Shaw returns for more 'Gently'

The BBC has commissioned four new George Gently dramas to air next year.

Based on Alan Hunter's Inspector Gently book series, the new films will focus on veteran Scotland Yard detective George Gently (Martin Shaw) and his partner John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) as they solve crimes in '60s Northumberland.

Peter Flannery and Mick Ford will co-write the four instalments.

"The joy of writing the Gently stories lies in the period and the place," said Flannery. "The place because it's where I grew up; the period for the same reason, plus it gives me a chance to write about a country on the cusp of change.

"Each issue I look at at the heart of a crime - abortion, sexuality, youth gangs, child abuse, race, terrorism - was seen differently in the early '60s compared to today. As L. P. Hartley said, 'The past is another country. They do things differently there'."

Holby City's Sharon Maughan will appear as an old flame of Gently who assists him in an investigation. Guest starring as suspects and victims in the first two films are Jill Halfpenny, Mark Williams, Paul Copley, Mary Jo Randle, Tracey Wilkinson and Brendan Coyle.


:cheer: Martin Shaw :wub: :wub: :wub:

Inspector George Gently is to return to BBC One for four new feature-length episodes. :D

Martin Shaw will reprise his role as the passionate detective, with Lee Ingleby also returning as his sidekick John Bacchus.

The four films will be set in 1968 - the first has been written by Peter Flannery and will feature guest performances from Roger Lloyd Pack (Only Fools and Horses) and Geraldine Somerville (Harry Potter).

'Gently With Class' will follow Gently and Bacchus as they investigate the death of a young girl found in the passenger seat of an aristocrat's upturned car.

Second film 'Gently Northern Soul' will focus on the racially-motivated murder of a young black girl. Written by David Kane (Sea Of Souls), the instalment will star Lenora Crichlow (Being Human), Eamonn Walker (Oz) and Maggie O'Neill (EastEnders).

Simon Block's third episode will focus on the kidnap of a middle class couple's adopted child, while the final film, again written by Flannery, sees a suspended Gently pursued by old enemies from his London Met days.

"Gently and Bacchus return to Durham and Northumberland, my home turf, with plenty more murders and cases to solve," said Flannery. "It's 1968 with huge changes in society at that time, and hopefully our series continues to give a real portrait of the age."

The four new Inspector George Gently films are currently shooting on location in Durham and the North East and will be shown on BBC One later this year.

The year is 1968 and Martin Shaw returns to BBC One as Inspector George Gently, in four new feature length films created by Peter Flannery (The Devil’s Whore, Our Friends in the North).

This classic series set in Northumberland is a vivid and colourful insight into a time of major social change as the swinging 60s hits the North-East. With the wit and sharp banter between our passionate growling detective hero (Shaw) and his mouthy sidekick Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) Inspector George Gently lovingly recreates the warmth of the period and the Geordie world that they inhabit.

Writer Peter Flannery says: "Gently and Bacchus return to my home turf of Durham and Northumberland with plenty more murders and cases to solve. It's 1968 and there are huge changes taking place in society, and hopefully our series continues to give a real portrait of the age."

Written by Flannery, the first film, Gently With Class, sees a darker side of 1968 as the social landscape of the Western World is being shaken to its core. In Paris, riots rage as the workers and students take to the streets. In the United States, thousands rally against the Vietnam War. And in England, antipathy for the upper class’ outmoded social graces and their abuse of privilege is growing by the day.

The indefatigable Chief Inspector George Gently and Detective Sergeant John Bacchus experience the inflated authority of their ‘social betters’ first hand, when a beautiful young girl called Ellen Mallam is found dead in the passenger seat of a an upturned car, registered to local aristocrats.

Guest stars include Roger Lloyd Pak and Geraldine Somerville as Lord and Lady Blackstone; with James Norton, Nick Hendrix, Christopher Fairbank and Fred Pearson. The film also introduces Ebony Buckle as the young and free-spirited Ellen, who sings “with a voice that could make angels weep”. As ever, Bacchus and Gently clash over their differing opinions - Bacchus believes that the aristocracy’s days are numbered, whilst Gently feels that the ruling class will stay impenetrable as ever…

The second film, Gently Northern Soul, written by David Kane (The Field of Blood, Sea Of Souls), sees the racial unrest that is sweeping the United States reach British shores as Enoch Powell launches his tirade against immigration. But racial harmony can be found at the ‘all-nighters’ that take place in 1968, where disillusioned young people, black and white, escape the boredom of factory life to dance the night away to imported soul music.

In Newcastle, the haven of equality found at the Carlton Ballroom all-nighter is destroyed when a young black girl, Dolores Kenny, is murdered, leading Gently to uncover a disturbing and racialist undercurrent growing within the local community. Guest stars include Leonora Crichlow, Eamonn Walker, Philip Correia, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Gary Carr, John Bowler and Maggie O'Neill.

