MURDER ON THE HOME FRONT

Transcription

MURDER ON THE
HOME FRONT
Loosely based on the memoirs of MOLLY LEFEBURE
By DAVID KANE
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2 x 60 minutes
Written by David Kane for ITV1
Patrick Kennedy (Boardwalk Empire, Parade’s End) and Tamzin Merchant (Jane Eyre,
The Tudors) head up a cast that includes James Fleet (Four Weddings and a Funeral, The
Vicar of Dibley) and Emerald Fennell (Any Human Heart, Anna Karenina) in the new crime
drama, Murder on the Home Front for ITV. It is loosely based on the memoirs of Molly
Lefebure, who was secretary during the Second World War to the Home Office Pathologist
and pioneer of modern forensics, Keith Simpson.
Set during the London Blitz of 1940, Murder on the Home Front, sheds a different light on
the everyday horrors of living in a city where death can visit at any moment. Vibrant,
defiant and energetic this is a world of people living life for the moment. It is also a world
where criminals can use the blackout and devastation to hide their darkest activities. As
the Luftwaffe drop their bombs, below people are literally getting away with murder.
Dr Lennox Collins (Patrick Kennedy) is a pathologist new to murder cases, obsessed with
pursuing the truth through all means available. He is often at the cutting edge of new
thinking in pathology from chemical tests to the controversial inclusion of the study of the
psyche. This often pits him against his superiors and in particular the highly respected
Professor Henry Stephens (James Fleet).
Molly Cooper (Tamzin Merchant) is not only the first secretary to a pathologist she is the
first woman allowed into a very male world. All Lennox knows is that she has a strong
stomach, 60 words a minute and a keen brain. When together they discover a serial killer
at large under cover of the Blitz, Lennox has his work cut out convincing his unsympathetic
boss to have faith in his methods and theories.
The novel approach of preserving a crime scene, treating every bit of physical evidence as
the key to a break-through and not just relying on intuition, may help Lennox and Molly
convince DI Freddy Wilkins (played by David Sturzaker) that they are about to hang the
wrong man.
Executive Producer, Sally Woodward Gentle says, “With Geoffrey Sax directing Davy
Kane’s witty and fast paced script we hope to depict London in the Blitz as a city living life
on the edge.”
Director of Drama ITV, Laura Mackie says, "We're delighted to commission Murder On
The Home Front to add to ITV's portfolio of new drama. Davy Kane's script shines a
compelling light on early forensic investigations set against the backdrop of the Blitz"
Murder On The Home Front is produced by Christopher Hall, (The Last Weekend,
Hidden), directed by Geoffrey Sax (Storm Breaker, White Noise), and executive produced
by Gareth Neame and Sally Woodward Gentle.
Carnival Films is a division of NBCUniversal International Television Production.
ENDS
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Press contact for MILK PUBLICITY | CARNIVAL FILMS:
Una Maguire at Milk Publicity,
[email protected] | 0207 520 1087 | 07801 036 272
Victoria Brooks at Milk Publicity,
[email protected] | 0207 520 1087| 07712 009 588
Imogen Perreau at Milk Publicity,
[email protected] | 0207 520 1087 | 07946 205 359
Murder on the Home Front is on ITV in May
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Press Release .......................................................................................................... .…Page 2
Press Contacts………………………………………………………………………………...Page 3
Cast and Crew .......................................................................................................... .…Page 5
The Production Story ..................................................................................................... Page 6
Patrick Kennedy is Dr Lennox Collins .................................................................... .…Page 10
Tamzin Merchant as Molly Cooper ......................................................................... .…Page 12
James Fleet as Professor Henry Stephens ............................................................ .…Page 14
David Sturzaker as DI Freddy Wilkins .................................................................... .…Page 15
Emerald Fennell as Issy Quennell .......................................................................... .…Page 17
Synopses ..................................................................................................................... Page 19
Carnival Films .............................................................................................................. Page 20
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CAST
Lennox Collins ................................................................................................ Patrick Kennedy
Molly Cooper ................................................................................................. Tamzin Merchant
Professor Henry Stephens .................................................................................... James Fleet
DI Freddy Wilkins ............................................................................................ David Sturzaker
Issy Quennell .................................................................................................. Emerald Fennell
Charlie Maxton ............................................................................................. Richard Bremmer
DS Brady ................................................................................................................ Iain McKee
Danny Hastings ...................................................................................................... Ryan Gage
Ronald Terry ............................................................................................................ John Bowe
Pawel Rosanski ............................................................................................... Patrick Knowles
Carver .................................................................................................................. Angus Wright
Wilfred Zeigler .................................................................................................. John Heffernan
Norman Beckett ..................................................................................................... Jake Curran
Granger ................................................................................................................ Daniel Rabin
CREW
Executive Producers ............................................ Sally Woodward Gentle and Gareth Neame
Producer .......................................................................................................... Christopher Hall
Director ............................................................................................................... Geoffrey Sax
Based on the memoirs of .................................................................................. Molly Lefebure
Screenwriter ........................................................................................................... David Kane
Director of Photography ......................................................................................... David Higgs
Production Designer ............................................................................................ Suzie Davies
Make-Up & Hair Designer .................................................................................. Caroline Noble
Costume Designer ......................................................................................... Charlotte Holdich
Composer .................................................................................................................. Rob Lane
Line Producer ......................................................................................................... Gina Marsh
Editor ...................................................................................................................... Paul Knight
Casting Directors ................................................................. Gilly Poole and Suzanne Crowley
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THE PRODUCTION STORY
Gareth Neame, Executive Producer and Head of Carnival Films and Sally Woodwood
Gentle, Executive Producer, first came across Molly Lefebure’s memoirs nearly a decade
ago.
