McLevy

Last updated

McLevy
Genre Crime drama
Running time45 mins
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s)English
Home station BBC Radio 4
Syndicates BBC Radio 4 Extra
Starring
Written by David Ashton
Directed byBruce Young
Produced byBruce Young
Recording studio BBC Pacific Quay, Glasgow
Original release26 July 1999 (1999-07-26) 
1 February 2024 (2024-02-01)
No. of series14
No. of episodes54
Website www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ckq1r OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

McLevy is a British radio crime drama series, written by David Ashton, about the 19th century Edinburgh police detective James McLevy. Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 as part of its Afternoon Drama slot, the drama stars Brian Cox and Siobhan Redmond, with Michael Perceval-Maxwell and David Ashton.

Contents

Main cast

In the 1999 pilot play, Phyllis Logan played Jean and John Paul Hurley played Mulholland. Lieutenant Roach was not introduced until the actual first episode of Series One; in the pilot play, McLevy's superior was Lieutenant Moxey, with the change in command explained as Moxey having been "elevated" to The Haymarket (in the novel Shadow of the Serpent, the explanation is that Moxey "had left somewhat under a cloud and Roach had been swiftly drafted in from Haymarket to fill the gap ...").

Supporting cast

Format

While some of the series contain a thread connecting all of that series' stories into one storyline, the elements of each of the stories remain constant:

The historicity of the series is not always faultless. For example, an episode on 24 March 2015 involved a robbery of the British Linen Bank, although that bank did not obtain that title until 1906.

List of episodes

Series 1

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [3]
121/12/2000For Unto Us
228/12/2000The Trophy Club
304/01/2001The Second Shadow
411/01/2001The Burning Question

Series 2

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [4]
119/06/2002A Good Walk Spoilt
226/06/2002Wild Justice
303/07/2002The Wild Spark
410/07/2002Stab in the Back

Series 3

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [5]
101/12/2003Behind the Curtain
208/12/2003A Voice from the Grave
315/12/2003The Dark Shadow
422/12/2003Servant of the Crown

Series 4

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [6]
103/04/2006A Piece of Cake
210/04/2006The Sea Change
317/04/2006Sins of the Fathers
424/04/2006The Devil's Disguise

Series 5

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [7]
127/01/2009To Keep Him Honest
203/02/2009Picture of Innocence
310/02/2009The Chosen One
417/02/2009The Reckoning

Series 6

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [8]
121/12/2009A Bolt From the Blue
228/12/2009End of the Line
304/01/2010Jack O'Diamonds
411/01/2010Queen of Spades

Series 7

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [9]
102/03/2011The Firebrand
209/03/2011Dead Reckoning
316/03/2011Prince of Darkness
423/03/2011A Distant Death

Series 8

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [10]
129/11/2011The Blue Gown
206/12/2011Flesh and Blood
313/12/2011A Fine Deception
420/12/2011The Last Illusion

Series 9

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [11]
126/11/2012A Dangerous Remedy
203/12/2012No Looking Back
310/12/2012A Pearl in the Oyster
417/12/2012The Cross-Roads

Series 10

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [12]
118/02/2014A Different Path
225/02/2014The Cat's Claw
304/03/2014A Sore Convulsion
411/03/2014A Secret Life

Series 11

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [13]
115/12/2015A Price to Pay
222/12/2015The Seventh Veil
329/12/2015The Night Walker
405/01/2016The Devil Makes a Move

Series 12

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [14]
110/10/2016A Matter of Balance
211/10/2016A Man of Honour
312/10/2016He Who Waits
413/10/2016The Last Goodbye

McLevy in the New World - Series 1

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [15]
121/04/2022Shake Hands With The Devil
228/04/2022A Stirring In The Blood

McLevy in the New World - Series 2

Episode no.Broadcast dateEpisode title [16]
125/01/2024Fate Takes A Hand
201/02/2024Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

Specials

Broadcast dateEpisode titleNotes
26/07/1999Pilot episodeOriginally titled 'McLevy', it was retitled 'Happy Land' for subsequent repeats.
25/12/2006Christmas Special90-minute feature-length episode.
08/10/2016Meet James McLevy60-minute re-make of the pilot episode, with "Lieutenant Roach" taking the place of "Lieutenant Moxey" and "Hannah Semple" taking a more prominent role in the story. [17]

In other media

All episodes of series 1-12 are currently available on both CD, audio download [18] and with the exception of the pilot episode can be listened to for free on BBC Sounds. [19]

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References

  1. "McLevy: The Night Walker". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  2. "McLevy, The Last Goodbye". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  3. "McLevy - Series 1". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  4. "McLevy - Series 2". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  5. "McLevy - Series 3". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  6. "McLevy - Series 4". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  7. "McLevy - Series 5". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  8. "McLevy - Series 6". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  9. "McLevy - Series 7". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  10. "McLevy - Series 8". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  11. "McLevy - Series 9". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  12. "McLevy - Series 10". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  13. "McLevy - Series 11". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  14. "McLevy - Series 12". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  15. "McLevy in the New World". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  16. "McLevy in the New World (Series 2)". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  17. "Meet James McLevy". BBC Programmes . BBC . Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  18. "David Ashton". amazon.co.uk . Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  19. "BBC Sounds". bbc.co.uk.