Cracker is a British crime drama series produced by
Granada TelevisionGranada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
for
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and created and principally written by
Jimmy McGovernJimmy McGovern is a BAFTA award-winning English television scriptwriter from Liverpool.-Early career:McGovern started his career working on Channel 4's soap opera Brookside in 1982, tackling many social issues such as unemployment.-Successes:...
. The series is centered on a
criminal psychologistCriminal psychology is the study of the wills, thoughts, intentions and reactions of criminals. It is related to the field of criminal anthropology. The study goes deeply into what makes someone commit crime, but also the reactions after the crime, on the run or in court...
(or "cracker"), Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald, played by
Robbie ColtraneRobbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
. Set in
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, it consists of three series which were originally aired from 1993 to 1995. A 100-minute special set in Hong Kong followed in 1996, and another two-hour story in 2006.
Overview
Fitz is a classic antihero,
unfaithfulIn many intimate relationships in many cultures there is usually an express or implied expectation of exclusivity, especially in sexual matters. Infidelity most commonly refers to a breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity.Infidelity can occur in relation to physical intimacy and/or...
to his wife, alcoholic, a chain smoker, obese, addicted to gambling,
manicMania, the presence of which is a criterion for certain psychiatric diagnoses, is a state of abnormally elevated or irritable mood, arousal, and/ or energy levels. In a sense, it is the opposite of depression...
, foul-mouthed and sarcastic, and yet cerebral and brilliant. He is a genius in his specialty:
criminal psychologyCriminal psychology is the study of the wills, thoughts, intentions and reactions of criminals. It is related to the field of criminal anthropology. The study goes deeply into what makes someone commit crime, but also the reactions after the crime, on the run or in court...
. As Fitz confesses in "Brotherly Love": "I drink too much, I
smokeTobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...
too much, I gamble too much. I
am too much."
Each case spanned several episodes and
cliffhangerA cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
s were quite often used, but it was not until the end of the second series that a cliffhanger was employed to tie off the series. Some of the plotlines in the cases took as their starting point real events such as the
Hillsborough disasterThe Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
, while others were purely fictional with only tangential ties to actual events.
Several different psychotic types were explored during the run of the show with increasingly complex psychological motivations that, as the series entered the middle of the second series, began to expand beyond the criminals being investigated to the regular cast members. As the series moved forward the storylines became as much about the interactions of the regulars as it was about the crimes. In many later episodes, in fact, the crimes often became background to intense, provocative explorations of the police officers' reactions to the crimes they investigated.
To emphasise how fine a line the police (and Fitz) walk in their close association with criminals, all three series featured several stories in which the police themselves become criminals or victims of crime.
Main cast
- Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
as Dr. Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald: the classic anti-hero, alcoholic, a chain smoker, unfaithful to his wife and foul-mouthed, but at the same time, a brilliant psychologist with a good heart. Coltrane won three consecutive BAFTA Awards for the role.
- Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston is an English stage, film and television actor. His films include Let Him Have It, Shallow Grave, Elizabeth, 28 Days Later, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Others, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra...
as DCI David Bilborough: the Detective Chief Inspector. He shows little to no interest in proving suspects innocent and will readily charge an innocent man with a crime, often clashing with Fitz over their ideals. At times, he appears excessively desperate to succeed, even though he can sometimes be a bit of a bumbler. He is killed in "To Be A Somebody".
- Ricky Tomlinson
Eric Tomlinson , known by his stage name Ricky Tomlinson, is an English actor and comedian, best known for his roles as Bobby Grant in Brookside, DCI Charlie Wise in Cracker and James "Jim" Royle in The Royle Family....
as DCI Charlie Wise: the Scouse replacement of Bilborough following his death. He appears much less tolerant than Bilborough, which often puts him at odds with the other officers and the Chief Super, but unlike Bilborough, he values truth more than a fitting result and has a much better working relationship with Fitz than Bilborough had, although it is badly strained when Fitz unknowingly gives Wise's wife more reason to file for separation.