“There are some projects that just stick in your mind and this was one of those,’ explains
Woodward Gentle. “I always felt it was the one that got away but when the rights became
available again the timing was perfect and so we jumped at the opportunity.”
“It is one of those TV ideas that is very simple to explain combining forensic science
pathology with the Blitz in London,” continues Neame. “It combines two subjects that
audiences have a real interest in.”
With a television audience that is spoiled for choice when it comes to period and crime
drama, making Murder On The Home Front stand out as appointment to view television was
a priority.
“This precinct in a period setting is something audiences don’t often see,” says Woodward
Gentle. “I hope its mixture of familiarity and excitement and the knowledge that the viewer is
going to see a great crime story unfold in a very satisfying manner is strong enough to
differentiate it from other dramas set in period.”
“The Second World War was obviously an important era in our nation’s history and one that
has generated huge amounts of storytelling which I believe is the appeal,” explains Neame.
“There is a perennial interest in the Second World War and this is an interesting angle put
together with forensics and pathology which we know are very popular in many British and
American shows.”
“It also allows you to take an alternative view on what the war was like, everyone pulling
together and a very positive image of how we won the war but in fact, it was a great time for
people who were opportunists, criminals and people on the make. There are amazing
statistics showing there were more strikes during the Second World War than there were in
the years preceding it,” he continues. “That information was covered up because it wasn’t
in the interest of the war effort. This drama gives us an very alternative view of that period of
history with all the usual mechanics of a crime show.”
The story is loosely based on the original memoirs of Molly Lefebure, who met Dr Keith
Simpson (the pathologist) during World War II and was recruited by him to be his secretary.
One of the very few women in an otherwise male environment. Prior to this she was a
newspaper reporter and during her experience working with Dr Simpson she gained
material for her first book Evidence for the Crown, which then became known as Murder on
the Home front.
“Whilst our television films are very loosely based on the characters within Molly’s memoir,
our Lennox and our Molly do have something of the Keith and the Molly of real life,” claims
Christopher Hall, Producer.
“The interesting thing was that during the Blitz many of the men went to war so Lennox, as a
young pathologist, was suddenly promoted to do an enormous amount of autopsies. People
were dying all the time from mysterious causes and from bombs dropping from the sky and
that’s not normal everyday life,” he continues.
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“Lennox sees the Blitz as an opportunity to advance medical science. There were a lot of
bodies that needed examining and his mantra is ‘if I do things properly - the guilty will get
caught and the innocent will go free’ and he is aware that if he does his job badly, the
opposite will happen,” says Hall.
“We wanted to make it feel as though these people were living their lives to the full,”
continues Woodward Gentle. “Which is why women went to mad lengths to have red lips
and bright red nails, it was a sign of defiance and we really wanted that to come through in
the design.”
“We didn’t want the colours in this show to be muted and even though they are surrounded
by death we wanted it to be about life. We managed to achieve this through the use of
vibrant costumes and clever set design,” explains Woodward Gentle. “What’s interesting is
that when you look back or when we film period pieces we tend to give them a sepia tint but
in fact the colours at that time were very vivid.”
The set design was intricately thought through with strong attention to detail and emphasis
on creating life and vitality. Production Designer Suzie Davies had worked several times
with Director Geoff Sax prior to Murder On The Home Front and was familiar with his style
and preferences.
“Whenever Geoff films a period drama he likes to twist things a little bit so very early on we
decided to make this a colourful vibrant piece by filming it in a contemporary fashion,”
explains Davies. “We wanted to make it colourful but dark in places and use the colour to
give it a little twinkle in all the right places. We did this by using lots of practical lights and
lots of wet downs to create reflections in windows and mirrors and water.”
