Black Work

Last updated

Black Work
BlackworkDVD.jpg
DVD cover
Created by Matt Charman
Directed byMichael Samuels
Starring Sheridan Smith
Douglas Henshall
Kenny Doughty
Geraldine James
Matthew McNulty
Ace Bhatti
ComposerStuart Earl
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producersPeter Hampden
Hugo Heppell
Rebecca Keane
Damien Timmer
ProducerTom Mullens
Production locations Leeds, Yorkshire, England
CinematographyGavin Finney
Running time60 mins. (w/advertisements)
Production companies Mammoth Screen
LipSync Productions
Screen Yorkshire
Original release
Network ITV
Release21 June (2015-06-21) 
5 July 2015 (2015-07-05)

Black Work is a three-part British detective fiction thriller starring Sheridan Smith as police officer Jo Gillespie. The series, produced by Mammoth Screen in association with LipSync productions and Screen Yorkshire and directed by Michael Samuels, premiered on ITV on 21 June 2015, at 9pm, with two further episodes following. All three episodes are sixty minutes in length. The DVD of the series was released on 6 July 2015. [1]

Contents

Cast

Episodes

#TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [2]
1"Episode 1"Michael Samuels Matt Charman 21 June 2015 (2015-06-21)8.36m
Jo Gillespie is dissatisfied that her husband Ryan, like herself, a police officer, spends so much time away from her and their children but resists colleague Jack Clark's suggestion that she leaves Ryan for him. She is doubly shocked to be told by Superintendent Hepburn not only that Ryan has been shot dead but had been working undercover - doing 'black work' - for three years without her knowledge. Most of the gang he was infiltrating have been arrested but Hepburn and Chief Constable Carolyn Jarecki are anxious not to publicize Ryan's murder lest it damage the prosecution and are puzzled as to why Ryan had not reported back to his handler for some days before his death. Jo is incensed by their attitude and tells his mother Barbara who leaks his murder to the press. Believing she has a clue to the killer Jo tells Jack but follows up her enquiry alone, landing herself in danger.
2"Episode 2"Michael Samuels Matt Charman 28 June 2015 (2015-06-28)7.63m
Jo pursues missing gang member Michael Parry to a cottage she learns about from a bugged conversation, and he is arrested, but Jo is amazed to learn that Ryan bought the cottage without telling her. She also believes Parry may have been framed. Following Ryan's funeral she meets his handler Tom Piper, who advises her not to question her husband's death - increasing her suspicions of a cover-up, especially after she spies on him. Jo visits Parry in custody, unofficially, but is accused of jeopardizing the enquiry and suspended from duty. Then she gets an even bigger shock as she learns that Ryan certainly did lead a double life.
3"Episode 3"Michael Samuels Matt Charman 5 July 2015 (2015-07-05)7.63m
Devastated to discover that Ryan had bought the cottage for his mistress of three years and their child, Jo is also told that Parry's girlfriend, Sian, was murdered just before Ryan was slain. She tracks down Tom Piper, who tells her that Sian blew Ryan's cover and Chief Constable Jarecki was aware of this but did not pull him out of the operation. A paranoid Jo is now suspicious of all her police colleagues, particularly Jack, who appears to be far less innocent than she thought although it is Jack who eventually saves her from the real killer.

Related Research Articles

Bellbird is an Australian soap opera serial broadcast by the ABC set in the small fictional Victorian rural township of the show's title. The series was produced at the networks Ripponlea TV studios in Elsternwick, Melbourne. The opening title sequence was filmed at Daylesford, Victoria.

<i>Jonathan Creek</i> British television mystery crime drama series (1997–2016)

Jonathan Creek is a long-running British mystery crime drama series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. It stars Alan Davies as the title character, who works as a creative consultant to a stage magician while also solving seemingly supernatural mysteries through his talent for logical deduction and his understanding of illusions.

Cold Feet is a British comedy-drama television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. The series was created and principally written by Mike Bullen as a follow-up to his 1997 Comedy Premiere special of the same name. The series follows three couples experiencing the ups-and-downs of romance, originally Adam Williams and Rachel Bradley, Pete and Jenny Gifford and Karen and David Marsden. As the original series progressed, the Giffords divorced and Pete married Jo Ellison, whilst Karen and David also separated, forming relationships with Mark Cubitt and Robyn Duff.

<i>T. J. Hooker</i> American police drama television series (1982–1986)

T. J. Hooker is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982, on ABC and ran on the network until May 4, 1985. The show was then picked up for a further single season by CBS.

James Patrick Sheridan is an American actor known for playing a wide range of roles in theater, film, and television. He's best known for Randall Flagg in The Stand (1994), Captain James Deakins on Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001-2006), and Robert Queen on Arrow (2012-2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheridan Smith</span> English actress and singer

Sheridan Smith OBE is an English actress, singer, and television personality. Smith came to prominence after playing a variety of characters on sitcoms such as The Royle Family (1999–2000), Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (2001–2009), Gavin & Stacey (2008–2010), and Benidorm (2009). She co-starred as Joey Ross in the drama series Jonathan Creek between 2009 and 2013, and went on to receive acclaim for starring in a succession of television dramas, such as Mrs Biggs (2012), Cilla (2014), The C Word (2015), Black Work (2015), The Moorside (2017), Cleaning Up (2019), and Four Lives (2022). Her film credits include Tower Block (2012), Quartet (2012), The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016), and The Railway Children Return (2022).

<i>E Street</i> (TV series) Australian television series (1989–1993)

E Street is an Australian television soap opera created by Forrest Redlich and produced by his production company, Westside Television Productions, for Network Ten. It was broadcast twice weekly, from Wednesday, 24 January 1989 to Thursday, 20 May 1993. The series won several Logie awards.

