Grushko (TV series)

Last updated

Grushko
GrushkoTitleCard.jpg
Genre Crime drama
Created by Philip Kerr
Based onDead Meat
Written by Robin Mukherjee
Directed byTony Smith
Starring Brian Cox
Stephen McGann
Cathy White
Donald Sumpter
Eve Matheson
Amanda Mealing
Richard Hawley
Jack Klaff
Composer Tony Britten
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes3 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer Mark Forstater
ProducerNicky Lund
Production locations Moscow, Russia
CinematographyErnest Vincze
Running time50 minutes
Production company
Original release
Network
Release24 March (1994-03-24) 
7 April 1994 (1994-04-07)

Grushko is a British television three-part drama series, first broadcast on BBC One on 24 March 1994. Based on the best-selling novel Dead Meat by Philip Kerr, [1] the series stars Brian Cox as Colonel Yevgeni Grushko, the tough-minded Head of the Mafia Investigation Division of the St. Petersburg Police, as he investigates the murder of a TV journalist which threatens to spark gang warfare. [2]

Contents

With Stephen McGann, Donald Sumpter, Andy Serkis, and Amanda Mealing amongst the main cast, [3] the series was scripted by Kerr alongside screenwriter Robin Mukherjee. It was panned upon release, particularly by The Independent , in particular for its lack of authenticity and certain passages of inaudible dialogue. [4] The title sequence was designed by Bob Cosford, who uses a typographic logo to evoke the implied menace of the Russian trucks in the opening scene. [5]

Production archives confirm the series was first commissioned in August 1991, initially in four parts. It was later suggested that instead of individual episodes, the production could air as a one-off drama; it was eventually decided that Grushko would be a three-part series. Philip Kerr had been in the process of writing a second series when the first went to air; however, due to poor ratings, the BBC decided not to pursue a second run. [6]

A tie-in novel with images from the series was issued by Arrow Books in 1994. The series has to date not been released on any form of home media.

Cast

Episodes

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Episode 1"Tony SmithPhilip Kerr & Robin Muhkerjee24 March 1994 (1994-03-24)
The firebombing of a restaurant is just the start of a long day for Colonel Yevgeni Grushko and his team. The murder of a local TV journalist and a police informant, coupled with the theft of an extremely valuable statuette, is just the tip of the iceberg as all-out gang warfare threatens to erupt. [7]
22"Episode 2"Tony SmithPhilip Kerr & Robin Muhkerjee31 March 1994 (1994-03-31)
When it transpires that Milyukin's last investigation involved exploring gang connections to the illegal dumping of nuclear waste and possible mass radiation, Grushko and his team realise the clock is ticking, and work together to try and find the missing piece of the puzzle.
33"Episode 3"Tony SmithPhilip Kerr & Robin Muhkerjee7 April 1994 (1994-04-07)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul McGann</span> English actor

Paul John McGann is an English actor. He came to prominence for portraying Percy Toplis in the television serial The Monocled Mutineer (1986), then starred in the dark comedy Withnail and I (1987), which was a critical success and developed a cult following. McGann later became more widely known for portraying the eighth incarnation of the Doctor in the 1996 television film Doctor Who. He is also known for playing Lieutenant William Bush in the TV series Hornblower (1998–2003).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Serkis</span> English actor (born 1964)

Andrew Clement Serkis is an English actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his motion-capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), King Kong in the eponymous 2005 film, Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy (2011–2017), Captain Haddock / Sir Francis Haddock in Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin (2011), Baloo in his self-directed film Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018) and Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy filmsThe Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017), also portraying Kino Loy in the Star Wars Disney+ series Andor (2022).

<i>Doctor Who</i> (film) 1996 British television movie

Doctor Who, also referred to as Doctor Who: The Movie or as Doctor Who: The Television Movie is a 1996 television film continuing the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was developed as a co-production between Universal Studios and BBC Worldwide. It premiered on 12 May 1996 on CITV in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 15 days before its first showing in the United Kingdom on BBC One and two days before being broadcast in the United States on Fox. It was also shown in some countries for a limited time in cinemas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Cox (actor)</span> Scottish actor (born 1946)

Brian Denis Cox is a Scottish actor. A classically trained Shakespearean actor, he is known for leading performances on stage and television, as well as supporting roles in film. His numerous accolades include two Laurence Olivier Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award as well as a nomination for a British Academy Television Award. In 2003, he was appointed to the Order of the British Empire at the rank of Commander. Empire magazine awarded him the Empire Icon Award in 2006, and the UK Film Council named him one of the top 10 powerful British film stars in Hollywood in 2007.

<i>Sharpe</i> (TV series) British television historical drama series (1993–2008)

Sharpe is a British television drama series starring Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, with Irish actor Daragh O'Malley playing his second in command Patrick Harper. Sharpe and Harper are the heroes of the Sharpe series of novels by Bernard Cornwell; most, though not all, of the episodes are based on the books. Produced by Celtic Films and Picture Palace Films for the ITV network, the series was filmed mainly in Crimea, with recording of other episodes in Turkey, England, Portugal, and Spain. The two final episodes were filmed in Jaipur, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Freeman (actor)</span> English actor (born 1943)

Paul Freeman is an English actor who has appeared in theatre, television and film. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for his role in the romance TV series Yesterday's Dreams (1987) as Martin Daniels. Internationally, he is known for playing the rival archaeologist René Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), evil wine baron Gustav Riebmann on season 4 of the soap opera Falcon Crest (1984–85), supervillain Ivan Ooze in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995). Other credits include Morlang (2001), When I'm 64 (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007) and Hard Boiled Sweets (2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Kerr</span> Scottish novelist (1956–2018)

Philip Ballantyne Kerr was a British author, best known for his Bernie Gunther series of historical detective thrillers.