“It’s always very difficult to do period drama in modern day Britain and in fact one of the
biggest challenges is to make it in London because pretty much everywhere in London has
been developed,’ continues Christopher Hall. “Where are the bombsites? Where are the
gaps between buildings? There are precious few now, so making a period film in London is
tricky. We really wanted to use London because that’s where the story takes place but we
did look at Liverpool and Dublin and in the end we thought - it’s set in London, we’ll get
more by being in London so that’s were we set it.”
Having decided on London the challenge for production then became the lack of original
locations available to film in.
“There is a tendency to use venues and locations that everyone else uses as there are only
so many places in London that are convincingly of the period for example, the Inns of Court
and in Greenwich.” explains Hall. “You tend to find that other crews have filmed there
before but every so often a new property comes on the scene that is derelict and provides
opportunities.”
One such opportunity arose when production designer Suzie Davies and director, Geoff Sax
explored an area around Waterloo.
“We found two lots of end terraced houses behind Waterloo that had a natural gap between
them and Suzie suggested that she put the bombed out house there as if it was a
continuation of that street and then built it all from scratch,” explains Sax.
“We used lots of tricks to evoke the 1940s blitz including foreground models in the place of
CGI to show bomb damage,” continues Hall. “The audience is now so used to CGI that
there is a tendency not to believe it, whereas the old technique of using foreground
miniatures tricks the eye and isn't questioned. We had a bombed out shop model that we
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redressed and reused five or six times. It allowed us to use real background beyond the
actors but trickery in soft focus in front which really worked to create depth.”
When Sax first read the script he knew he wanted to give the films a modern edge and one
way to achieve that was through the colour and grading process of the films.
“I had a clear idea of what I didn’t want and a vivid idea of something more naturalistic
which was a little rough around the edges. It was important to use a lot of colour because
people walking around in the 1940s didn’t view the world in sepia and faded tones, they saw
in colour as vibrant as it is now. Admittedly there was a bit more smoke and fog around but
as my parents told me it was still a very colourful and electrifying time so that’s what I
wanted to bring to life.”
Part of the story takes place in the Metropol, an underground nightclub run by a pretty
villainous character, Hastings and Brockley’s Rivoli Ballrooms turned out to be the ideal
location for the interior.
“I envisaged it as an alternative fringe club and I wanted to get the professional dancers
dancing in a way that wasn’t perfect,” explains Sax. “These were people that were there for
fun, people on the pull and others that were just out for a good time. The choreography of
the dancers was deliberately chaotic at times with couples dancing different steps to others
to give that sense of hedonism and fun.”
The mood of the dancers was also directed by and reflected in the music, which came
together under the direction of composer Rob Lane whom Christopher Hall had worked with
numerous times before.
“As far as the police are concerned, the killer is likely to be found at the Metropol which is a
jazz club frequented by all sorts of suspect types. The jazz band that plays there is led by a
man called Snakehips Johnson, an actual figure from history who tragically was decapitated
when a bomb dropped through the skylight of the Café de Paris whilst he was performing.
Although he wasn’t much of a musician, Snakehips was a dancer as much as he was a
band-leader. So our composer Rob Lane has recorded a lot of jazz standards in the style of
Snakehips.”
One of the most detailed sets to work in for cast and crew alike was the purpose built
mortuary that designer Suzie Davies, who spent six weeks looking for the perfect location,
designed and made from scratch in an unused wing of an Ilford hospital.
Woodward Gentle explains, “There were certain sets that we really had to sell including the
mortuary, which just had to be extraordinary.” She continues, “the whole space was tiled
and each tile was laid at slight angles so that when the light hit them they twinkled.” Suzie
Davies called them “twinkles” and this was emulated throughout the sets to stop that familiar
telly feeling of grim brown history.”
“We spent two weeks in construction building the walls, tiling the whole area, painting,
filling in the windows and making a large proportion of the office space; we then had
about a week for dressing the set,” explains Davies.
“The text was incredibly descriptive and because we were creating a pathology lab I
wanted to make it like a mad professor’s workshop hence we took it to the extreme by
adding jars of pickled pig and sheep offal,” she laughs. “It all adds to the drama and
colour.”
Davies adds that since the majority of shooting sequences were set at night and during the
blitz blackout, the location of the Old Vic tunnels gave production a great opportunity to not
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only control the filming environment but also to create a particular filmic blackout.
“We had two days to recreate the various areas within the tunnels and much of that was
built off site. To create the bombed out shop windows was a mixture of buying, hiring and
making period props. We had a great army within the art department designing all sorts of
bits and bobs from gas mask boxes and period newspapers to theatre backdrops and ration
cards. Water and reflective surfaces have been used throughout the filming process in
tandem with strong colours which give life and vibrancy to the piece which ties in the various
scenes and adds a lovely 'twinkle' that seems to work beautifully on camera.”
