''The Commander'' is a 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 combine ...

, broadcast on

ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...

, starring

Amanda Burton Irene Amanda Burton is a Northern Irish actress. Her notable credits include Heather Haversham in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Brookside'' (1982–1986), Beth Glover in the ITV drama series ''Peak Practice'' (1993–1995), Sam Ryan in the BBC c ...

as the principal character, Commander Clare Blake. The series first broadcast on 16 February 2003, and a total of five series were produced over a five-year-period, with the last episode airing on 12 November 2008. The series focuses on Blake, the leader of an elite murder investigation squad in

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Throughout the series, Blake has two main sidekicks. Matthew Marsh starred in the first four series as DCI Mike Hedges, and following his decision to quit the role, he was replaced by

Mark Lewis Jones Mark Lewis Jones (born 31 August, 1964) is a Welsh actor, whose roles include that of a First Order Captain Moden Canady in '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'', a police inspector in BBC drama series '' 55 Degrees North'', a whaler in the film '' Ma ...

, who appears in the final two seasons as DCI Doug James. The series has been released on DVD in the UK via

Contender Entertainment Group Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television se ...

and

Acorn Media UK RLJE International Ltd, d/b/a Acorn DVD, a British company that publishes and distributes DVDs, as well as selling home-video products and streaming videos with a particular focus on British television. History Launched in 1997, Acorn Media U. ...

. In the United States, all five series have been issued in two double DVD sets, again via Acorn Media.

Plot

''The Commander'' focuses on Clare Blake, leader of an elite murder investigative squad based in

, who allows her interpersonal relationships to cloud her judgement, and who, on several occasions, makes bad calls which are detrimental to an investigation. Midway through the series run,

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...

and

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

received many complaints from viewers over Blake's willingness to sleep with suspects so that evidence can be gained from them - exemplified in her relationship with murderer James Lampton (

Hugh Bonneville Hugh Richard Bonneville Williams (born 10 November 1963) is an English actor. He is best known for portraying Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the ITV historical drama series ''Downton Abbey''. His performance on the show earned him a nom ...

). Many viewers said that as much as the story was fictional, such action was so far out that it could not possibly be considered believable or true to life.Amanda Burton: A changed woman? - Telegraph
/ref>

Cast

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Clare Blake * Matthew Marsh as D.C.I. Mike Hedges (Series 1—3) * Nicholas Jones as D.C.S. Les Branton (Series 1 & Series 4) *

Pip Torrens Philip D'Oyly "Pip" Torrens (born 2 June 1960) is an English actor. Known for playing urbane, authoritative figures, Torrens portrayed courtier Tommy Lascelles in the Netflix drama ''The Crown'', aristocrat Lord Massen in the HBO series ''The ...

as D.C.S. Les Branton (Series 2) *

Christopher Robbie Christopher Robbie (born 30 May 1938) is a British actor, television announcer, theatre director and designer, playwright and photographer. He trained as an actor at RADA in London, and has had a distinguished theatrical career, playing the tit ...

as D.A.C. Edward Sumpter (Series 1) *

Anthony Valentine Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in ''Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the Un ...

as D.A.C. Edward Sumpter (Series 2—5) *

Tristan Gemmill Tristan John Gemmill (born 6 June 1967) is an English actor, most notable for his roles as Dr Adam Trueman on ''Casualty (TV series), Casualty'', and Robert Preston in ''Coronation Street''. He was educated at Holmewood House School, Royal Tunb ...

as D.I. Ken Miles (Series 1) * Thomas Lockyer as D.I. Ken Miles (Series 2) *

David O'Hara David Patrick O'Hara (born 9 July 1965) is a Scottish stage and character actor. A graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, he is best known to audiences for his numerous supporting roles in high-profile films; includi ...

as D.C.C. Stephen Blackton (Series 3) *

Robert Wilfort Robert Kenneth Wilfort (born 2 June 1977) is a Welsh actor from Porthcawl, who has made many appearances on British television and film. He is best known for his role as Jason West in ''Gavin & Stacey'' His other television appearances have in ...