- Geraldine Somerville
Geraldine Margaret Agnew-Somerville is a British actress best known for her roles as Detective Sergeant Jane "Panhandle" Penhaligon in Cracker, and Lily Potter in the Harry Potter film series.-Early life:...
as DS Jane "Panhandle" Penhaligon: Fitz's main love interest throughout the series. Fitz finds solace in her when he and his wife are separated, but their relationship is strained more than once by Fitz standing her up, Bilborough's death and her rape. After Fitz goes back to his pregnant wife, it serves as the final straw, and they break up for good in "True Romance". In "White Ghost", she is mentioned as having been promoted to DI.
- Lorcan Cranitch
Lorcan Cranitch is an Irish actor.Born in Dublin, Cranitch became involved in drama while a student, and moved to London where he entered RADA in 1980. His first major role on British television was as Tim Healy in the 1991 BBC drama series, Parnell and the Englishwoman...
as DS Jimmy Beck: Irish, short-tempered and described as a loose cannon, Beck and Fitz appear to dislike each other greatly. He appears somewhat misogynistic, stemming from a bitter past experience when he emigrated to England as a boy and was shunned by everyone in school except some girls who showed him some "compassion" but later dumped him once they were used to him. The death of Bilborough hits him so hard that he falls into a depression, rapes Penhaligon and ultimately commits suicide in "Brotherly Love". In "Best Boys", Beck's sister Aileen implies that despite his apparent contempt for Fitz, Beck respected and admired him greatly, but may have envied him.
- Barbara Flynn
Barbara Flynn is an English actress. She first became known for her appearance in the ITV drama A Family at War, that followed the fortunes of a lower middle class family living in Liverpool from 1938 and through World War II.During the 1980s Flynn's acting skills led to her being cast in several...
as Judith Fitzgerald: Fitz's long-suffering wife and secondary love interest. Irritated by Fitz's addiction to gambling, she leaves him twice and at one point attempts to divorce him. When she falls into a depression after learning of his affair with Penhaligon and the birth of their third child fails to improve their marriage, Judith seeks solace with Fitz's brother, Danny, and very nearly begins an affair with him.
- Kieran O'Brien
Kieran O'Brien is an English actor.-Biography:O'Brien, who grew up in nearby Royton, began acting at a early age and was the star of a BBC TV series Gruey by the time he was 15. He also featured in several other series at the time in one-off or recurring roles...
as Mark Fitzgerald: Fitz's son. Though he loves his father, he and Fitz share a love-hate relationship whenever Fitz drives Judith away, and he takes a particular disliking to Penhaligon, who is nearer to his age than Fitz's, when Fitz begins an affair with her. In "The Big Crunch", Mark claims that he is older than Penhaligon, although whether or not this is true is not known. His near-death experience in "True Romance" makes Fitz realise just how much he loves Mark.
- Tess Thomson as Katie Fitzgerald: Fitz's daughter. She gets married in "Nine Eleven".
- John Evans as Jimmy Fitzgerald: Fitz's second son and youngest child. He is born in "Brotherly Love".
- Ian Mercer
Ian Mercer is an English actor. On leaving school Mercer trained as an electrical engineer but decided to become an actor when he became an assistant stage manager at the Oldham Coliseum in 1979. His first television appearance was as a butcher in the film Blue Money in 1982...
as DC George Giggs: a married man with children but a bit of a womaniser. He is killed in "To Say I Love You".
- Colin Tierney as DC Bobby Harriman: the replacement of DC Giggs following his murder. Appearing timid at first, his self-confidence soon grows. He only appears in the second series.
- Robert Cavanah
Robert Cavanah is a Scottish actor/writer/director/producer.Cavanah was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is a fluent Spanish speaker. He is a father of two...
as DC Alan Temple: the Scottish replacement of DC Harriman. He only appears in the third season. He has an implied romantic fling with Penhaligon and becomes close friends with DC Skelton.
- Stan Finni as Sgt. Smith: the only black member on the force throughout the first season. Though a minor character, he very notably arrests Fitz in "To Say I Love You" when he refuses to leave Judith alone after she has left him and gone to her parents' house.