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Patrick Kennedy Is Lennox
Patrick is no stranger to period costume having recently starred in Boardwalk Empire – now
in Murder on the home Front he steps into the 1940s period which was one of the key things
that attracted him to the show.
“I love the 1940s period I think it’s a fascinating time. There isn’t really any politics in this
series but politically it is an interesting era, the choices were clearer for people then. I think
there is a clarity about the period which is very evocative. The Blitz wasn’t just a time that
everyone looks on fondly – a time when everyone came together and had fun - there were a
lot of misdemeanours going on during the blackouts.”
Patrick’s research for Lennox began by talking to two Forensic Pathologists and in doing so
he discovered some interesting personality traits and characteristics, which he bought to his
character.
“I liked the idea of humour being a psychological tactic for dealing with the murder and
mayhem that surrounds them. One that I was particularly struck by had a giggly child-like
quality after forty years of dealing with crime scenes and murders. This behaviour stuck with
me and I could see how the nature of the job had psychologically affected him”.
“What I like about Lennox is that there is a combination of morbid worldliness in the course
of his profession – he’s dealing with people’s deaths day in and day out but there is a naivety
and innocence about him which is partly a facet of him being a workaholic and also a
protective shield against what he does and the things that he sees”.
Patrick continues, “I enjoy the macabre dark humour of this drama, the dryness appeals to
me very much. We have tried to play off this a bit, by making a few inappropriate jokes”.
Although Lennox isn’t based on Keith Simpson his book Forty years of Murder proved useful
research for Patrick.
“Dr Simpson dragged forensic pathology into the modern era and re-set the terms of the
evaluation of evidence. He brought forensic pathology out of the shadow of another
pathologist at the time called Spilsbury who loomed large over the profession and whose
word was gospel,” he explains.
“My character is trying to break open that world and share the knowledge and information
between disciplines. It wasn’t necessarily a huge scientific advance in pathology, we hadn’t
reached DNA yet but fibres were becoming more useful and tested, including blood and
saliva samples. Lennox represents a more methodical approach to a crime scene.”
As we discover early on in the drama “Lennox sees the importance of preserving the crime
scenes and this is played out by the ‘Plods’ trampling all over the evidence. We have tried to
accentuate that Lennox’s obsession with the sacredness of a crime scene,” he explains “is
the beginning of the forensic era of blood samples and fibres that can pinpoint the criminal.”
Lennox, being rather bookish and a workaholic, needs a strong and confident counterpart,
which he finds in his assistant Molly.
“It is quite unusual to his seniors that he has got this assistant but she proves invaluable and
has that wonderfully empirical no nonsense attitude about her. She is not fazed by the gore
and macabre elements of the job; she is Lennox’s right hand man.”
“Lennox recognises immediately that Molly is going to be a very efficient and professional
assistant and so he takes her on. Molly is much more sociable and realistic” says Patrick
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“whereas my character is more academic and lab bound, more innocent in fact - or indeed
that is what I am making him.” Molly is a sensible, down to earth, no nonsense girl. She does
everything that Lennox needs in terms of the logistics of the forensics and keeping the ship
afloat but she also helps Lennox in his helpless moments. “It’s an incredibly efficient and
humorous professional relationship”, says Patrick.
“There is a hint of ‘will they wont they’, which we are still trying to work out as actors,” he
admits. “The way I see it is that it’s a wonderfully professional relationship; to go beyond that
would be problematic for the characters’ jobs and very unlikely because he just wouldn’t
have the time for a relationship. I think if he does have romantic episodes it’s accidental”.
Patrick admits to being rather squeamish and given some more time he would like to combat
this by getting some hands on experience.
“Personally I don’t like gore and guts,” he proclaims “we had real people playing the dead, so
I had to get over that natural barrier of the unknown. My grandfather was a doctor but I don’t
have that lack of squeamishness at all. There hasn’t been too much handling of the innards
and I am a great consumer of innards but not a great handler of them at this point!” he
laughs.
“I have learnt a lot from our expert Pathologists” he continues, “I really want to go to an
autopsy to overcome that barrier. So far I have been more interested in unravelling the
psychological aspects of forensic pathology. I would like to do more research into the
physical aspect of the job such as cutting up corpses and the bitty muckiness of it, that
would be quite fun I think!”
Alongside the dissection of bodies Patrick’s character has a series of perplexing murders
help to solve and the Blitz provides the perfect backdrop.
