''The Locksmith'' is a six-part British television drama series, created and written by Stephen Bill, that first broadcast on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

on 25 September 1997. The series, which stars

Warren Clarke Warren Clarke (born Alan James Clarke; 26 April 1947 – 12 November 2014) was an English actor. He appeared in many films after a significant role as Dim in Stanley Kubrick's ''A Clockwork Orange''. His television appearances included ''Dalzi ...

and

Chris Gascoyne Christopher Gascoyne (born 31 January 1968) is an English actor, who is known for his role as the seventh Peter Barlow in the soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2000. Gascoyne has been nominated for several accolades at the British Soap Awa ...

, follows Roland Pierce (Clarke), a locksmith-turned-vigilante who tries to track down the man responsible for a brutal attack on his estranged wife, Carla (writer Stephen Bill's wife, Sheila Kelley), which leaves her with brain damage. The police suspect a local junkie, Paul (

John Simm John Ronald Simm (born 10 July 1970) is an English actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Sam Tyler in ''Life on Mars'', the Master in ''Doctor Who,'' and DS Roy Grace in ''Grace.'' His other television credits include '' S ...

) is responsible, but Roland remains unconvinced and sets out on his own quest to discover the truth. The series was broadcast at 9:30 pm on Thursdays, and notably broadcast concurrently alongside another series featuring Simm, '' The Lakes''. The series was released on DVD via Simply Media on 19 October 2015.

Reception

Mark Cunliffe for ''

Letterboxd Letterboxd is an online social networking service co-founded by Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow in 2011. It was launched as a social app focused on sharing opinions about, and love of film, and is maintained by a small team in Auckland, New ...

'' reviewed the series upon its release on DVD, writing; "The cast for The Locksmith is brilliant; Clarke, Kelley and Polly Hemingway perform the central triangle of husband, estranged wife and current, long suffering lover, whilst a younger generation of actors including Chris Gascoyne,

Sarah-Jane Potts Sarah-Jane Potts (born 30 August 1976) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Saint (Sarah) in '' Sugar Rush'', Ellie, Abs' on/off girlfriend in '' Casualty'' and Jo Lipsett in '' Waterloo Road''. Potts is the sister of actor Andre ...

and John Simm are equally capable in the other roles." He added; "Watching it back, I'm wondering if ''The Locksmith'' was actually intended to be a recurring series as opposed to a one-shot series or mini-series. There was certainly more mileage for a second run of six further episodes, but whether it was ever the intention to or not, it was just not to be."

Cast

as Roland Pierce *

as Barry Forrester * Sheila Kelley as Carla Pierce *

as Alice Pierce * Polly Hemingway as Lesley Bygrave * Kenneth Hadley as Det. Sgt. Crossman * James Vaughan as Nigel Cadwallader * Paul Reynolds as Dixie *

as Paul * Julian Kerridge as Ian * Nirjay Mahindru as PC Tandon * Rebecca Raybone as WPC Fields *

Stella Moray Stella Moray (29 July 1923 – 6 August 2006) was an English character actress who appeared on stage, film and television in dramas, comedies and soap operas. She seldom headlined on stage but was a stalwart stand-in and understudy, and when sh ...

as Hilda * James Warrior as Peter

Episodes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Locksmith (TV series), The 1997 British television series debuts 1997 British television series endings 1990s British crime drama television series 1990s British television miniseries English-language television shows BBC television dramas Murder in television Television shows set in London Television shows set in Warwickshire Vigilante television series