''The Suspicions of Mr Whicher'' is a British series of

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

s made by Hat Trick Productions for ITV, written by

Helen Edmundson Helen Edmundson (born 1964) is a British playwright, screenwriter and producer. She has won awards and critical acclaim both for her original writing and for her adaptations of various literary classics for the stage and screen. Early life E ...

and Neil McKay. It stars

Paddy Considine Patrick George Considine (born 5 September 1973) is an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He frequently collaborates with filmmaker/director Shane Meadows. He has received two British Academy Film Awards, three Evening Standard Brit ...

in the title role of detective inspector Jack Whicher of the Metropolitan Police. The first film, ''The Murder at Road Hill House'' (broadcast in 2011), was based on the real-life Constance Kent murder case of 1860, as interpreted by Kate Summerscale in her 2008 book ''The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House'', which was the winner of Britain's

Samuel Johnson Prize The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize, is an annual British book prize for the best non-fiction writing in the English language. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award. With its ...

for Non-Fiction in 2008, and was read as BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week in April the same year. Subsequent TV episodes are fictionalised accounts of Whicher's career as a private enquiry agent. McKay wrote the first of these, ''The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: The Murder In Angel Lane'', which was filmed in early 2013 and was broadcast on 12 May 2013. It was followed by two episodes written by Edmundson, ''The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Beyond the Pale'', broadcast on 7 September 2014, and ''The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: The Ties that Bind'', broadcast on 14 September 2014. Considine later announced on Twitter that the show would not be continuing.

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: The Murder at Road Hill House

Synopsis

When three-year-old Saville Kent is found murdered in dreadful circumstances at the family home in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, Commissioner Mayne (

Tim Pigott-Smith Timothy Peter Pigott-Smith, (13 May 1946 – 7 April 2017) was an English film and television actor and author. He was best known for his leading role as Ronald Merrick in the television drama series '' The Jewel in the Crown'', for which he wo ...

) sends

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

detective Inspector Jack Whicher (

) to investigate the crime. Local Superintendent Foley (

Tom Georgeson Tom Georgeson (born 8 August 1937) is an English actor, known for his television and film work. His most notable credits have been supporting parts in '' Between the Lines'' (1992–94) and in three dramas by Alan Bleasdale: ''Boys from the Bl ...

) believes that the murder is an 'inside job', committed by Saville's nurse Elizabeth Gough (

Kate O'Flynn Kate O'Flynn is a British actress. She is known for her performance in National Theatre's production of ''Port'' for which she received a Critics' Circle Theatre Award in 2013, as well as starring roles in plays ''A Taste of Honey'' in 2014, a ...

), whom he suspects the child had seen in bed with a man, possibly the child's father, Samuel Kent (

Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, writer and musician. He portrayed the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker in '' The Thick of It'' (2005–2012), for ...

) but whom he is forced to release due to lack of evidence. When Whicher arrives, Foley, suspicious of this outsider and his progressive police methods, reluctantly agrees to help. The focus of Whicher's investigation is a torn and blood-stained piece from a woman's undergarment that had been found during the initial search for the missing boy. Constance Kent (

Alexandra Roach Alexandra Elizabeth Roach (born 20 August 1987) is a Welsh actress best known for her roles as Becky in '' Utopia'' and DS Joy Freers in ''No Offence''. She has also made appearances in series including '' Being Human'', ''Inside No. 9'', ''Bla ...

), Samuel Kent's sixteen-year-old daughter from his first marriage, claims that one of her three night-gowns had been lost by the laundress. When Dr. Stapleton (

Ben Miles Benjamin Charles Miles (born 29 September 1966) is an English actor, best known for his starring role as Patrick Maitland in the television comedy ''Coupling'', from 2000 to 2004, as Montague Dartie in ''The Forsyte Saga'', from 2002 to 2003, a ...

), the family's doctor tells Whicher that Constance, like her late mother, is mentally unstable and resentful of Saville, her father's son from his second marriage, she immediately becomes Whicher's prime suspect. It is discovered that Constance and her younger brother

William Saville-Kent William Saville-Kent (10 July 1845 – 11 October 1908) was an English marine biologist and author. Early life Born in the town of Sidmouth in Devon, South West England on 10 July 1845, William Saville-Kent was the son of Samuel Saville Kent (7 ...

(Charlie Hiett) hate their stepmother Mary (

Emma Fielding Emma Georgina Annalies Fielding (born 07 October 1964 in Catterick, North Riding of Yorkshire) is an English actress. Biography The daughter of a British Army officer, Colonel Johnny Fielding, and Sheila Fielding, she was raised Catholic and ...