“The Blitz was a wonderful cloak for all sorts of terrible behaviour”, he continues. “In our
drama there are lots of strangulations going on and each of the victims have a signature
swastika mark on their tongue. Even my character is shocked seeing this macabre detail.
We don’t know whether we are on the hunt for a Nazi killer at loose in London or whether
there is something more going on” he reveals. “We have a wonderful cast of suspects from
a louche soldier to a nightclub owning mobster. It has a pleasingly cynical overview on what
was going on during the Blitz. There is a nice tension between the period setting and the
vividly modern crimes, I think there’s lots of potential for many good stories.”
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Tamzin Merchant is Molly
Like her Murder On The Home Front character Molly, Tamzin Merchant is feisty, forthright
and very, very driven. As Patron of the charity Build Africa, Tamzin has worked hard to
highlight the plight of children and families living in extreme poverty in Uganda and Kenya.
But it was an early audition at the age of 17 that set Tamzin on the path to a career in
acting.
“I was reading Pride and Prejudice at the time and my mum mentioned she had read an
article about the movie. Luckily a casting director had visited my school, so I called her to
find out who was casting the film and then rang up and asked for an audition,” she laughs. “I
think they were a little confused by my approach, but amazingly, agreed to meet me and
after three auditions I got the part.”
Determined to stick to her plan to get a good education Tamzin went to University and
studied English Literature at Cambridge before graduating in 2010 and like her character
Molly, writing is a priority for Tamzin.
“I’ve written a number of screenplays – my aim is to continue with acting and writing, which
is my passion, opening myself up to as many different experiences as possible.”
When Lennox offers Molly the opportunity to hone her writing skills by becoming his
pathology secretary it doesn’t take Molly long to accept.
“Molly’s real passion is to be a crime writer so she makes it her job to report on all the
crimes that she can in London. When she meets Lennox she becomes his assistant
because she doesn’t have a problem with blood, guts and looking at corpses as she is
fascinated by it rather than disgusted. She doesn’t faint when she sees a dead body, which
Lennox thinks is a real bonus in an assistant.”
Molly finds a kindred spirit in forensic photographer Issy and it’s not long before the two are
hitting the town and painting it red.
“There’s a real dynamic between Molly and Issy,” explains Tamzin. “They are from different
backgrounds but they click really well. The morgue where they work is a collection of misfits
and I think it brings them together in a way; they all bring different elements and strengths to
the dream team. Then you have DI Freddy Wilkins played by David Sturzaker who becomes
a fourth member of the team. They all come at it from different angles but in the end they
make a pretty good crime fighting team. Within the four main characters you have a group
of misfits both socially and in the attributes and skills they bring. You’ve got the brilliant
genius Lennox, the feisty go-getter Molly, posh Issy with a penchant for photographing
crime scenes and Freddy who is still finding his way and has a lot of pressure from the top;
together they make a great crime fighting team.”
A highlight of the shoot for Tamzin has been stepping back in time to the 1940s. One of her
earliest memories was a trip to the Imperial War Museum as a child.
“I remember going there when I was very young and seeing all the tanks, the huge rocket,
the boats that went to Dunkirk and the Blitz experience,” she recalls. “It’s been amazing to
actually get to live that and since filming in and around London I have noticed so much more
history and the effect the Blitz had on London, which was pretty profound.”
The Rivoli Ballrooms in Brockley doubled as the Metropole Nightclub, and was one of
Tamzin’s favourite locations.
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“The Rivoli was the plushest and most wonderfully eccentric location we filmed in and was
so much fun” explains Tamzin. “The swing band that we had there for the day were amazing
as were the professional dancers who were all lunging and lindy hopping around. I felt like I
had two left feet just trying to do a simple dance scene. It was really atmospheric.”
The sets, production design, costumes, hair and makeup design all played an important part
in creating the backdrop to the drama and Tamzin did not hold back when it came to getting
into the character of Molly.
“I agreed to cut my hair because the forties was such a sexy period for women and it was
important to be as authentic as possible to the period. The style and design of all the
clothes for my character have been really feminine and our designers had similarly strong
ideas for how Molly should look. It’s really cool to work with a team who are all on the same
wave length.”
The first and second World Wars were turning points for women in terms of doing jobs and
forging careers that in peacetime they would never have been able to undertake.
“Although the war had tragic consequences, it also meant women had to prove themselves
equal to men which set off a chain of events still ongoing today. It was a time when women
really stepped up and Molly is certainly an example of that. She is such an admirable
person, she goes out there and bangs on the doors - she is a fighter. It is so wonderful to
play a character that you really respect and would get along with in real life, Molly is
awesome and kicks ass,” she laughs.
