Background

In January 2010, author Peter Robinson announced that he had signed a joint deal with Left Bank Pictures and ITV to adapt novels from the Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks series for television.^[2] Filming on a two-part story, based on the novel Aftermath, was completed in July 2010, with scenes filmed on-location in Leeds. Aftermath aired on ITV1 on September 27 and October 4, 2010.^[3] The two parts pulled in a strong average of 6.55 million viewers, twice becoming the fifth most-watched programme on the ITV network that week, behind Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Downton Abbey and The X Factor.^[4] The figures were strong enough for a further three stories to be comissioned. Filming on the stories began in February 2011.^[5] The first story, Playing With Fire, began airing on September 16, 2011, with average viewing figures of 4.5 millon.^[6] Further episodes have achieved a similar rating.^[7]

Cast

• Stephen Tompkinson as DCI Alan Banks
• Andrea Lowe as DS Annie Cabbot
• Lorraine Burroughs as DS Winsome Jackman
• Jack Deam as DS Ken Blackstone
• Colin Tierney as Superintendent Gerry Rydell

DVD Release

The first series is expected for release on DVD on October 31, 2011.^[8] The DVD will feature all eight episodes in the first series, as well as deleted scenes and short interviews with Andrea Lowe and Stephen Tompkinson. The DVD is being released in conjuction with ITV Home Entertainment and 2|Entertain.^[9]