as D.I. Jeff Dunn (Series 1) *

as D.C.I. Doug James (Series 4—5) *

Paul Brightwell Paul Brightwell is an English actor and director. He has acted in many different plays, films and TV shows since the late 1980s. Theatre direction includes the British premieres of Heiner Muller's '' Hamletmachine'' at the Gate Notting Hill, and ...

as D.S. Brian Hall *

Poppy Miller A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, ''Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug opi ...

as D.C./D.I. Carol Browning (Series 1—2) *

Monica Dolan Monica Margaret Dolan (born 15 March 1969) is an English actress. She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Rosemary West in ''Appropriate Adult'' (2011). Career Dolan was born in Middlesbrough and trained at the Guildh ...

as D.C. Pamela Hayes (Series 3-4) * Nadine Marshall as D.C. Alison Goody (Series 4) *

Connie Hyde Connie Skov Hyde (born 15 November 1969) is an English actress. Hyde was born to an English father and Danish mother. She grew up in Haslingden in Rossendale, Lancashire. She is best known for playing PC Cathy Bradford in ''The Bill'' from 2 ...

as D.C.I. Janet Chambers (Series 4) * Niall MacGregor as D.S. Matt Newton (Series 5) *

Sian Brooke Sian Brooke (born Sian Elizabeth Phillips; born 1980) is a British actress. Her television work includes '' Cape Wrath'' (2007), '' Sherlock'' (2017), '' Doctor Foster'' (2017), ''Good Omens'' (2019), ''Guilt'' (2019), and '' Trying'' (2020–). ...

as D.C. Marion Randell (Series 5)

Notable Guest Appearances

Amanda Boxer Amanda Boxer (born 1948) is an English theatre, television, and film actress. She is perhaps best known for her role in the film ''Saving Private Ryan'' (1998). Early life Boxer was born in London, the daughter of English scholar C.R. Boxer an ...

as Margaret Tubbs (''Blackdog'', Series 2) * Nicholas Ball as John Dawson (''Blackdog'', Series 2) *

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 Carl Dirkwood (''Blacklight'', Series 3) *

Pippa Haywood Philippa Haywood (born 6 May 1961) is a British actress. She won the 2005 Rose d'Or Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for ''Green Wing'' (2004–2006). Her other television credits include ''The Brittas Empire'' (1991–1997), Chimera (19 ...

as Helen Dirkwood (''Blacklight'', Series 3) *

Matt Day Matthew Day (born 28 September 1971) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. Early life Day was born in Melbourne, Victoria. When he was 11 years old, he went to live in the United States with his father, a newspaper correspondent, where he be ...

as Eric Thornton (''The Devil You Know'', Series 4) *

Celia Imrie Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is an English actress and author. She was described in 2003 as one of the most successful British actresses of recent decades. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' f ...

as Mrs. Thornton (''The Devil You Know'', Series 4) * Simon Williams as John Thornton (''The Devil You Know'', Series 4) *

Blake Ritson Blake Adam Ritson (born 14 January 1978) is an English actor and director. Early life Blake was born on 14, June, 1978 in London and attended the Dolphin School in Reading, Berkshire until 1993, before going to St Paul's School in West Londo ...

as John Littlewood (''The Devil You Know'', Series 4) *

Abigail Cruttenden Abigail Lucy Cruttenden (born 23 March 1968) is an English actress. Cruttenden played opposite Sean Bean as his character Richard Sharpe's wife Jane in several episodes of the TV series '' Sharpe.'' In 2007, Cruttenden joined the cast from the ...

as Judy Thornton (''The Devil You Know'', Series 4) * Adam James as Tony Lattice (''The Devil You Know'', Series 4) *

Penny Downie A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is th ...

as Jane Griffith (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) *

Oliver Cotton Oliver Charles Cotton (born 20 June 1944) is an English actor, comedian and playwright, known for his prolific work on stage, TV and film. He remains best known for his role as Cesare Borgia in the BBC's 1981 drama series '' The Borgias''. Early ...