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James Fleet is Professor Stephens
James Fleet is perhaps best known for his role as Hugo Horton in the hit BBC series
The Vicar of Dibley which he starred in from 1994-2007. He also starred as the
bumbling Tom in Four Weddings And A Funeral alongside Kristin Scott Thomas, Hugh
Grant and Simon Callow. Fleet now returns to television as Professor Stephens,
Lennox Collin’s intimidating boss in Murder On The Home Front.
Professor Stephens isn’t a man to be messed with. He’s at the top of his profession but
is frustrated by Lennox Collins whom he sees as something of an irritant.
“Professor Stephens works at a teaching hospital and is a very traditional, but
somewhat boring doctor who is not interested in new methods of practice. He’s more
interested in showing off and looking important,” explains Fleet. “I don’t even believe
he is a very good doctor but he surrounds himself with people who are.”
“Stephens is not jealous of Lennox but there is conflict between them. He just doesn’t
like his freshness and his ‘let’s break all the rules’ attitude. He’d much rather have a
swotty boy at his elbow who thought he was marvellous and did everything his way”.
That friction and conflict is never more evident than in the laboratory scenes. Professor
Stephens, however, is not immune to Molly’s charms.
“Lennox is always slightly nervous that I’m going to shout at him and, to be honest, I
don’t want him there at all. We’re a bit short staffed but it is the Second World War and
we can’t get the people we want so I’m just having to put up with him!”
“He likes the idea of having beautiful blonde women around him but he soon realises
Molly isn’t remotely interested and that he can’t show off in front of her.”
One of the advantages of shooting period dramas are the settings and costumes that
come with it and having starred in Charlotte Gray, Fleet is familiar with the formality of
the era.
“It’s fun being offered dramas like this, you’ve got the Second World War, the blitz,
police whistles and things like that. We all wear 1940s clothes, which are rather lovely
and for the men it’s great because we’ve got pockets. All in all it’s much better than the
Elizabethan era and it takes you to another world.”
Despite having researched his role by talking to medical professionals, the role of
Professor Stephens is familiar to Fleet.
“I must have the look of an undertaker about me as this is the third time I’ve played a
pathologist although I didn’t get to cut any bodies up.”
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David Sturzaker is DI Freddy Wilkins
David Sturzaker, knew at the age of 14 that he wanted to be an actor. Having had his
hopes of becoming a vet dashed with the discovery that he had no aptitude for science,
David quickly turned his focus to the stage. Having studied at Dulwich College alongside
such talented actors as Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sturzaker recently finished a run as chain gang
prisoner, Society Red, in the stage version of Cool Hand Luke, co-starring Marc Warren. In
his role as DI Freddy Wilkins, David plays the begrudging police inspector who has the
thankless task of trying to solve a series of grisly murders that are happening under cover of
a blitz torn London.
“Wilkins is the policeman leading the investigation into the murders and from Lennox’s point
of view his ignorance hinders the investigation,” explains David. “As far as Freddy is
concerned Lennox is a little left field with his new fangled techniques like finger printing and
bagging evidence and for the police it all seems a little bizarre. Freddy’s job is to look at the
crime scene and assess what is immediately apparent and make decisions based on that.
Whether that proves to be accurate or useful is to be determined.”
As the Blitz continues it becomes apparent that Wilkins’ worst fears are confirmed and a
serial killer may be at large, using the Blitz as a cover for his gruesome attacks. It’s up to
Wilkins and his forensic colleague Lennox to find the killer before the killer finds his next
victim. But the two don’t get off to a compatible start.
“There is a fair amount of conflict between them,” says David. “They are intrigued by each
other whilst each having a degree of disdain for the other. As far as Freddy is concerned
Lennox’s views and methods all sound very wacky and unnecessary whilst Freddy’s
antiquated approach to policing rankles with Lennox. The relationship is certainly one that
does shift and alter; Freddy has his eyes opened by Lennox and his respect for him begins
to develop after a while.”
Where Wilkins is begrudgingly admiring of Lennox, he is completely bemused by the
presence of Molly and sees her as nothing more than an unnecessary nuisance.
“Freddy’s relationship with Molly shifts in the story,’ continues David. “At first there is an
element of not really knowing why on earth she is there but when she pipes up she is quite
feisty and forthcoming which Freddy is not used to. He believes it is up to him and Lennox
to solve the crimes. Which is actually fair enough as she is not a trained pathology secretary
- she’s a journalist that has managed to parachute her way into that job. But that view shifts
later in the story when his respect for both Lennox and Molly begins to seed.”
As Lennox begins to analyse the crime scenes he employs a more structured and scientific
approach to the murders than Wilkins is used to. It soon becomes clear to Freddy that his
authority is being challenged, which doesn’t go down well.