In the third 90-minute film, written by Simon Block, Gently and Bacchus are thrown into an emotionally-wrought case when a middle class couple’s adopted child is kidnapped. It takes them to a mother and baby home where young single mothers are forced to give up their infants, where the shame of illegitimacy still burns the cheeks of single mothers.

The final film this series, written by Peter Flannery, sees Gently’s enemies from his London Met days coming after him. Gently finds himself suspended from duty – powerless, unprotected and persecuted. Gently must confront his deepest fears and fight to the death…

Ep 1/4

Sunday 26 August
8.30-10.00pm
BBC ONE


It's 1968 and the racial unrest sweeping the United States has reached British shores, with the National Front launching a tirade against immigration and "multiculturalists' policies".
But racial harmony can be found at the all-nighters, where disillusioned young people, black and white, escape the boredom of factory life to dance the night away to obscure soul music. In Durham, the haven of equality found at the Carlton all-nighter is destroyed when a young black girl Dolores Kenny (Pippa Bennett-Warner) is murdered.

Chief Inspector George Gently (Martin Shaw) soon uncovers a disturbing and malevolent racist undercurrent lurking both within the local community and his own police force.

Set against the backdrop of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Gently and Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) have their eyes opened to the shocking consequences of casual racism, as racial tension spirals out of control, leaving a path of destroyed friendships, love affairs and families in its wake.

Refusing to let deep-seated prejudices cloud their vision, Gently and Bacchus work tirelessly to unmask how Dolores died.

Ep 2/4

Sunday 2 September
8.30-10.00pm
BBC ONE


It’s 1968 and the social landscape of the western world is being shaken to its core. In Paris, riots rage as workers and students take to the streets. In the US thousands rally against the Vietnam War, and in England antipathy for the upper class’s outmoded social mores and abuse of privilege is growing by the day.
The indefatigable Chief Inspector George Gently (Martin Shaw) and his sidekick, John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) experience the inflated authority of their ‘social betters’ firsthand when a beautiful young girl called Ellen Mallam (Ebony Buckle) is found dead in the passenger seat of an upturned car registered to local aristocrats the Blackstone family.

When it becomes clear that the driver of the car left Ellen to drown in the river in which the car was submerged, Gently and Bacchus must untangle a web of secrets to get to the truth.

Free-spirited Ellen represented a challenge to the Establishment, beguiling the sensitive heir-apparent James Blackstone with promises of a beautiful world outside his gilded cage. But James’ mother, Alethea (Geraldine Somerville) has planned her son’s future from the moment he was born and refuses to be defeated. Only her son’s death can stop her in her tracks.

Bacchus is convinced they are on the brink of a brave new world in which the aristocracy’s days are numbered. But as the investigation takes an astonishing turn, Gently is unsurprised to find the hegemony of the ruling class is as unshaken and as impenetrable as ever.

Ep 3/4

Sunday 9 September
8.30-10.00pm
BBC ONE


The adopted child of a middle-class couple is kidnapped. Suspicion initially falls upon the natural mother - did she ‘steal’ her own baby back?
It's 1968 and the Abortion Act of 1967 is yet to be implemented. The number of pre-marital pregnancies has rocketed since the end of the war and the number of babies being adopted peaks at 28,000.

The shame of illegitimacy still burns the cheeks of single mothers and their families who often force their unmarried daughters into ‘Mother and Baby homes’ to conceal their dirty secret. Here, the emphasis is placed on getting the babies adopted into married homes whilst providing a moral education for these fallen women.

For some girls it offers an opportunity to return to their old lives uninterrupted, hopes and dreams intact. For others, the pain of having to give up their child is unbearable; their suffering is a life sentence, and for the childless couples who have long yearned for a baby, it offers them the opportunity to finally become a ‘proper’ family.

Inspector George Gently and his sergeant, John Bacchus, are given an insight into the complexities of this emotionally-wrought world when the adopted child of a middle-class couple is kidnapped.

Suspicion initially falls upon the natural mother – did she ‘steal’ her own baby back? But investigations into the Mother and Baby home itself reveals a much darker side to this hothouse of morality and raises questions as to how far this seemingly perfect couple is prepared to go to get a child.

Ep 4/4

Sunday 16 September
8.30-10.00pm
BBC ONE


It is now four years since George Gently came north, and four long years since the death of his wife. His work for the Met through the Fifties and Sixties made him many enemies – not only among the criminals he put away, but also among some of his ex-colleagues and the criminals whose interests had become synonymous with them.
The seismic forces that displaced him in 1964 are once more active – and have followed him to Durham. Underworld figure, Rattigan, who Gently sent down all those years ago, has been cleared on the grounds that evidence was fabricated by Gently himself, and now he is hell-bent on revenge.