- Wil Johnson
Wilbert "Wil" Johnson is an English actor, who has had notable television roles in Waking the Dead and Babyfather, and on stage in Othello.- Early life :...
as PC/DC Skelton: the only black member of the CID and apparent replacement of Sgt. Smith. He only appears in the second and third seasons, and becomes close friends with DC Temple. In "To Be A Somebody", he is notably subjected to monkey chants from a member of a skinheadA skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
gang during the investigation into the murder of Albie Kinsella's first victim, an AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n shopkeeper; the offending skinhead is arrested for racial harassment on the orders of Bilborough. Following Beck's death, Skelton is promoted from PC to DC and given a somewhat more prominent role.
- Clive Russell
Clive Russell is a British actor.Clive was born in Reeth, England and brought up in Fife, Scotland.He is a familiar face on British television and has appeared in numerous television series including Boys From the Black Stuff ,Hope And Glory, Neverwhere, Great Expectations, The Mists of Avalon,...
as Danny Fitzgerald: Fitz's estranged brother. They briefly reconcile after the death of their mother, but their relationship becomes strained when Danny realises the stress Judith is going through thanks to Fitz's actions. Judith very nearly begins an affair with him as a result of this.
- Edward Peel
Edward Peel is a British actor.He has mostly appeared on television, his roles include Shogun , Juliet Bravo , Cracker , Emmerdale Farm and London's Burning...
as the Chief Super: the head of Anson Road CID. He is rather boorish and does not appear to get on well with Fitz, Bilborough and Wise. He frequently questions or belittles the decisions of Bilborough and Wise (the latter whom argues with him furiously), and is cheeked twice in the series by Fitz, at one point telling Fitz that he is only hired for good publicity, rather than his help.
Guest stars
- Adrian Dunbar
Adrian Dunbar is an actor from Northern Ireland, best known for his television and theatre work. Dunbar co-wrote and starred in the 1991 film, Hear My Song, nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the BAFTA awards.-Personal life:...
as Thomas Kelly: an amnesiac man who becomes the prime suspect in a series of razor murders. He is the first major suspect in "The Mad Woman in the Attic".
- Nicholas Woodeson
Nicholas Woodeson is an English film and television actor.-Education:Woodeson attended Marlborough College and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.-Film:...
as Michael Hennessy: a serial killer known as "Sweeney" who murders young women with razors and almost frames Thomas Kelly for it. He is the main antagonist of "The Mad Woman in the Attic".
- Andrew Tiernan
Andrew James Tiernan is an English actor.-Theatre:Tiernan began acting with the Birmingham Youth Theatre and moved to London in 1984 to study a three-year Diploma in Acting at the Drama Centre London run by Christopher Fettes and Yat Malmgren...
as Sean Kerrigan: a stutterer who can only speak when singing or angry, and with a mental instability. He is the main antagonist of "To Say I Love You".
- Susan Lynch
Susan Lynch is an actor from Northern Ireland.-Early life:Lynch was born in Corrinshego, Newry, County Armagh, Northern Ireland to an Italian mother and Irish father. Her brother is actor John Lynch, she has a sister, Pauline, who is a drama teacher at St...
as Tina Brien: Sean's lover and eventually partner-in-crime, neglected by her family in favour of her blind sister. A secondary antagonist of "To Say I Love You".
- Christopher Fulford
Christopher Fulford is a British actor who is best known for his supporting roles in many British TV shows.In his early career he often appeared in British crime dramas. He was guest star of both the ITV crime series Inspector Morse, in Driven to Destruction and as a killer in the early A Touch...
as Nigel Cassidy: a teacher who becomes the main suspect of the murder of a homosexual boy in his class. He is the main antagonist of "One Day A Lemming Will Fly".
- Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle, OBE is a Scottish film and television actor. He is known for a variety of roles including those in Trainspotting, Hamish Macbeth, The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes, The 51st State, and 28 Weeks Later...
as Albie Kinsella: a hard-working LiverpoolLiverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
fan and survivor of HillsboroughThe Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
, who is driven over the edge soon after his father's death and becomes a killer. Among his victims is DCI Bilborough. He is the main antagonist of "To Be A Somebody".
- Jim Carter as Kenneth Trant: the middle-aged head of a Christan cult who murders one of his students after accidentally impregnating her, and conspires with his cult to cover it up. He is the main antagonist of "The Big Crunch".