Episodes

Series One

#	Title	Based on	Director	Writer	Viewers (millions)	Airdate
1-2	"Aftermath"	Aftermath	James Hawes	Robert Murphy	6.66 million 6.89 million	27 September 2010 (2010-09-27) 4 October 2010 (2010-10-04)
PCs Dennis Morrisey and Janet Taylor are called to a domestic, and arrive to discover housewife Lucy Payne lying unconscious on the living room floor. When they begin searching the house, they are confronted by Lucy's deranged husband Marcus, who attacks and murders Morrisey with a machete, before being subdued and arrested by Taylor. When Banks arrives at the scene, he is startled to discover the bodies of four teenage girls who had recently been reported missing, in Payne's cellar. However, there is no sign of the fifth misper, Leanne Wray. When Marcus Payne falls into a coma, Annie leads up an investigation into PC Taylor's conduct. When Lucy Payne regains consciouness, she fails to provide any evidence that incriminates her husband, or to the whereabouts of Leanne. Banks soon believes that the key to the whole case could lie with the Payne's neighbour, Maggie Forrest, who appears to have more connections to the case than first meets the eye. While questioning PC Taylor, Annie receives the news that Marcus Payne has died in hospital, and has no choice but to charge PC Taylor with manslaughter, despite the fact she acted in self-defence. When the case gets to court, however, Annie provides evidence which leads to the verdict of not guilty. Meanwhile, a friend of Leanne's informs Banks that Marcus Payne had a female accomplice, who helped him lure the teenage girls back to his house. When questioned for a second time, Lucy reveals that she was not the accomplice, but that she did know about Marcus' wrongdoings, and thus, appears to have perverted the course of justice. When Lucy's neighbour Maggie offers her solace, she discovers that Maggie had been having an affair with Marcus, and that she was his female accomplice. Lucy blackmails her into paying for a decent lawyer to get her off the pergery charge, however, Maggie responds by releasing a story to the press regarding Lucy's mental state as a child, and how she has a track record for lying. Investigations soon discover Lucy was part of a massive abuse trial in the '90s, and that she has been diagnosed as mentally ill, and thus, could not control her concealment of the truth. With Maggie's role in the situation still unknown to the police, Banks must discover whether Lucy knows of Leanne's whereabouts, dead or alive.
3-4	"Playing With Fire"	Playing With Fire	Paul Whittington	Robert Murphy	5.10 million 5.33 million	16 September 2011 (2011-09-16) 23 September 2011 (2011-09-23)
When a fire on a houseboat leads to the discovery of the charred body of Leslie Whittaker, Banks and Annie believe they have uncovered a case of art fraud when a briefcase, containing a forgery of a famous Turner painting and £25,000 in cash, is found in the hull of the boat. At the scene, Banks trawls through the wreckage of the boat, and is informed that an unoccupied second boat, belonging to British Waterways, was moored alongside Whittaker's boat at the time of the fire, and that it subsequently sank when the fire spread on to it. The investigation soon leads to Jake McMahon, a local artist known to have connections with Whittaker. When Banks visits his house, he is confronted by a gun-wielding McMahon, who appears to believe that Banks is a man named Morrison. Banks manages to prove him otherwise, but he denies any involvement in art forgery. The post mortem on Whittaker discovers that he had been drugged prior to the time of the fire, meaning that he had no chance of escape once the fire had started. Annie enlists the help of art expert Mark Keane, in an attempt to discover if Whittaker could have gotten away with passing the Turner off as a real painting. However, things get steamy between the pair, and they subsequently sleep together. Meanwhile, Banks receives a shock when a second body is found - that of local student Christina Aspen. Banks soon discovers that she was squatting on the unoccupied boat at the time of the fire, and that due to the fact she had being taken heroin, had no chance of escape when her boat caught alight. Banks visits her father, 60-year-old Dr. Michael Aspen, to inform him of the news - however, is greeted by an unsavoury welcome from his teenage wife Miranda. Banks informs Annie that Miranda may be withholding information regarding the incident, and when her car is spotted on CCTV at the time of the incident, the pair believe that may have been looking at the case in the wrong light - and that Christina may have been the intended victim, not Whittaker. When Banks interview's Christina's partner Jenna, he also discovers that she was intending to report her father to the police - and that she had taken heroin to build up the courage to do so. With the case looking more like Whittaker being an innocent victim, Banks pays a second visit to Michael Aspen - but, while on his rounds, a second fire is executed at the house of Jake McMahon. Banks is called to the scene of the fire, and soon begins to believe that Whittaker may have been the intended victim after all. An investigation at the scene of the McMahon fire reveals that similarly to Whittaker, he was drugged prior to the time of the fire, thus meaning he had no chance of escape. A search at the scene, however, uncovers a second case, this time containing four forged paintings of local artists, and £29,000 in cash. Banks re-interviews Christina's girlfriend Jenna, and discovers that she knew both Whittaker and McMahon well, and that they were living in fear of Gary Morrison, the owner of Whittaker's boat. He also discovers that Morrison was the leader of the group, and that he had been selling the forged paintings made by McMahon at a local auction house. When she accidentally lets slip that the Turner painting found in Whittaker's boat was forged by her, and that Whittaker and McMahon were trying to sell it on the sly and rake the profits without Morrison finding out, Banks immediately believes that he has found the motive for the murders. However, he soon realises there is a missing link in the chain - someone had to have authenticated the paintings for sale at auction. Annie immediately tracks down the auction records and discovers that more than 40 fake paintings have been sold at auction - and they have all be authenticated by the Northern Art Gallery, where her close friend and art expert Mark Keane works. Annie goes round to ask Mark what is going on, and he subsequently tells her that he had been working for Gary Morrison, authenticating the paintings so that he can take a cut of the sale profits in order to pay maintenance to his ex-wife and child. However, Annie suddenly realises that he isn't telling the truth - and when asked to point out Gary Morrison from a line-up of photos, fails to identify him. She suddenly realises that he he isn't really Mark Keane either - but before she can inform Banks, she finds herself drugged, and stirs to see Keane, who is really Gary Morrison, dousing his flat in accelerant. Meanwhile, Banks has also worked out that Keane is Gary Morrison, judging by his previous employment records, and rushes round to his flat to find it on fire. Banks confronts Morrison, but Morrison gives him an ultimatum - let him get away and save Annie from the fire, or arrest him but let Annie die. Banks subsequently lets him go, and rushes in to save Annie. Meanwhile, the Post Mortem on Christina Aspen uncovers the details of why she wanted to report her father to the police - he raped and impregnated his wife Miranda at the age of 15 - a fact she discovered while working as a work experience student in his doctor's surgery. Banks confronts Miranda and manages to extract a confession.
5-6	"Friend Of The Devil"	Friend of the Devil	Bill Anderson	Robert Murphy	4.66 million 5.44 million	30 September 2011 7 October 2011
Annie is called to the scene of a murder on Eastvale moor, and arrives to find a paralysed female in a wheelchair who had had her throat cut. Meanwhile, Banks is called to the scene of a girl found murdered in an alleyway in the town centre. Hayley Daniels, who had been out partying with her friends the previous night, is found strangled with her knickers in her mouth, and Banks immediately suspects the man who found her - a local shopkeeper, Timothy Randall. Meanwhile, Annie discovers the identity of the woman in the wheelchair - Lucy Payne. She discovers that Payne had been given a new identity following an acid attack on her whilst she was serving time for being an accomplice to the crimes committed by her husband Marcus. She discovers that Payne had been living at a care home due to no longer being able to communicate, and on the morning of her murder, had been escorted out for a walk by a woman named Mary. Meanwhile, Banks visits pathologist Elizabeth Waring to discover the circumstances surrounding Hayley Daniels' death. Banks believes he may have a serial killer on his hands - and when junior DC Kevin Templeton decides to return to the scene of the crime, he is subsequently murdered. Annie immediately highlights a link between Templeton and Payne's deaths, but Banks believes he is yet to find Hayley Daniels' killer. His leads in the case all seem to fall short, except for when Hayley's best friend, Stuart, informs Banks that the bartender at the pub they were drinking at physically abused Hayley on the night of her death. Meanwhile, Annie receives a visit from DI Leslie Holt of Scarborough police, who states that he had a similar killing to those of Templeton and Payne some eighteen years previously. The man, Greg Eastcoat, had been accused and imprisoned over the rape and murder of three girls, and the rape of another. He was imprisoned for some years, but upon his release, was murdered. The only suspect was the girl who he raped but did not murder - Kirsten Farrow - who has since disappeared from the radar. Meanwhile, Banks manages to flush out bartender Jason Morden, who subsequently admits to Hayley's murder. Annie soon discovers a discrepancy in the photos relating to Templeton's death - his injuries at the crime scene are different to those pictured by pathologist Waring. However, upon finding a photo of Kirsten Farrow, Annie realises that Kirsten Farrow is now Elizabeth Waring - living under a new identity. She realises that Waring had committed the murders of Payne and Templeton as she had the belief that nobody who committed a rape should live. However, Banks realises she killed Templeton as she believed him to be Hayley Daniels' killer, however, she was mistaken. Annie subsequently reveals her own torture at the hands of a rapist, but as she is arresting Waring, Waring cuts her own throat and bleeds to death.
7-8	"Cold Is The Grave"	Cold is the Grave	Marek Losey	Robert Murphy	5.82 million 5.89 million	14 October 2011 21 October 2011
Banks is asked by Superintendent Gerry Rydell to track down his missing daughter, Emily, and Annie gets lumbered with an armed carjacking and the murder of a small time crook, Charlie McKai. Travelling from Eastvale to South London, Banks comes across one of Emily's friends and her ex-flatmate, Ruth, who informs him that since their bust-up, Emily has been living with a well known criminal and drug baron, Barry Clough. Paying a visit to Clough, Banks realises that Emily could be in danger, and after encouragement from Emily's mother, decides to try and persaude her to return to Eastvale with him. Meanwhile, Annie delegates that McKai's murder and the carjacking are related to a much bigger operation - but without a testimony from the owner of the carjacked van, struggles to find a lead to pursue. Banks returns to Eastvale with Emily, however, no sooner have they returned than Emily disappears again - and hours later, he receives a phone call relating to a dead body in a nightclub toilet, believing it to be Emily's friend Ruth - however, when he arrives, discovers that is in fact Emily who is the victim. The investigation takes a number of alarming twists before uncovering a conspiracy, pointing to one of the team being an informant relating to Clough. As Banks pushes all the suspects hard, the case threatens to undermine his integrity as an officer and brings his relationship with Annie to breaking point.