“For Wilkins if a murder has occurred the evidence presents itself as 2+2=4 – it’s as simple
as that. Along comes Lennox with his theories and ideas and turns Wilkins’ way of doing
things on its head. As far as Freddy is concerned there is one obvious suspect and he is
determined to put him behind bars but Lennox has different ideas and can prove it so that’s
where the conflict arises, between old and new schools of thought. Freddy’s opinions are all
born out of an honesty that he is not trying to dupe anyone, set anyone up or frame any
one, he just wants to find the guilty man.”
Having Molly Lefebure’s memoirs as a research tool proved invaluable to all the cast and for
David provided a useful insight into policing at the time.
15
“Although there isn’t a particular police officer that my character is based on, it’s clear from
the book that Molly had great respect for the force. As well as Molly’s memoirs there is
such a wealth of information about the period. In any bookshop there are rows upon rows of
books and DVDs so I have had a lot of material to draw on,” explains David.
“They way both world wars push human experience to the extreme interests me. Most of us
throughout the entirety of our lives live in a tiny spectrum compared to the large range of
emotions felt by people during the war. In acting terms that is interesting to play as you have
got such a wealth of things to draw on. It is a fascinating time to study historically and a time
to set drama within.”
16
Emerald Fennell is Issy
Emerald is an all rounder. In the last year she has appeared in two BBC dramas including
The Lady Vanishes and Blandings. As well as appearing in the feature film Anna Karenina
she has also found time to write a best selling book.
"My book Shiverton Hall, published by Bloomsbury, is a modern day horror for 11 years plus
and my first novel”, she continues. “I’d like to keep the two careers going like Emma
Thompson who is my absolute idol - someone who does both. What I love about doing both
things concurrently is that acting is such a group effort, everyone is just as important as
each other and it is teamwork and fun. With acting there is a certain amount of exhibitionism
that goes on which is rather enjoyable. But when you’re writing it’s completely solitary, you
only have yourself, if something goes wrong it’s all on you. I think they work as a balance.”
As a forensic photographer Issy is doing an unusual job for a woman during the war – what
helps is that she is unperturbed by the nature of the work.
“Issy has been working at the hospital as a forensic crime photographer for a couple of
years, she’s the girl who, when they wheel the corpses in she photographs all of the
wounds. When somebody has been murdered she has to go to the crime scene and
photograph all of the weapons. It’s quite a gruesome job. I think she’s quite a hardy lady
and obviously it is quite unusual for a girl to be doing something like this,” She continues
“she’s in a man’s world, which is probably why she’s so feisty and funny. Issy is completely
blasé about the severed tongues and the gore.”
Emerald confesses that during her research she was not quite as blasé as her character.
“The research was fascinating but also quite intense because I had to look at a lot of original
forensic crime photography,” she winces “there was a particular book that I was looking at
that had real crime photography from the 30’s and 50’s,” she continues. “I’ve got quite a
strong stomach but after about 10 pages I started to feel really queasy! However it was very
important in terms of research for the character because there is a reason for Issy’s
grabbing life by the horns and being nonchalant about this stuff because if you stop and
think about women whose husbands have stabbed them 36 times you would just never get
out of bed in the morning.”
Emerald researched cameras from the 1940s during filming and was keen to get all the
details right. “It’s really delicate and complicated and we are very conscious that there will
be lots of experts out there who will be checking that I am pressing the right buttons at the
right time - so it’s fiddly. There was a scene where I had to clamber on to a boat in a tight
skirt carrying this really priceless camera that was obviously someone’s family heirloom so it
was pretty hairy stuff!”
Issy is a confident good time girl and despite her racy behaviour Emerald wishes she could
be as as cool as her.
“Issy is a dirty stop-out and I wish I could say I was cool enough to be similar but I just like
to sit at home and watch the telly!” she laughs. “Sadly Issy and I part ways in that respect,
but I think she’s really cool, I wish I was as cool as her. She’s “a different man in every port”
kind of a girl. There is a scene where I’m trying to rope in several sailors to be my dancing
partners so I think Issy wouldn’t just dance with one man – she’d have a troop!” She jokes.
During filming Emerald fully immersed herself in the period and thoroughly enjoyed it. She
discovered that Issy and Molly were not that different to girls today.
17
“It’s been amazing, it’s very atmospheric, you very much get the sense in this that people
lived their lives – there were these very extraordinary, violent circumstances not only with
the kind of murders we were dealing with but with the war in general. People just got on with
it, especially Issy and Molly – they go out, they go to nightclubs, they have boyfriends,
they’re modern girls.”