) — who had, in fact, been employed as their former nanny, with whom their father had had an affair while their mother was dying. He visits a schoolmate of Constance, Emma Moody, who tells him that Constance enjoyed hurting Saville. As the circumstantial evidence builds, Whicher arrests Constance, he having been convinced that she had killed her half-brother out of revenge against her father for his treatment of her mother and his neglect of her and William, but he fails to get a confession from her or William. Whicher desperately seeks Constance's missing nightdress, which he believes she wore while murdering her half-brother, as the key evidence to proving her guilt. He suspects Constance disposed of the blood-soaked nightdress after the murder, and tricked everyone into believing it had been lost by the washerwoman. However, he cannot find the nightdress and at her trial, her lawyer discredits Whicher's case by wilfully misrepresenting it. Emma Moody is called as a witness, but she lies and states that Constance adored her half-brother, and Constance is acquitted. Whicher accuses Mr. Kent of abetting the wrongful acquittal. Whicher's reputation is destroyed. He suffers a breakdown and leaves the police force. Five years later, in 1865, Constance confesses her guilt to a

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

, the Rev. Arthur Wagner (Antony Byrne), and is re-tried. In court the Rev. Wagner gives a declaration that he must withhold any information on the grounds that it had been received under the seal of "sacramental confession". At the same time it is revealed that Superintendent Foley had withheld evidence from Whicher during the original investigation. This time Constance Kent admits her guilt, but refuses to corroborate Whicher's theory that her brother was also involved in the murder. Constance Kent is sentenced to death. However, viewers are informed by means of captions that due to public outcry after the trial the sentence is commuted to life in prison, that she is released after serving twenty years, and that she emigrates to Australia where she dies at the age of 100.

Cast

... Detective Jack Whicher *

... Samuel Kent *

... Superintendent Foley * William Beck ... 'Dolly' Williamson *

... Mary Kent *

... Commissioner Mayne *

... Elizabeth Gough *

Donald Sumpter Donald Sumpter (born 13 February 1943) is an English actor who has appeared in film and television since the mid-1960s. Career One of his early television appearances was the 1968 ''Doctor Who'' serial '' The Wheel in Space'' with Patrick Tro ...

... Peter Edlin QC *

... Dr. Stapleton *

... Constance Kent * Jay Simpson ... George Redman * Peter Gordon ... Holcombe * Charlie Hiett...

William Kent William Kent (c. 1685 – 12 April 1748) was an English architect, landscape architect, painter and furniture designer of the early 18th century. He began his career as a painter, and became Principal Painter in Ordinary or court painter, bu ...

* Sarah Ridgeway ... Sarah Cox * Ben Crompton ... William Nutt * Ruairi Conaghan ... Benger * Anthony Hunt... Constable Urch *

Julian Firth Julian Firth (born 8 January 1961) is an English actor, best known for his roles as troubled inmate Davis in the cinematic version of the film '' Scum'' and as Brother Jerome in the long-running television series '' Cadfael''. Firth has enjoye ...

... MP *

Richard Lintern Richard Charles Lintern (born 8 October 1962) is an English stage, voice and screen actor. Early life Lintern was born in Taunton, Somerset. He studied English Literature at Durham University. He subsequently won a scholarship to the Royal A ...

... Henry Ludlow *

Katy Murphy Katy Murphy (born 8 December 1962) is a Scottish actress and teacher who has appeared in many television programs, most of them for the BBC and ITV. While most associated with television drama, she has worked across a variety of genres, includin ...

... Mrs. Holley * Beth Cooke ... Emma Moody *

Lizzie Hopley Elizabeth Hopley is a British actress and writer. She has appeared in several audio plays based on the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Her first appearance was as the Eighth Doctor’s companion Gemma Griffin in '' Terro ...

... Harriet Gollop *

Andrew Woodall ''The Sugar Syndrome'' is a 2003 play written by British writer Lucy Prebble. It has won several awards and as of 2009 has been sold in seven languages. Synopsis The play has four main characters: Dani, Tim, Lewis and Jan. At the beginning, Da ...

... Magistrate * Antony Byrne ... Reverend Wagner (as Anthony Byrne) * Lucy Scarfe... Elizabeth Kent (uncredited) The drama was directed by

James Hawes James Hawes is a British television director. He has worked in British television drama since the mid-1990s, and has also produced documentaries for British and American television networks. His work has ranged across high-end period pieces and ...

and was written by Neil McKay, based on the book ''The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House'' by Kate Summerscale.

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: The Murder In Angel Lane

The second film in the series was made in 2013. Paddy Considine returned as Whicher, now a private inquiry agent.

Olivia Colman Sarah Caroline Sinclair ( Colman; born 30 January 1974), known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress. Known for her comedic and dramatic roles in film and television, she has received various accolades, including an Academy A ...

co-starred. The script was written by Neil McKay. It was directed by

Christopher Menaul Christopher Menaul (born 25 July 1944) is a British film, television director and television writer. Since the late 1970s, Menaul has amassed credits in episodic television and by directing television films. Filmography Film *'' Feast of July' ...

with

Mark Redhead Mark Redhead is a British producer, director, and occasional actor. He was the producer of ''Bloody Sunday'' and an executive producer of God on Trial. He has been nominated for several awards and won a BAFTA TV Award in 2000 for ''The Murder of ...

as executive producer, and Rob Bullock as producer. It was filmed on location in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

, and

central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...

in early 2013.