External links

• DCI Banks at itv.com
• DCI Banks at Left Bank Pictures
• DCI Banks at the Internet Movie Database

References

1. ^ Kanter, Jake (21 October 2010). "ITV orders six-part run of DCI Banks". Broadcast (Emap). http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/commissioning/itv-orders-six-part-run-of-dci-banks/5019656.article. Retrieved 17 September 2011.  (subscription required)
2. ^ http://www.itv.com/presscentre/dcibanks/ep1week39/default.html
3. ^ http://www.itv.com/presscentre/dcibanks/ep1week39/default.html
4. ^ http://www.barb.co.uk/report/weeklyTopProgrammesOverview?
5. ^ http://www.leftbankpictures.co.uk/television/dci-banks.html
6. ^ http://www.crimetimepreview.com/2011/09/dci-banks-playing-with-fire-starring.html
7. ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005GPYKFK/ref=s9_simh_gw_p74_d0_g74_i3?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0125JS1ZRQ2EP2AACGH7&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294
8. ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005GPYKFK/ref=s9_simh_gw_p74_d0_g74_i3?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0125JS1ZRQ2EP2AACGH7&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294
9. ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005GPYKFK/ref=s9_simh_gw_p74_d0_g74_i3?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0125JS1ZRQ2EP2AACGH7&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294