“Issy’s main interaction is with Molly”, Emerald tells us. “They immediately become firm
friends but they have to stick together because it’s a man’s world. Within the cast it is just
me and Molly and it’s interesting to be on a set where it is predominantly male, it gives you
a sense of how women must have felt in those days.”
Emerald is very enthusiastic about her fellow cast members and the time they spent on set.
“It’s been brilliant working with Patrick and Tamzin, they are both completely hilarious and
very talented. Because they are a unit, going through these gruesome things, it’s really
important for us to have a good relationship among ourselves, and it’s been the dream. I
couldn’t have asked for a better group of people really” she beams.
18
Murder on the Home Front By David Kane
Short Synopsis
Visceral, detailed, blackly comic and hugely entertaining crime drama set in the dead centre
of the birth of modern forensics - the London Blitz of World War II.
Based on the memoirs of Molly Lefebure, the secretary to the Home Office Pathologist,
Keith Simpson, this addictive drama will show a side of this much exploited period not often
seen in television drama.
The increased body count of the war allowed the development of forensics, as we know
them today. But this is a world pre DNA profiling and consequently far more inventive,
contentious and taboo breaking. If you thought that post CSI, Waking the Dead and Silent
Witness audiences knew everything thing there was to know about forensics - then think
again.
When young women are found murdered DI Freddy Wilkins believes the obvious suspect is
the vulnerable loner, Wilfred Ziegler as a result of the swastikas carved on the victims’
tongues. Dr Lennox Collins the passionate and brilliant Home Office Pathologist and Molly
Cooper, his vivacious young secretary have their doubts and employ ground breaking
forensic techniques to ensure the right man is brought to justice. However, Lennox soon
learns that not only is he fighting a battle to modernise the way in which crimes are solved,
but he’s also clashing with a government who will go to any lengths to ensure the country’s
morale is sustained – even cover up a murder. Despite its dark themes this is a vibrant, life
affirming drama full of characters loving life.
End.
Copyright © Carnival Film & Television Ltd 2012
19
CARNIVAL FILMS:
Carnival Films is one of the UK's busiest production companies. The multi award-winning
company has won nine Primetime Emmys and two Golden Globes for its critically acclaimed
international hit drama Downton Abbey.
Downton Abbey is now the most successful British show in Emmy history and has been sold
in over 200 territories around the world. In 2011 the company produced the multi Bafta
award-winning adaptation of William Boyd's Any Human Heart for Channel 4. In the same
year Carnival also produced David Hare's television film, Page Eight (the first part of his
Worricker Trilogy) for the BBC. Pre-production is currently underway on the second and
third parts, Turks & Caicos and Salting The Battlefield and The 7:39, a two part romantic
drama for BBC One written by David Nicholls. In 2012 the company produced Blake
Morrison’s The Last Weekend for ITV and filming has recently begun on a fourth series of
Whitechapel, the popular and original crime drama also for ITV. In addition the company is
currently filming Dracula for Sky Living and NBC. Last year Carnival co-produced with Neal
Street on Sam Mendes’ cycle of four Shakespeare history plays, The Hollow Crown for the
BBC.
Originally founded over thirty years ago, Carnival has brought hundreds of hours of popular
television and film to audiences worldwide, from series such as Poirot, Jeeves & Wooster,
Hotel Babylon, As If and Rosemary & Thyme, powerful international mini-series such as
Traffik, The Philanthropist and The Grid to classics such as Shadowlands and Porterhouse
Blue.
Carnival is run by producer Gareth Neame who in 2008 sold the company to NBCUniversal
as the cornerstone of its new international TV business. NBCUniversal International
Television Production is headed by Michael Edelstein, President. To complement Carnival’s
success in drama, Edelstein has established an impressive range of television production
labels covering all genres. Monkey Kingdom specialises in entertainment and produces the
hit reality drama series, Made in Chelsea for E4 and Newlyweds for Bravo in the US and
Sky Living UK. Additionally, Chocolate Media is NBCUniversal International’s factual
entertainment brand and it is behind C4’s Baggage, the documentary two-parter and Great
Houses with Julian Fellowes. Lucky Giant was formed in 2011 and is NBCUniversal
International’s scripted comedy division. Its first production is an eight-part comedy drama
for BBC One; Family Tree co-written by Christopher Guest and Jim Piddock starring Chris
O'Dowd which will air in May 2013 on HBO and summer 2013 on BBC. In 2011,
NBCUniversal announced an equity stake in Australian-based Matchbox Pictures,
producers of critically acclaimed drama series, The Slap, an adaptation of Christos
Tsiolkas’s best-selling novel. Matchbox are currently filming Camp for NBC and Nowhere
Boys for ABC3.
ENDS
20

MURDER ON THE HOME FRONT

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