Donald MgHee (Kevin Whately), Gently’s friend and colleague from the Met, appears on the scene – but can Gently trust him?

Bacchus is torn between his loyalty to Gently and his ambition to make it to the Met. Gently finds himself suspended from duty – powerless, unprotected and persecuted. If he is to survive, Gently must confront his deepest fears and fight to the death.

The last series definately ended with a cliff hanger,it is annoying that viewers will have to wait till the next series to find out if Gently and Bacchus survive being shot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by N.Fan

The last series definately ended with a cliff hanger,it is annoying that viewers will have to wait till the next series to find out if Gently and Bacchus survive being shot.

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Why is it annoying?. Almost every series ends in a cliffhanger to encourage people to tune in to a new series . Holby, Casualty Heartbeat The Royal to name but a few.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by N.Fan

The last series definately ended with a cliff hanger,it is annoying that viewers will have to wait till the next series to find out if Gently and Bacchus survive being shot.

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Why is it annoying?. Almost every series ends in a cliffhanger to encourage people to tune in to a new series . Holby, Casualty Heartbeat The Royal to name but a few.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by alan45

Why is it annoying?. Almost every series ends in a cliffhanger to encourage people to tune in to a new series . Holby, Casualty Heartbeat The Royal to name but a few.

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It's annoying because I say it is and that is my opinion.:p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by N.Fan

It's annoying because I say it is and that is my opinion.:p

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Thanks for that very informative reply. It says much more than I'm sure you intended :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by N.Fan

It's annoying because I say it is and that is my opinion.:p

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Thanks for that very informative reply. It says much more than I'm sure you intended :)

Week beginning 1st February (Date and time to be confirmed )

1969: six months since the shootings in Durham Cathedral. Gently's injuries in the shoulder and the leg are healed and he is pushing himself back to full fitness. Bacchus, shot in the stomach and seriously injured, has been completing his recuperation in a police convalescent home.
Gently is shocked when he learns of Bacchus’ resignation and annoyed that John hasn’t told him directly. He visits Bacchus in the convalescent home where he has been recuperating and realises that his sergeant has lost his confidence. Still suffering his own mental and physical scars from the Cathedral, Gently sets about fixing Bacchus - by insisting that he helps him with a case while he serves out his notice. Gently has been tasked with investigating a death in custody.

The death has taken place in police cells in Newcastle and was discovered by WPC Rachel Coles and reported to the station sergeant, Dawson. They say the victim was one of several people arrested after a street protest and had to be manhandled into the cells. His body shows signs of injury, but there isn’t yet a clear cause of death.

The victim, identified as Simon Thomas, is discovered to be a university drop-out, a drifter with some mental health problems, probably living rough. His middle class family is horrified that he has died in police custody and his mother asks Gently, "aren’t the police supposed to protect the vulnerable?"

Gently and Bacchus learn from the police shift team Baird, Stockdale and Sidwell that Simon’s death happened on what had already been a difficult day for the police. They came under attack during protests at a slum clearance and the victim was arrested there. The incident shows the changing attitudes of the general public to the police force. Where they were once the trusted, familiar, local ‘Bobbies on the beat’, police officers are now beginning to be seen as agents of the state.

Even the kids they meet on the street, like eight year-old Robbie and his brother think of them as ‘pigs’. Another police officer, Ashton, was attacked and seriously injured during the protest. His colleagues are angry and Gently ponders whether Simon’s injuries indicate that they decided to take justice into their own hands.

As Gently and Bacchus put together more detail about the events leading up to Simon’s death, they explore events at the police station, the circumstances of his arrest, and attempt to discover what happened before the police arrived at the slum estate.

Rachel is ‘fitted up’ by her male colleagues in the force – and Gently and Bacchus find themselves in danger once again on the streets of Durham...

Confirmed for BBC One on 13 February at 8.30pm to 10.00pm


The body of a girl washed up by a pier leads Gently and Bacchus to investigate the staff and holidaymakers at a family holiday camp. While investigating the death, Gently and Bacchus uncover a story of fame-seeking, sex and the dark underbelly of the permissive society.
When the body of a girl, Megan, is washed up on a local beach, Gently and Bacchus begin to investigate her death and look into her position as a blue coat at the Bluebird Holiday Camp. They are welcomed into the camp by the owner, Todd Stretch, and his sister, Cherry. Gently and Bacchus make inquiries with Meg’s colleagues, chalet-mates Gail and Justine, and fitness instructor Gary Manners. Meg was a popular member of staff and a charismatic performer, and great with the guests.