- Graham Aggrey as Floyd Malcolm: a black serial rapist who lashes out at the white community and begins killing after unwittingly receiving advice from Fitz. He is the main antagonist of "Men Should Weep".
- Mark Lambert as David Harvey: a man addicted to sex with prostitutes who murders one when she threatens to expose him to his wife. He is the main antagonist of "Brotherly Love".
- Brid Brennan
Brid Brennan is an Irish actress, best known for her theatre work. She was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland.-Theatre work:Brennan created the role of Agnes Mundy in Brian Friel's play Dancing at Lughnasa. She played the role in the original Dublin, West End and Broadway productions, winning a...
as Maggie Harvey: David Harvey's wife, who begins killing prostitutes the same way as her husband but with a darker agenda. A secondary antagonist of "Brotherly Love".
- John Simm
John Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
as Bill Nash/Preece: a lonely factory worker who harbours a vendetta towards his former foster parents, particularly their little boy. He is the main antagonist of "Best Boys".
- Liam Cunningham as Stuart Grady: Bill Preece's employer. A closeted homosexual, he befriends Preece and develops feelings for him, but gets involved in Preece's murderous activities. A secondary antagonist of "Best Boys".
- Emily Joyce
Emily Sian Joyce is an English stage and television actress.-Early life:Joyce is the youngest of three sisters, all of whom are in the entertainment business in the UK. Their mother loved the theatre and took the three girls to shows constantly...
as Janice: a lab technician who harbours feelings for Fitz and begins committing murders to get his attention. She is the main antagonist of "True Romance".
- Barnaby Kay
Barnaby Kay is a British actor noted for his roles in television, stage and film, and as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.Kay is the son of the actor Richard Kay , and the grandson of entertainer Arthur Kay...
as Dennis Philby: an English businessman residing in Hong Kong who is driven over the edge by his girlfriend's unexpected pregnancy. He is the main antagonist of "White Ghost".
- Anthony Flanagan
Anthony Flanagan is an English actor most widely known for his portrayal of policeman Tony in Channel 4's comedy-drama series Shameless.-Biography:...
as Kenny Archer: a rogue policeman with a great hatred for Americans because of the "War on Terror" started by the World Trade Center attackWorld Trade Center attack can refer to multiple attacks on the World Trade Center in the U.S. city of New York:*World Trade Center 1993 bombings, in which the complex was damaged*September 11, 2001 attacks, in which the complex was destroyed...
. He is the main antagonist of "Nine Eleven".
Crew
Although Jimmy McGovern wrote the majority of the early stories, Ted Whitehead contributed the fifth serial, "The Big Crunch". Claiming that he had "nothing more to write about," McGovern originally planned to leave after the second series, but was allowed to write the controversial rape storyline, "Men Should Weep", when he agreed to contribute a three-part story to the third series. Two of McGovern's stories, "To Say I Love You" and "Brotherly Love" (from the first and third series respectively), received
Edgar AwardThe Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
s from the
Mystery Writers of AmericaMystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
. Most of these episodes were directed by
Tim FywellTim Fywell is an English television and film director. Fywell started his career in British television, directing episodes of Brookside. In 2003 his made his feature debut with I Capture the Castle, an adaption of the novel that goes by the same title by Dodie Smith...
.
Paul AbbottPaul Abbott is a BAFTA award-winning English television screenwriter and producer. Abbott has become one of the most critically and commercially successful television writers working in Britain today, following his work on many popular series, including Coronation Street, Cracker and Shameless,...
, who had produced the second series, wrote the remainder of the episodes (including the feature-length special "White Ghost"). Abbott later went on to create several high-profile dramas, including
Touching EvilTouching Evil is a British television drama serial, which began airing in 1997. It was produced by United Productions for Anglia Television, and screened on the ITV network. The first series consisted of six fifty-minute episodes. It was created by Paul Abbott, and written by Abbott with Russell T...
(1997),
State of Play (2003) and
Shameless (2004). Another crew member,
Nicola ShindlerNicola Shindler is a British television producer and executive, the founder of Red Production Company, one of the foremost independent television drama production companies working in the UK today....
