If I Had You (film)

Last updated

If I Had You
Genre Crime drama
Written byCaleb Ranson
Directed by John Deery
Starring Sarah Parish
Poppy Miller
Paul McGann
Mark Benton
Andrew Buchan
Theme music composerDominik Scherrer
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes1
Production
Executive producersMichele Buck
Damien Timmer
ProducerKaren Thrussell
CinematographyJohn Daly
EditorJackie Ophir
Running time120 minutes
Production company Granada Television
Original release
Network ITV
Release7 May 2006 (2006-05-07)

If I Had You is a one-off British crime drama television film, starring Sarah Parish, Poppy Miller, and Paul McGann. Parish stars as police detective Sharon Myers, who moves from the big city back to her small hometown to investigate a murder. If I Had You was first broadcast on 7 May 2006 on ITV.[ citation needed ] It was also broadcast in the United States on BBC America on 25 July 2006. [1] Future member of One Direction, Louis Tomlinson, makes a short appearance as a member of a group of boys who discover a body in the river. [2]

Contents

Cast

Plot

Sharon Myers (Sarah Parish) unexpectedly turns up at a school reunion party being held in her birthplace of Luckwell, twenty years after leaving the village. She has returned to her hometown to take up the position of Detective Inspector, after recently being promoted. She bumps into her childhood best friend, Helen Andrews (Poppy Miller), who is heavily pregnant, and attending the party with her current husband, Phillip (Paul McGann). Helen is unaware that Sharon and Phillip know each other, and that they had an affair shortly before she discovered she was pregnant. During the party, Sharon notices that Phillip is making eyes at new schoolteacher Lesley Tenant (Nicole Lewis). The following morning, Sharon is given an early wakeup call by D.S. Harry Fielding (Mark Benton), who informs her that a body has been found in a nearby lake. Sharon arrives at the scene to discover the body is none other than Lesley Tenant. Initial reports suggest that she was stabbed to death, and that her handbag, mobile phone and necklace have all been stolen. Suspicion initially falls on Phillip, but Sharon is quick to dissuade the idea that he could be the killer.

Phillip is arrested, but after an initial round of questioning, he is released without charge. Meanwhile, D.C. Marcus Watson (Andrew Buchan) discovers that only three necklaces of the kind Lesley was wearing have been bought locally in the past six months, one of which was purchased by a cash-buying customer, who matches Phillip's description. After a series of e-mails are discovered on Lesley's hard drive, signed "Love from P", Harry is determined to haul Phillip in again, but Sharon convinces him to bide his time, and instead look into one of Phillip's colleagues, Paul, who was in a relationship with Lesley up until six weeks before her death. Meanwhile, after being invited round for supper by Helen, Sharon goes in search of some old childhood photos in Helen's garage, and unexpectedly comes across Lesley's necklace, hidden inside a music box.

Sharon confronts Phillip, but he denies murdering Lesley. During their heated confrontation, Sharon's rage turns into lust, and the pair end up having sex. Sharon informs Phillip that she intends to protect him, whatever the cost. The next day, Harry and Marcus interview Paul, and he confirms that he was the one who sent the series of e-mails. Harry, however, informs Sharon that Paul denied all knowledge of the e-mails, and that in her absence, he has applied for a warrant to search Helen and Phillip's house. The search proves fruitless, but in order to disguise her loyalty to Phillip, Sharon orders a search of his workplace. During the search, Harry finds a tube of lipstick hidden behind a cabinet. The lipstick is sent for forensic analysis, and Phillip is re-arrested. However, once again, a lack of evidence leads to his subsequent release. When he is forced to explain his absence to Helen, the unduly stress causes her to collapse, and she is immediately taken to hospital. Later that night, Sharon meets with Phillip, unaware that Harry is watching her every move.