as Donald Griffith (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) *

Greg Wise Matthew Gregory Wise, born 1966, is an English actor and producer. He has appeared in several British television programmes and feature films. He played the role of John Willoughby in ''Sense and Sensibility'', which also starred Emma Thompson, ...

as Mark Davy (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) *

Adrian Scarborough Adrian Philip Scarborough (born 10 May 1968) is an English actor. He has appeared in films including ''The Madness of King George'' (1994), ''Gosford Park'' (2001), ''Vera Drake'' (2004), ''The History Boys'' (2006), ''The King's Speech'' (2010 ...

as Clive Seway (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) * Priyanga Burford as Miranda Kent (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) *

Ayesha Dharker Ayesha Dharker (born 16 March 1978) is a British actress, known for her appearance as Queen Jamillia, the Queen of Naboo, in '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,'' and for her stage performances. Her other film roles include s ...

as Grace Kandola (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) *

Elisabeth Dermot Walsh Elisabeth Dermot Walsh (born 15 September 1974) is an English actress, known for her role as Zara Carmichael in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors (2000 TV series), Doctors''. In 2015, she won Best Female Acting Performance at the RTS Awards, RTS Midl ...

as Thelma Field (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) *

Gerard Kearns Gerard Kearns (born 4 October 1984) is an English actor. He is best known as Ian Gallagher in '' Shameless''. Career Kearns starred in the film ''The Mark of Cain'', for Film4 Productions, based on British soldiers' abuse of Iraqi prisoners ...

as Terry Donnolly (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

Gary Stretch Gary Stretch (born 4 November 1965) is a British actor, model, and former boxing champion. During his boxing career, Stretch won 29 of his 31 fights, 20 of those by KO. He became the WBC International Super Welterweight Champion. In his modelli ...

as Jack Bannerman (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

Toby Kebbell Tobias Alistair Patrick Kebbell''Births, Marriages & Deaths: Toby is married to Arielle Wyatt. They got married in 2020 and they have one child together. Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 9 July 1982) is an English ...

as Jimmy Bannerman (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

Sara Stockbridge Sara Stockbridge (born Sarah Jane Stockbridge; 14 November 1965) is an English model, actress and author. In the second half of the 1980s, she was the muse of fashion designer Vivenne Westwood. Early life Stockbridge was born in Woking, Surr ...

as Lisa Bannerman (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

David Sterne David Sterne (born 1946) is an English actor. He has appeared in more than 90 films since 1973. After leaving the British Army, Sterne trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company ...

as Father Thomas Martin (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

Christopher Fulford Christopher Fulford (born 1955) is a British actor who is best known for his supporting roles in many British TV shows, one of the earliest being punk Alex in the short lived sitcom '' Sorry, I'm A Stranger Here Myself'' (1981–82). Career Ful ...

as Denny Wade (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

Valerie Lilley Valerie Lilley (born 14 April 1939) is a Northern Irish actress who has played many television roles on dramas such as '' Doctors'' and ''Grange Hill''. Lilley most recently appeared in BBC1's '' Casualty'' as Daisy Fennings. Prior to that Chan ...

as Brenda O'Hare (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

James D'Arcy James D'Arcy (born Simon Richard D'Arcy; 24 August 1975) is an English actor and film director. He is known for his portrayals of Howard Stark's butler, Edwin Jarvis, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series '' Agent Carter'' and the ...

as Jerry (''Abduction'', Series 5) *

Claire Skinner Claire Skinner (born 1965) is an English actress, known in the United Kingdom for her television career, particularly playing Sue Brockman from the BBC television series ''Outnumbered (British TV series), Outnumbered''. Early life Claire Skin ...

as Fiona (''Abduction'', Series 5) *

Caroline Blakiston Caroline Georgiana Blakiston (born 13 February 1933) is an English actress. She is best known in her native United Kingdom for her role in the television comedy series ''Brass'', to international audiences as Mon Mothma in the ''Star Wars'' film ...