, who worked as
script editorA script editor is a member of the production team of scripted television programmes, usually dramas and comedies. The script editor has many responsibilities including finding new script writers, developing storyline and series ideas with writers, ensuring that scripts are suitable for production...
on the programme, later went on to found the highly successful
Red Production CompanyRed Production Company is a British independent television production company, formed in 1998 by Nicola Shindler, an experienced television producer who had worked on such prestige dramas as Our Friends in the North and Cracker...
.
Of the regular cast, only Coltrane and Tomlinson featured in "White Ghost" (retitled "Lucky White Ghost" for some overseas markets), which was set in Hong Kong. Although the series was still drawing large audiences, after "White Ghost" Coltrane declined to return as Fitz unless McGovern returned to write the series.
Cracker returned to television screens a decade after "White Ghost" in the 2006 special episode, "Nine Eleven", written by McGovern and directed by
Antonia BirdAntonia Bird is an English television drama and feature film director.-Life and career:Bird was born in London. She began her career at the Royal Court Theatre before moving to television in the mid 1980s, directing episodes of EastEnders , Casualty , and drama serials like Thin Air and The Men's...
. The story saw the return of only Coltrane, Flynn and O'Brien in their previous roles. The new roles of DCI Walters, DS Saleh and DS McAllister were played by
Richard CoyleRichard Coyle is an English actor.-Early life:Coyle was born in Sheffield, England to Irish parents. He began his acting career after a stint working on a ferry entertaining passengers, where he was told by a theatre director that he had a talent and should pursue it further...
,
Nisha NayarNisha K. Nayar is a British actress, perhaps best known for her recurring role as Elaine 'The Pain' Boyak in The Story of Tracy Beaker.- Filmography :- External links :...
and
Rafe SpallRafe Joseph Spall is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the Edgar Wright films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz , alongside Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. He had previously appeared alongside Pegg and Frost in a 2001 episode of Spaced...
respectively. The story involved Fitz returning to Manchester after several years of living in Australia with Judith and his son James (who had been born during the final series of the original programme) to attend his daughter Katy's wedding. The murder of an American night club comedian sends the police to ask Fitz for his help.
Locations
The series was principally filmed in South Manchester, at locations including
DidsburyDidsbury is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre, in the southern half of the Greater Manchester Urban Area...
(where Fitz lived) and the police station at
LongsightLongsight is an area of Manchester, England, about south of the city centre. Its population is about 16,000.-History:Longsight has been known over the past for its gang related violence, similar to that of nearby Moss Side. Most of the violence came from tensions between 2 gangs; The Longsight...
. The internals for the police station were filmed in the old
Daily Mirror offices in central Manchester, now
The PrintworksThe Printworks is an entertainment venue, located on Withy Grove in Manchester city centre, England. It opened in 2000 and was launched with fireworks and a radio roadshow featuring many local and international acts, headlined by Lionel Richie....
retail complex. Other Manchester locations included
Victoria Railway StationManchester Victoria station in Manchester, England is the city's second largest mainline railway station. It is also a Metrolink station, one of eight within the City Zone...
,
St Peter's SquareSt Peter's Square Metrolink station is a Manchester Metrolink station located on St Peter's Square, Manchester city centre.Metrolink trams from Altrincham and Eccles serve two platforms in the west of the square which are located directly in front of Manchester Central Library...
,
Old TraffordOld Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
, the
Arndale CentreArndale Centres were the first "American-style" malls to be built in the United Kingdom. In total twenty-two Arndales have been built in the UK, and two in Australia...
,
University of SalfordThe University of Salford is a campus university based in Salford, Greater Manchester, England with approximately 20,000 registered students. The main campus is about west of Manchester city centre, on the A6, opposite the former home of the physicist, James Prescott Joule and the Working Class...
, the
Ramada HotelRamada International is the company that owns, operates, and franchises hotels using the Ramada name outside of the United States and Canada. Ramada International was formerly owned by Marriott International, a competitor of Cendant, which owned Ramada in the United States and Canada...
and the
SafewaySafeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
supermarket in
Chorlton-cum-HardyChorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of the city of Manchester, England. It is known locally as Chorlton. It is situated about four miles southwest of Manchester city centre. Pronunciation varies: and are both common....
.