<i>Getting On</i> (British TV series) British comedy television series

Getting On is a satirical British sitcom based on a geriatric ward in an NHS hospital. It is written by its core cast, Jo Brand, Vicki Pepperdine, and Joanna Scanlan. Series 1 and 2 were directed by Peter Capaldi, who also appears as Dr. Healy. It first aired in July 2009, for three episodes. The second series of six episodes aired in 2010, with the third series airing in late 2012. Despite strong critical acclaim, the show was not recommissioned for a fourth series. It was shot in the closed Plaistow Hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Gower</span> English actor

Andrew Gower is an English actor. A staple in British television and theatre, he is best known for his recurring role as Cutler in Being Human and his turn as Prince Charles Stuart in Outlander. Gower won the Spotlight Prize for Best Actor in 2010.

<i>Shetland</i> (TV series) BBC Scotland crime drama television series, 2013–

Shetland is a Scottish crime drama series made by ITV Studios for BBC Scotland. First broadcast on BBC One on 10 March 2013, it is originally based upon the novels of Ann Cleeves and adapted by David Kane. The first seven series starred Douglas Henshall as DI Jimmy Pérez, whilst Ashley Jensen stars as DI Ruth Calder from the eighth series. The cast also includes Alison O'Donnell as DS Alison "Tosh" McIntosh and Steven Robertson as DC Sandy Wilson, as well as Lewis Howden and Anne Kidd. Henshall won the 2016 BAFTA Scotland award for Best Actor and the series received the award for Best TV Drama.

<i>Cilla</i> (2014 TV series) UK TV miniseries

Cilla is a British drama serial about the early career of Cilla Black. It was broadcast in three parts on ITV, and began on 15 September 2014 with Sheridan Smith playing the starring role. Smith was highly praised for her performance.

The Widower is a British television drama originally broadcast in three one-hour instalments on ITV in 2014. The series portrays the life and crimes of convicted murderer Malcolm Webster. ITV described the show as: "The Widower tells how, over a 13-year period, a seemingly mild-mannered nurse, Malcolm Webster, set about poisoning and murdering his first wife, attempting to do the same to his second wife and moving on to a further scheme to deceive his third fiancée." The series was written by Jim Barton and Jeff Pope.

<i>Supergirl</i> (TV series) American superhero television series

Supergirl is an American superhero drama television series developed by Ali Adler, Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg that aired on CBS and later the CW from October 26, 2015, to November 9, 2021. It is based on the DC Comics character of the same name created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino. The series features Melissa Benoist in the title role. Supergirl is a costumed superheroine who is Superman's cousin and one of the last surviving Kryptonians from the planet Krypton. Starting with its second season, the show was retroactively established to be set in the Arrowverse, sharing continuity with the other television series of the franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrowverse</span> American superhero media franchise and shared universe

The Arrowverse is an American superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series on CW Seed. The series were developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Geoff Johns, Ali Adler, Phil Klemmer, Salim Akil, and Caroline Dries. Set in a shared fictional multiverse much like the DC Universe and DC Multiverse in comic books, it was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast and characters that span six live-action television series and two animated series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DC Extended Universe</span> Shared fictional universe

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films and a television series produced by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. The DCEU also includes comic books, short films, novels, and video games. Like the original DC Universe in comic books, the DCEU is established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.

<i>Unforgotten</i> British crime drama series

Unforgotten is a British crime drama television series, which initially aired on ITV on 8 October 2015. It was created and written by Chris Lang and directed by Andy Wilson. The programme follows a team of London detectives led by DCI Cassie Stuart, DCI Jessie James and DI Sunny Khan as they solve cold cases of disappearance and murder.

<i>Young Justice: Outsiders</i> Season of television series

Young Justice: Outsiders is the third season of the American animated superhero series Young Justice, developed by Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman. The series follows the lives of teenage superheroes and sidekicks who are members of a covert operation group, referred to simply as "The Team", that acts as a young counterpart to the famous adult team, the Justice League. In the second season, Invasion, the Reach revealed the existence of the meta-gene. Following on from these events, the third season focuses on the Team battling metahuman trafficking as various nations and organizations have started participating in such activities. It also features the superhero team Outsiders.

<i>Line of Duty</i> (series 2) BBC police procedural TV show, 2014 series

The second series of the British police procedural television programme Line of Duty, was broadcast on BBC Two between 12 February and 19 March 2014. The series follows the actions of the fictional Anti-Corruption Unit 12. AC-12 is led by Superintendent Ted Hastings who is assisted by his team DS Steve Arnott, DC Kate Fleming, and DI Matthew "Dot" Cottan. The unit investigates DI Lindsay Denton, the sole survivor of an attack on police officers, and the possibility of a corrupt police officer conspiring to murder a protected witness in the ambush. Jessica Raine stars in a single episode as DC Georgia Trotman. Beginning with this series, Dunbar and Parkinson are credited as main cast members in the opening credits. Supporting characters include DCC Mike Dryden, Jo Dwyer, DCS Lester Hargreaves, DC Nigel Morton, and Tommy Hunter. The series was created and written by Jed Mercurio, who also serves as an executive producer. Filming took place in Belfast in 2013. Six episodes were directed by Douglas Mackinnon and Daniel Nettheim with cinematographer Ruairi O'Brien. The series received positive reviews and multiple accolades, most notably for Hawes performance as Denton, leading to the commission of a third and fourth series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Maunder</span> Canadian-born American actor

Wayne Ernest Maunder was a Canadian-born American actor who starred in three American television series between 1967 and 1974.

References

  1. "Black Work". Amazon UK. 6 July 2015.
  2. "Weekly top 30 programmes | BARB".