Early the next day, Sharon hauls Harry in after discovering he lied about who sent Lesley the illicit e-mails. In order to point suspicion in Harry's direction, she accuses him of holding a flame for Helen, and alleges that his grudge against Phillip is purely personal. Harry, however, fires back with the accusation that Sharon has been protecting Phillip and that he was witness to her meeting with him the previous night. Unwilling to show bias, Sharon questions Phillip once more, but when Phillip questions her about Lesley's necklace - which as far as her colleagues know, is still unaccounted for - Harry realises that Sharon hasn't been telling him the whole truth. Suspecting that Sharon may tamper with the DNA evidence found on the lipstick in Phillip's office, Harry asks the lab to contact him - and him only - with the results. As suspicion gradually begins to fall on Sharon, Phillip approaches Harry and warns him that he believes he is being framed. Harry and Phillip covertly break into Sharon's house, and they find Lesley's missing mobile phone and handbag.

Phillip suspects that Sharon is framing him in order to prove her ability to control, and to eventually end his relationship with Helen. Realising that Sharon has gone to pick Helen up from hospital, Harry telephones the hospital, but is told that Helen was discharged twenty minutes previously. Racing across town, they find Sharon and Helen down by the riverbank, engaged in a tussle on a jetty. Phillip suspects that Sharon is trying to kill Helen, just like she killed Lesley. During the tussle however, Sharon falls from the jetty and subsequently drowns, seemingly closing the case. Her death is recorded as accidental by the coroner, and the investigation into Lesley's murder is closed. Helen and Phillip's baby is born, and they subsequently hold a welcoming home party. During the party, Phillip goes to look for some firecrackers, and finds a piece of Lesley's jewellery in the garage. Phillip realises that Sharon is not the killer, and that Helen in fact murdered Lesley after witnessing them having sex on the night of the school reunion.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Watts</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Sharon Ann Watts is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, played by Letitia Dean. Sharon was one of EastEnders' original characters conceptualised by creators Tony Holland and Julia Smith. She first appeared in the first episode broadcast on 19 February 1985 as the teenage adopted daughter of pub landlords Den and Angie Watts. Dean originally quit the role in 1995 after ten years, with Sharon departing following the breakdown of her marriage. In May 2001, Sharon was reintroduced by producer John Yorke, before departing in January 2006. Dean's return was announced in February 2012, and she later made her on-screen return on 13 August 2012 in a special week of episodes. Dean took a temporary break from the show and departed on 9 January 2024, and Sharon returned on 1 April 2024.

<i>The Listerdale Mystery</i> 1934 short story collection written by Agatha Christie

The Listerdale Mystery is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by William Collins and Sons in June 1934. The book retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6). The collection did not appear in the US; however, all of the stories contained within it did appear in other collections only published there.

<i>And Then There Were None</i> (1974 film) 1974 film

And Then There Were None is a 1974 mystery film and an adaptation of Agatha Christie's best-selling 1939 mystery novel of the same name. The film was directed by Peter Collinson and produced by Harry Alan Towers. This was the second of three versions of Christie's novel to be adapted to the screen by producer Harry Alan Towers. Two film adaptations were previously released. An American made-for-television version was broadcast in 1959. Towers produced a third version in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Mitchell</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced to the soap opera on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy. Phil was one of the major characters introduced by executive producer Michael Ferguson, who wanted to bring in some macho male leads. Phil and his brother Grant became popularly known as the Mitchell brothers in the British media, with Phil initially portrayed as the more level-headed of the two thugs. Storylines featuring the Mitchell family dominated the soap opera throughout the 1990s, with Phil serving as one of the show's central characters and protagonists since the 1990s. McFadden temporarily left the series in late 2003, then returned in April 2005 for a brief appearance before making a permanent return in October 2005, and has now overtaken Dot Cotton as the second-longest-serving character in EastEnders, surpassed only by original character Ian Beale. A teenage version of Phil, played by Daniel Delaney, appeared in a flashback episode broadcast on 5 September 2022, which focuses on the Mitchell family in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eileen Grimshaw</span> Fictional character from Coronation Street

Eileen Grimshaw is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Sue Cleaver, the character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 3 May 2000. Her storylines have often included her relationships with Dennis Stringer, Ed Jackson, Pat Stanaway, Jerry Morton, Jesse Chadwick, Paul Kershaw, Adrian Mortimer and Michael Rodwell, as well as her marriage to serial criminal mastermind Pat Phelan.