It is clear that the youth of 1969 have more independence than their parents. Fewer families are coming to the camp – and with the ideal of the family beginning to break down, the camp is taking fewer bookings than before. Todd insists it is still family oriented and that those values are important.

Meg has also been in conflict with her mother, Agnes, about her job – and when Agnes reacts strangely to news of the murder, Gently and Bacchus suspect that there’s more to her family situation than meets the eye.

Alibis for the night of the murder don’t quite stack up. Gently and Bacchus gradually discover that Agnes, Justine and Gary aren’t being quite straightforward about their movements - and in addition, a different picture begins to emerge of Meg.

Camp guests are also reacting badly to the news of the murder, and one couple, Tim and Sylvia Ryan, attempt to leave. Gently and Bacchus discover that Sylvia was with Gary on the night of the murder – but scratching the surface of this relationship, they learn that Sylvia paid Gary for sex.

All is not as it seems at the Bluebird Holiday Camp...

The themes of family in this film are played through Bacchus’s relationship with his daughter as he tries to get greater access through his ex-wife Lisa. Gently, grieving on the anniversary of his wife’s death, steps in to try and help his colleague.

Rachel also becomes part of the support system for Gently and Bacchus at the police station - with Gently noticing that Bacchus is unsettled by her modern ways of policing.

20th February


In the late 60s an article in The Times confirmed that the MOD had tested the effects of LSD on volunteer servicemen at Porton Down. Gently and Bacchus delve into this world of army secrets when a young former soldier commits a murder and Gently finds some uncomfortable truths in what it means to serve one’s Queen and country.
Following a murder at a Turkish Baths, Bacchus delights in what seems to be a straightforward case. Witnesses confirm that ex-serviceman Scott Tanner killed the victim and he has handily left his ID in a locker.

As they search for him, it becomes apparent that all is not as it seems. His psychiatrist, Dr. Lesley, worries as he was showing signs of suffering from schizophrenia, while Scott’s brother Mark states that his brother was too soft for the army and certainly couldn’t kill a man.

The case takes a sinister twist when Dr. Lesley appears to have committed suicide by hanging himself, and his patient file on Scott Tanner is missing. Further confusing the matter is the fact that Lesley left money in his will to five soldiers, one of whom was Scott Tanner. Lesley’s papers also state that his last appointment was with a Dr. Jennifer Bing at a place called, “Hopewood.” Gently and Bacchus visit Bing who tells them that Lesley had worked with her for the army at the testing facility.

All roads lead back to the army but Gently is told by his superior to request any army interviews through him. Gently decides to further question Scott Tanner who opens up and explains that he was given drugs in Hopewood as part of a training exercise. At first it was like a trip, but then the experiments changed and he was tortured. He admits to the killing of the man in the Turkish bath. Bacchus feels that as Tanner signed up for the testing it’s not their case to investigate, but Gently thinks otherwise. Bing confirms that Lesley conducted clinical tests using LSD on servicemen volunteers, but they were safe and shows them a film that confirms that.

Scott’s brother Mark Tanner kidnaps Bing to find out the truth about the tests and his brother. As Mark Tanner seeks his brutal revenge, Gently rushes to beat him to the true culprit and in turn attempts make amends for his previous inaction during his time in service.

27th February

Throughout the Sixties, Northumberland coal mining was decimated, as competition from oil, gas, cheap imports and nuclear power led to the closure of dozens of collieries. Communities were crushed; with the young moving on to new lives while the old were left behind to haunt ghost towns.
Burnsend is one such community. Once a thriving colliery town the future of the pit hangs in the balance as the National Coal Board (NCB) consider closing it. A mysterious death in the mine leads Gently and Bacchus to explore the tensions and relationships in the community. They encounter families riven by politics and caught in grudges that date back to the Second World War.

Gently and Bacchus are called to investigate the death of Arthur Hawkes, a miner who has been missing for several days. His death is suspicious because his body is found in the mine, yet both identity tokens that should track the movements of miners indicate that he was ‘topside’. Whilst down the mine, Gently’s fitness is called into question when he suffers a nasty fall.

Arthur Hawkes was a union man, and one of those responsible for keeping the mine open. His children, Hannah and Samuel, confirm that he fought long and hard for the men at the pit.

As Gently and Bacchus dig deeper, the politics of the potential closure are called into question, with the union man Arthur appearing to sell his fellow miners down the river. A union comrade, Billy Shearer, becomes a suspect when he suggests Arthur had sold out his co-workers. Arthur is also discovered to have been in conflict with fellow miner, Peter Turner, and manager Dennis Milton.

Further investigation reveals that a secret affair may hold the key to the case and Gently has to race to save a life of someone who appears to have lost everything.

During the course of the film, Gently encounters questions about his suitability for his post after being offered an easier desk job promotion, while also pushing Bacchus to reconsider taking his inspector’s exams