TV Series

November 2009

Place of Execution - screened in two parts on PBS in the US - November 2009

http://www.pbs.org/

Reviews:

October 2009

Place of Execution - Interview with Janet Rudolph (external link) - 29.10.09

September 2008

A Place of Execution written by Val McDermid and adapted for TV by Patrick Harbinson was made into a 3-part TV drama shown on ITV 1 (1st episode screened 22 Sept 08). It was produced by Coastal Productions in collaboration with ITV.

On a freezing December night in 1963 a 13-year-old girl vanished without trace - the mystery was never solved. More than 40 years later, the dramatic events surrounding the disappearance and the hunt for the killer resurface when a high-flying TV journalist makes a documentary about the case. But what she finds will shatter the past – and the lives of everyone involved...

Click here for more information (external site itv.com)

Juliet Stevenson found it easy to identify with her character's all-consuming urge to find the truth about a missing schoolgirl.

She said: "I have always been haunted by the Suzy Lamplugh case - that girl was never found. How do families and parents of loved ones cope without the lack of closure? Also the McCanns - all parents have been identifying very strongly with that case. So our story is very current."

The script was just one of the appeals of the drama for Juliet: "There was a lot going on sub-textually. Catherine is pursuing buried secrets from the past which have never been resolved but she also has secrets in her own life. The narrative drive and her internal life make for an interesting combination. I liked the whole package.

"I read the book, as I always like to, but my character differs a lot because in the book she doesn’t have a teenage daughter and that is a big part of the film. The very first script didn't have a daughter either and I loved it when I read the second draft and discovered she is a struggling single parent, going through a difficult time. Her personal life is unravelling as the story unravels."

Catherine is forced to confront her problems with her daughter Sasha (Elizabeth Day) when she accompanies her to Northumberland to investigate the story of missing schoolgirl Alison Carter (Poppy Goodburn).

Juliet explained: "Catherine is a workaholic. She's passionate about her work; she's very direct, full of energy and a perfectionist. Although she's a strong woman she knows she's probably not the best parent.

"She found parenthood difficult to plait into her working life, her marriage has fallen apart and she and her daughter are locked in mutual frustration, misunderstanding and anger."

"Her own relationship with her mother is difficult and fractured too but I don't think she realises it. She is a woman of her time."

The drama, set in the present day with flashbacks to the 1960s, was filmed in Northumberland in two distinct parts.

The actress continued: "We never saw the 1960s cast, so my scenes are with Dave Hill and Philip Jackson in the present day. I didn't get to see Lee Ingleby, Tony Maudsley and Greg Wise. The only actor who covers both eras is Joy Blakeman who plays Kathy Lomas. She is aged by prosthetics to go from her thirties to her seventies.

"The 60s section was filmed first and then us, almost like two different films. As we arrived all the other characters were saying fond farewells. We felt like the new kids on the block.

"It's a strange feeling, almost as if the house belongs to someone else and you are walking into someone else's bathroom. Lots of relationships have been established there. But of course in only a matter of days you take over the house - to flog the metaphor.

"We all stayed in the same hotel in Northumberland so we could sometimes all meet up in the evening. I loved filming it as I love the north east and my family also came up to see me."

GREG WISE PLAYS PHILIP HAWKIN

Greg Wise was attracted to the role of village squire Philip Hawkin because of his enigmatic character.

Greg said: "I'm generally attracted to roles which can't easily be explained, those which may not necessarily be the good or bad guy. They tend to have more depth. I'm not like Hawkin at all, which made the role appealing."

Hawkin lives at the Manor House in Scardale with his wife Ruth (Emma Cunniffe) and stepdaughter Alison (Poppy Goodburn).

"Scardale is still frugal and closed from the outer community and Hawkin is considered with some suspicion by the locals. The wealth, house and land were inherited and he really owns the village and the surrounding land."

Hawkin's secluded world is turned upside down when Alison vanishes after going out to walk her dog on the moors.

Greg explained: "He still believes that Alison is out walking the dog when the police arrive and start their investigation. He's tremendously concerned for the girl, but he doesn't get the opportunity to express his feelings and that's why suspicion is put on him."

DI George Bennett (Lee Ingleby) notices tension between Hawkin and Ruth.

Greg added: "He's fairly cold towards his wife. It's her second marriage and Alison is her daughter from her first marriage. Time has worn Ruth down and Hawkin isn't a very passionate man towards her."

Greg was delighted to return to Northumberland to film the drama.

"We filmed in an area called Hexham and I'm actually originally from the north east so it's been lovely being back. I was born in Newcastle so I'm a Geordie and my dad still lives there.

"I left when I was quite young but the accent is still there and I actually used it in a film I did last year called The Departed. It's wonderful to be able to come back to the area of my birth.

"I spend a lot of time in London but I'm quite a country boy at heart. I love working and being in the city, but I don't want to work all the time and I love being at home - it's all about being able to find that balance. I think if you're lucky enough to do that it makes it all worth it."