<i>The Buddha of Suburbia</i> (TV serial) British TV series or programme

The Buddha of Suburbia is a British four-part television serial, directed by Roger Michell, originally broadcast on BBC Two in November 1993. Based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Hanif Kureishi, the series starred Naveen Andrews as the main character, Karim Amir. Its theme song, as well as other original music for the series, was written and performed by David Bowie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Glenister</span> English actor (born 1960)

Robert Lewis Glenister is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Ash "Three Socks" Morgan in the crime drama series Hustle (2004–2012) and Nicholas Blake in the spy drama series Spooks (2006–2010).

<i>MasterChef</i> (British TV series) British cooking competition television show (1990–)

MasterChef is a British competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2005 as MasterChef Goes Large. The revival featured a new format devised by Franc Roddam and John Silver, with Karen Ross producing. In 2008, the name was changed back to MasterChef but the format remained unchanged.

Amanda Jane Mealing is an English actress, director and producer, known for portraying the role of Connie Beauchamp in the BBC medical dramas Holby City and Casualty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Sumpter</span> English actor

Donald Sumpter is an English actor who has appeared in film and television since the mid-1960s. His credits include Doctor Who episode The Wheel in Space (1968), The Black Panther (1977), Bleak House (1985), The Queen's Nose (1995-1998), Great Expectations (1999), Nicholas Nickleby (2001), Enigma (2001), K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), The Constant Gardener (2005), Being Human (2009-2010), Ultramarines: The Movie (2010), Black Mirror (2011), Game of Thrones (2011-2012), Endeavour (2018), Les Misérables (2018), and Chernobyl (2019).

Sharpe's Rifles is the first of the Sharpe television dramas, based on Bernard Cornwell's 1988 novel of the same name. Shown on ITV in 1993, the adaptation stars Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley and Assumpta Serna. It began a long series of successful and critically acclaimed television adaptations of the novels.

<i>Einstein and Eddington</i> 2008 television film directed by Philip Martin

Einstein and Eddington is a British single drama produced by Company Pictures and the BBC, in association with HBO. It featured David Tennant as British scientist Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, and Andy Serkis as Albert Einstein. This is the story of Einstein's general theory of relativity, his relationship with Eddington and the introduction of this theory to the world, against the backdrop of the Great War and Eddington's eclipse observations.

Andy Davidson (<i>Torchwood</i>) Fictional character

Andy Davidson is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, portrayed by Tom Price, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. Andy, an officer with the South Wales Police, is a supporting character who first appears in Torchwood's premiere episode "Everything Changes" and recurs regularly from thereon. Though initially only credited as 'PC Andy', the character's surname 'Davidson' was given in novels and online media and eventually confirmed by dialogue in Children of Earth, "Day Three" (2009). Like Gwen's partner, Rhys, Andy is used by the production team as an everyman character who grounds the series in a recognisable real-world setting. The character had originally been slated to be killed off in the first series, though the production team had a change of heart, believing him to work well as a supporting character. Both cast and crew, as well as professional reviewers have spoken of the character's role in providing comic relief and an outsider's perspective on the Torchwood Institute.

The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare is a notable series of audio-drama presentations of 38 of William Shakespeare's 39 plays.

Rhys Williams (<i>Torchwood</i>) Fictional character of Torchwood

Rhys Alun Williams, portrayed by Kai Owen, is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character is introduced in the premiere episode as the co-habiting boyfriend of the principal character Gwen Cooper. Initially a recurring character, Rhys' role is increased after the second series; actor Kai Owen is given star billing from the show's third series — a five-part serial subtitled Torchwood: Children of Earth — onwards. The character has gone on to appear in expanded universe material such as the Torchwood novels and audiobooks, comic books and radio plays.

Braham Sydney Murray, OBE was an English theatre director. In 1976, he was one of five founding Artistic Directors of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, and the longest-serving.

<i>Vanity Fair</i> (1987 TV serial) TV series or program

Vanity Fair is a 1987 BBC Pebble Mill Production consisting of sixteen 35 minute episodes. It is an adaptation of the 1848 novel Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. The serial was shot on location and in studio. Locations included Winchester and Thetford. Virtually all the interiors were shot in Studio A at Pebble Mill.

Grushko is a gender-neutral Slavic surname that may refer to

References

  1. "Dead Meat - BernieGunther.com". berniegunther.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  2. "Grushko (BBC-1 1994, Brian Cox, Eve Matheson) | Memorable TV - Episodes, News & More". 31 March 2017. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  3. "Grushko". IMDb . 24 March 1994. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  4. "Russian drama gets off to a shaky start". Independent.co.uk . 23 October 2011. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  5. "Grushko (1994)".
  6. "The British Archive for Contemporary Writing CollectionsOnline | APW/7/6 - Dead Meat (Grushko)".
  7. "Search - BBC Programme Index".