Amnesia (TV series)
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''Amnesia'' is a one-off British
crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...
television mini-series broadcast on ITV in March 2004, starring John Hannah as the protagonist, D.S. Mackenzie Stone, whose wife disappeared without trace three months ago. Written by
Chris Lang Chris Lang (born 1961) is a British screenwriter, producer and actor. Lang has written for many British television series but is best known as the writer, creator and executive producer of '' Unforgotten''. Career Actor He trained at RADA, ...
and directed by Nicholas Laughland, the series gathered an average of 4m viewers. The DVD of the series was released on 4 October 2004, a week prior to broadcast. In the United States, the series aired on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
as part of the ''Masterpiece Mystery!'' block of programming.


Plot

Part 1 D.S. Mackenzie Stone ( John Hannah) is distraught after his wife's sudden disappearance on their fifth wedding anniversary, and strives tirelessly to discover what has happened to her. He has very little memory of what happened on the night she disappeared, and struggles to comprehend any reason as to why she took off, except for brief flashbacks and terrible nightmares. Three months on, whilst constantly searching through missing persons reports, Stone comes across two cases: one involving a man named Paul West, who was reported missing after his wife and son were killed in a house fire, and the other the mysterious John Dean (
Anthony Calf Anthony Calf (born 4 May 1959) is an English actor. He studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He has recurring roles in the television medical drama '' Holby City'', as Michael Beauchamp, and ''New Tricks'' a ...
), an IT consultant who has lost his memory for unknown reasons and that he moved into the town only days after the fire. Stone is convinced that Dean is actually West, and that he murdered his wife and stepson. Meanwhile, Dean is looking for information to help him find out exactly who he was before he lost his memory. He is asked to take part in an experiment for a memory treatment that shows great promise. At first he refuses, unsure that he wants to rediscover his past as he is happily married to Jenna (
Jemma Redgrave Jemima Rebecca Redgrave (born 14 January 1965), known as Jemma Redgrave, is a fourth-generation British actress of the Redgrave family. She played the title character in four series of '' Bramwell'', and has a recurring role in '' Doctor Who'' a ...
), and has a good life - but deciding they need the money, agrees to do it. Part 2 While Stone doggedly continues his investigation into John Dean's mysterious past, his colleagues begin to harbour serious suspicions about his involvement in his wife's disappearance, but without proof, they can do no more than keep a discreet eye on him. D.C. Ian Reid (
Brendan Coyle David "Brendan" Coyle (born 2 December 1962) is an English-Irish actor. He won the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for ''The Weir'' in 1999. He also played Nicholas Higgins in the miniseries '' North & South'', Robert T ...
) becomes convinced that Stone has murdered his wife. Stone, meanwhile, is determined to convince Reid to visit John Dean, convinced that Dean, as West, killed his wife and child and has more than likely killed before - and could be involved in the disappearance of his own wife. Stone is determined to solve the mystery and bring Dean to justice - but before he can prove his guilt, Stone finds himself in a surprising encounter with Dean's wife, Jenna.


Cast

* John Hannah as D.S. Mackenzie Stone *
Jemma Redgrave Jemima Rebecca Redgrave (born 14 January 1965), known as Jemma Redgrave, is a fourth-generation British actress of the Redgrave family. She played the title character in four series of '' Bramwell'', and has a recurring role in '' Doctor Who'' a ...
as Jenna Dean *
Anthony Calf Anthony Calf (born 4 May 1959) is an English actor. He studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He has recurring roles in the television medical drama '' Holby City'', as Michael Beauchamp, and ''New Tricks'' a ...
as John Dean *
Patrick Malahide Patrick Gerald Duggan (born 24 March 1945), known professionally as Patrick Malahide, is a veteran British film, television and theatre actor, author and producer, known, amongst other things, for his roles as Inspector Alleyn in '' The Inspec ...
as D.I. Michael Brennan *
Brendan Coyle David "Brendan" Coyle (born 2 December 1962) is an English-Irish actor. He won the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for ''The Weir'' in 1999. He also played Nicholas Higgins in the miniseries '' North & South'', Robert T ...
as D.C. Ian Reid *
Jeremy Child Sir Coles John Jeremy Child, 3rd Baronet (20 September 1944 – 7 March 2022) was a British actor. Early life Coles John Jeremy Child was born on 20 September 1944 in Woking, Surrey, son of Foreign Office diplomat Sir Coles John Child, 2nd ...
as Dr. Mark Denton * Rupert Farley as D.I. Mick Challoner * Beatriz Batarda as Lucia Stone * Lolita Chakrabarti as Parminder Kelsey


Critical reception

''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' said of the series; "''Amnesia'' uncovered so many victims of just one industrious serial killer that he must have started bumping off his wives at about the same time as he was sitting his common entrance exams. John Hannah starred as a cop called Mac who was attempting to cope with a disappeared wife whom, it transpired he may or may not have offed in moment of extreme insobriety. But Mac had not only carelessly misplaced his flashback wife, he was also in danger of losing his memory, his mind and his job, though not necessarily in that order. Instead of taking a sabbatical and having an affair with his therapist, Mac decided to follow a hunch about an alleged fellow amnesia sufferer called John Dean, who had wandered into an A&E department a few years ago claiming he didn't know who he was. Was Dean, now happily married to Jenna, really a murderer called Paul West? And before that, had he been a murderer called something else? You might have thought that wandering into an A&E department claiming you didn't know who you were would attract a tiny bit of attention, possibly from the News of the World, but no - luckily for those who promulgate Extreme Plot Implausibility, nobody other than a fusty old professor was remotely interested in Dean's bonkers old brain until Mac came along. However, in a denouement that would have been rejected by the producers of Acorn Antiques as being a wee bit on the wobbly side, Dean's guilt was established by a series of random character traits: he liked the Pretenders, he had a nut allergy and he was red-green colour blind. These were all the sort of things a reasonably attentive wife might have picked up on over the years unless, like Jenna, she was the tragic victim of Extreme Plot Implausibility Syndrome by Proxy, a tragic condition which can lead to a beloved husband attempting to turf you out of the marital yacht and into the English Channel as soon as you stumble across his cache of forged passports."


References

{{Reflist 2004 British television series debuts 2004 British television series endings 2000s British crime television series 2000s British drama television series British detective television series English-language television shows ITV television dramas