as Mary Henson (''Abduction'', Series 5) *

Kerrie Hayes Kerrie Hayes (born 13 March 1987)Profiles – Kerrie Hayes – hellom ...

as Sharon Davis (''Abduction'', Series 5) *

Ella Kenion Ella Kenion (born 18 June 1969) is an England, English comedy actress, known for shows such as ''The Catherine Tate Show'', Five (TV), Five's sketch shows ''We Know Where You Live'' and ''Swinging'', and in BBC Four's ''Fear of Fanny''. Howeve ...

as Helen Gordon (''Abduction'', Series 5) *

Dilys Laye Dilys Laye (born Dilys Lay; 11 March 1934 – 13 February 2009) was an English actress and screenwriter, best known for her comedy roles. Early life Laye was born in Muswell Hill, London, the daughter of Edward Lay and his wife Margare ...

as Edna Sutton (''Abduction'', Series 5) *

Al Murray Alastair James Hay Murray (born 10 May 1968) is an English comedian, actor, musician and writer from Hammersmith. In 2003, he was listed in ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy, and in 2007 he was voted the 16th gr ...

as Betting Shop Boss (''Abduction'', Series 5)

Episode list

Series 1 (2003)

The series began with a one-off feature-length story broadcast in two parts in February 2003. Only known as ''The Commander'' for television broadcast, it did not carry an official title until the joint DVD release of series one and two in 2005. The episode gained enough viewers for two more stories to be commissioned. The other investigating officers in this episode are DCI Mike Hedges ( Matthew Marsh), DCS Les Branton ( Nicholas Jones), DAC Edward Sumpter (

), DI Ken Miles (

), DS Brian Hall (

) and DC Carol Browning (

Series 2 (2005)

The second series of ''The Commander'' was first broadcast in 2005. The series was released on a joint DVD in 2005 with the first series. The same roster of characters appear in the second series as the first, with slight changes to the cast. Thomas Lockyer takes over the role of DI Ken Miles,

takes over the role of DCS Les Branton,

Ron Donachie Ronald Eaglesham Porter (born 26 April 1956), known professionally as Ron Donachie, is a Scottish actor. He is known for starring as DI John Rebus in the BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of the Ian Rankin "Rebus" detective novels and for his supporti ...

takes over the role of George Hart, and

takes over the role of DAC Edward Sumpter. Carol Browning (

) is also promoted to DI.

Series 3 (2006)

The third installment of the series was first broadcast in 2006, again in the form of one feature length story, split into two parts. Series three has never been released on DVD in the United Kingdom, having been broadcast between the release of the first DVD set released by Contender, and the second released by

who only acquired the rights in 2007.

joins the cast as DC Pamela Hayes, following the departure of DI Carol Browning. DCS Les Branton does not appear in the series.

Series 4 (2007)

The fourth series of ''The Commander'' was first broadcast in 2007, in the form of three separate stories each broadcast in two parts. The entire series was released on DVD in 2007 by

, becoming the last series to be released on DVD in the United Kingdom. This series introduces two new characters to the cast: DCI Doug James (

), and DC Alison Goody (Nadine Marshall), leaving Amanda Burton, Anthony Valentine and Paul Brightwell as the only remaining original cast members. Les Branton also makes a return to the series, this time however played by the original actor, Nicholas Jones.

Series 5 (2008)

The fifth and final installment of the series was first broadcast in 2008, in the form of three separate episodes comprising one story. ''Abduction'' becomes the second series of ''The Commander'' not released on DVD in the United Kingdom. The series also introduces a further new cast: DS Matt Newton (Niall MacGregor) and DC Marion Randell (

), who join Amanda Burton, Anthony Valentine, Mark Lewis Jones and Paul Brightwell, whose character DS Brian Hall has been suspended from the force.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Commander, The 2003 British television series debuts 2008 British television series endings ITV television dramas Television shows set in London 2000s British drama television series British detective television series English-language television shows