''Murder in Suburbia'' is a British television drama series first broadcast on ITV on 13 March 2004. The series focuses on the work of DS Emma Scribbins (

Lisa Faulkner Lisa Tamsin Faulkner (born 19 February 1972) is an actress, presenter and celebrity chef. Early life Faulkner was born in Merton, London, to David Faulkner and Julie (née Day). She lived in Esher and was educated at Tiffin Girls' School in ...

) and DI Kate Ashurst (

Caroline Catz Caroline Catz (born Caroline Caplan; 19 October 1970) is an English film, television and theatre actress and narrator. She is best known for her role as Louisa Glasson in ''Doc Martin'' since 2004. Her other major roles have included Detective ...

), police detectives assigned to the murder squad of the fictional suburban English town of Middleford. In this capacity, they are supervised by DCI Jeremy Sullivan (

Jeremy Sheffield Jeremy Sheffield (born 17 March 1966) is an English actor and former ballet dancer. He is most noted for his roles in '' Holby City'', '' Murder in Suburbia'' and '' Hollyoaks'' on television, as well as in the films ''Creep'' and '' The Wedding ...

). Filming for the series took place in Northwood and other locations in Northwest

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. A second series was broadcast in 2005, but did not achieve the ratings of the first series, and the programme was subsequently axed by the network. Both series have since been released on DVD. In Japan and other regional territories, the series was renamed ''Ash and Scribbs''.

Critical reception

Rupert Smith of ''

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 ...

'' said of the second series premiere; "Dramas about murdered schoolgirls aren't usually my cup of gore, but this was played so much for laughs that I could almost forgive the opening scene of a terrified child running through a graveyard before meeting her killer's blade. Thereafter it spun cheerfully along as a tale of rural witchcraft, complete with a wise priest who kept a book about demonology on his lectern; I don't know what the Synod would have to say about that. There were hex dolls, blood rituals and quite a lot of firm naked flesh on display, which made ''Murder in Suburbia'' comfortingly like an ancient Hammer movie.

and

remained well-dressed and wisecracking throughout; more importantly, the show gave work to

Clare Clifford Clare Clifford is a British actress, comedian and drama lecturer who appeared in the television dramas ''Angels'' and '' This Life''. She attended Selwyn Independent School for Girls in Matson, Gloucester, then studied at the Royal Central S ...

, whom I worshipped as homely Shirley in Angels all those years ago."

Cast and characters

Regular cast and characters

as Detective Inspector Kate Ashurst ("Ash") *

as Detective Sergeant Emma Scribbins ("Scribbs") *

as Detective Chief Inspector Jeremy Sullivan

Recurring cast and characters

* Glen Davies as Police Constable Tony Gallimore * Stuart Nurse as Doctor David Weatherall, Police Pathologist

Episode list

Series 1 (2004)

Series 2 (2005)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murder in Suburbia 2004 British television series debuts 2005 British television series endings 2000s British crime drama television series 2000s British mystery television series 2000s British police procedural television series 2000s British workplace drama television series British detective television series Carlton Television English-language television shows ITV crime dramas ITV mystery shows Murder in television Television series by ITV Studios Television shows set in London