<i>Man in the Attic</i> 1953 film by Hugo Fregonese

Man in the Attic is a 1953 mystery film directed by Hugo Fregonese. It was released in the United States on December 23 by Twentieth Century Fox. The movie is based on the 1913 novel The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes, which fictionalizes the Jack the Ripper killings, and was previously filmed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1927, by Maurice Elvey in 1932, by John Brahm in 1944, and subsequently by David Ondaatje in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denise Fox</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Denise Fox is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Diane Parish. She made her first appearance on 11 May 2006 and temporarily left EastEnders in early 2008 to give birth to her second child. Her leave-taking had coincided with the departures of Matt Di Angelo, Phil Daniels and Kellie Shirley. She returned to Walford on 6 June 2008. This is Parish's second role in EastEnders, as she previously played singer Lola Christie in 1998.

<i>The Way Through the Woods</i> 1992 novel by Colin Dexter

The Way Through the Woods is a crime novel by Colin Dexter, the tenth novel in the Inspector Morse series. It received the Gold Dagger Award in 1992.

<i>Castle in the Air</i> (film) 1952 British film by Henry Cass

Castle in the Air is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Henry Cass and starring David Tomlinson, Helen Cherry and Margaret Rutherford. It was based on the stage play of the same title by Alan Melville. Produced by ABPC, shooting took place at the company's Elstree Studios.

The Mitchell family is a fictional family in the UK soap opera EastEnders. They were first introduced in February 1990, when brothers Phil and Grant Mitchell bought the local garage, the Arches. Their sister Sam was introduced later in 1990, and their mother Peggy shortly after in 1991, before being reintroduced as a regular character in 1994, with the role recast to Barbara Windsor. Since then, the family has been significantly expanded to include both the immediate and extended families. Phil has been the longest running Mitchell on the show, and the family has expanded significantly in the years since, remaining a large presence on the square.

<i>Panique</i> (1946 film) 1946 French film directed by Julien Duvivier

Panique, also released as Panic, is a 1946 French film directed by Julien Duvivier starring Michel Simon and Viviane Romance. The screenplay is based on the novel Les Fiançailles de M. Hire by Georges Simenon.

<i>The Suspicions of Mr Whicher</i> British television films, 2011 to 2014

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher is a British series of television films made by Hat Trick Productions for ITV, written by Helen Edmundson and Neil McKay. It stars Paddy Considine in the title role of detective inspector Jack Whicher of the Metropolitan Police. The first film, The Murder at Road Hill House, was based on the real-life Constance Kent murder case of 1860, as interpreted by Kate Summerscale in her 2008 book The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House, which was the winner of Britain's Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction in 2008, and was read as BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week in April the same year.

<i>The Hanging Gale</i> 1995 British–Irish miniseries

The Hanging Gale is a four-episode television serial which first aired on RTÉ One and BBC1 in 1995. The series was a British–Irish co-production, made by Little Bird Films for BBC Northern Ireland in association with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), with support from the Irish Film Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Who Killed Lucy Beale?</span> Storyline from the BBC soap opera "EastEnders"

"Who Killed Lucy Beale?" is a storyline from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It was announced on 21 February 2014, and began on 18 April 2014, when Lucy Beale was discovered dead on Walford Common from a deliberately inflicted head injury. The storyline reached a peak during EastEnders Live Week on 19 February 2015, the show's 30th anniversary episode, during which Lucy's 10-year-old half-brother, Bobby, is revealed to have killed her following a confrontation at home. Bobby's adoptive mother, Jane Beale, had covered for him, moving Lucy's body to Walford Common and convincing Bobby that he was not responsible for his sister's death.

References

  1. Wheat, Alynda (21 July 2006). "What to Watch for week of July 28, 2006". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  2. "One Direction's Louis Tomlinson discovers a dead body in ITV drama If I Had You screened in 2006 - Mirror Online". Daily Mirror . 4 July 2012.