Synopsis

Former police Detective Inspector Jack Whicher (

) finds wealthy Susan Spencer (

) searching for her 16-year-old niece Mary Drew in a low public house in London's notorious Angel Lane. She enlists his services to find her niece. Mary is found brutally murdered in Angel Lane, robbed of a family heirloom and having recently given birth to a child, Spencer persuades Whicher to work for her privately to investigate the murder. The search begins for Stephen Gann (William Postlethwaite), Mary's 19-year-old lover and the father of her child. Whicher finds the missing child at a refuge for fallen women run by Roman Catholic nuns which had taken her in. Some days later he confronts Gann, who in a struggle pulls a knife which appears to be the murder weapon and makes his escape, leaving the knife behind. Whicher seeks the help of his former colleagues in the

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

, including 'Dolly' Williamson ( William Beck) and Commissioner Mayne (

), but, with the exception of Inspector Lock ( Shaun Dingwall), they warn Whicher off from interfering in what is a police matter. When Whicher visits Miss Spencer’s country home he learns that her father had been murdered by Gann’s father. Whicher’s investigation takes him to a lunatic asylum, to question Gann's grandfather, where his suspicions lead to a fresh grave being reopened but without finding the body he expects to be found hidden in it. Shaken by his failure and convinced that he no longer possesses the skills necessary to solve the crime Whicher decides to give up the investigation but then discovers a new clue after Mary Drew’s funeral when he finds Stephen Gann at Mary's grave. Whicher seems to be close to solving the case and returns to the asylum where he is accused of being mentally unstable and after a struggle is strapped into a straitjacket and locked up at the instigation of Dr Casement (

Alistair Petrie Alistair Petrie (born 30 September 1970) is a British actor. He has starred in ''The Bank Job'' (2008), '' Cloud Atlas'' (2012), '' Rush'' (2013) and '' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (2016). Petrie has also starred in the Channel 4 television ...

) and Inspector Lock. Stephen Gann's grandfather is also an inmate in the asylum. He finally reveals the identity of Susan Spencer's father's murderer. It was his other son, Gann's wealthy uncle, Thomas, who was also the father of Mary Drew. Whicher makes his escape and confronts those responsible for her murder in a chilling finale.

Cast

... Inspector Jack Whicher *

... Susan Spencer * William Beck ... Chief Inspector 'Dolly' Williamson *

... Commissioner Mayne * Shaun Dingwall ... Inspector George Lock * William Postlethwaite ... Stephen Gann * Mark Bazeley ... Thomas Gann * Sean Baker ... Joshua Gann *

... Dr. Casement * Joanna Jeffrees ... Nursemaid *

Siobhan O'Neill Siobhan O'Neill is an English actress and musician born in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. She is notable for her work in television, including '' Thor: The Dark World'', TV sitcom '' Him and Her'', TV sitcom ''Not Going Out'' starring Lee Mack and ...

... Housemaid * Asher Kemp ... Baby Stephen * Justine Mitchell ... Sister Anne * Angela Terence ... Charlotte * Sam Barnard ... Robert * Justin Edwards ... Rev. Marlow * Jody Halse ... Clarence Shaw * Andy Gathergood ... Sergeant Parker * James Wilson ... Pickpocket Youth * Brett Allen ... Landlord * Neal Barry ... Finch * Tom Padley ... Pub Bystander * Carolyn Tomkinson ... Creed's Woman * Nick Caldecott ... Dr. Drake * Mark Kempner ... Toby

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Beyond the Pale

Synopsis

Mr Whicher is approached by Sir Edward Shore MP, who had been

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all nationa ...

when Whicher was dismissed from the police force (he signed the dismissal letter). Sir Edward wants Whicher to look into threats made against his son Charles, who has recently returned to London from India with his wife and children. Charles is being pursued by Asim Jabour, an Indian seeking money or revenge, now passing as a lascar (Indian sailor) in the Docklands. Sir Edward wants the affair dealt with secretly, not by the police. But then Asim is found murdered, and Whicher demands that the Shores tell him the whole story and identify the dead man to the police. Whicher's investigation uncovers betrayal and interracial secrets in both Docklands and upper-class London. The historic

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

was used as a film location for some of the London streets and docks.

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: The Ties That Bind

Synopsis

Whicher follows a married woman through London to a secret assignation. He is bearing witness to an open and shut case that will lead to divorce for Sir Henry Coverley from his wife Lady Jane. But, when the co-respondent is killed, a simple case soon spirals out of control, embracing love, desire, gambling, corruption, theft and an illicit passion that leads to murder.

References

External links

*
"Filming The Suspicions of Mr Whicher"
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', 18 April 2011
Review of ''The Suspicions of Mr Whicher''
''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'', 5 May 2011
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Costume Q&A with Lucinda Wright
Clothes on Film website *
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher II
ITV Media

cast list {{DEFAULTSORT:Suspicions of Mr Whicher, The 2011 British television series debuts 2014 British television series endings 2010s British drama television series British television films English-language films ITV television dramas Helen Edmundson Television series by Hat Trick Productions