Stories
Episodes varied in length from 50 to 120 minutes.
The original broadcast of episode one of the "Brotherly Love" story was an hour long (so 70 minutes with commercials) and shown on the Sunday before the regular Monday slot for the series. Further broadcasts of this episode, including VHS and DVD release, were edited down to the conventional 50 minute size.
Series-
Story |
Title |
Writer |
Episodes |
Original
Airdate(s) (UK) |
Synopsis |
| 1-1 |
"The Mad Woman in the Attic The Mad Woman in the Attic is the pilot episode of Cracker, divided into two parts.-Part One:Dr. Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald listens on the telephone to a horse racing match, and moans as the horse he made a bet on does not win...
" |
Jimmy McGovern |
2 |
27 September 1993
4 October 1993 |
A young woman is brutally murdered on a train, the victim of a serial killer. The prime suspect is an amnesiac man, who cannot confess to the crime if he cannot remember committing it unless Fitz can crack him. |
| 1-2 |
"To Say I Love You To Say I Love You is the second episode of Cracker. It is the first episode of the series divided into three parts, and is notable for featuring the first death of a major character, in this case, DC George Giggs.-Part One:...
" |
Jimmy McGovern |
3 |
11 October 1993
18 October 1993
25 October 1993 |
While his own marriage is falling apart, Fitz goes up against a young couple who would literally kill for their love, leading to an equally literally explosive climax. |
| 1-3 |
"One Day A Lemming Will Fly One Day A Lemming Will Fly is the third episode of Cracker, divided into two parts. It is the final episode of season one, and also the only episode in which the true criminal is never identified and the police instead intentionally send an innocent man to prison for the crime.-Part One:Fitz and...
" |
Jimmy McGovern |
2 |
1 November 1993
8 November 1993 |
The disappearance and death of a 13-year-old boy inflames the local community as a teacher becomes the prime suspect. But Fitz begins to have doubts about the teacher's guilt and attempts to convince Billborough that the truth is more important than a mere result that seems to fit. |
| 2-1 |
"To Be A Somebody To Be A Somebody is the first episode of the second season of Cracker, divided into three parts. It served as the breakthrough role of actor Robert Carlyle. Unlike other episodes, it is connected with a real life event, the Hillsborough disaster, and other events connected to it...
" |
Jimmy McGovern |
3 |
10 October 1994
17 October 1994
24 October 1994 |
A Pakistani shopkeeper is killed and a skinhead seen leaving the premises. The police are at first convinced that it is a racist killing until a white, English psychologist helping out with the case and DCI Billborough are murdered by the same man. Fitz, while facing his own problems with his family and a hurt Penhaligon, is brought in to investigate, convinced that the killer is not a mere racist hood but actually an ordinary citizen gone horribly wrong. See also: Hillsborough disasterThe Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
. |
| 2-2 |
"The Big Crunch" |
Ted Whitehead |
3 |
31 October 1994
7 November 1994
14 November 1994 |
A young girl missing for several days is discovered naked, covered in strange symbols and quoting the Bible. The trail leads to a fringe Christian sect and its charismatic leader. |
| 2-3 |
"Men Should Weep" |
Jimmy McGovern |
3 |
21 November 1994
28 November 1994
5 December 1994 |
The case of a serial rapist who wears a mask, yet tries to develop a relationship with his victims strikes at the heart of Fitz's personal and professional life when Penhaligon is raped and the rapist, apparently acting on Fitz's advice, starts to kill as well. Meanwhile, Penhaligon begins to discover a connection between her rapist and Jimmy Beck. |
| 3-1 |
"Brotherly Love" |
Jimmy McGovern |
3 |
22 October 1995
23 October 1995
29 October 1995 |
The brutal murder and violation of a prostitute quickly leads to an arrest, but while the suspect is in custody, an identical murder happens. At the same time, the death of Fitz's mother reunites him with his brother Danny, and Jimmy Beck, under long time stress from Bilborough's death, finally reaches his breaking point, leading to a devastating climax. |
| 3-2 |
"Best Boys" |
Paul Abbott |
2 |
6 November 1995
13 November 1995 |
When the older Stuart Grady meets the teenage Bill Nash, the instant attraction between the two leads to murderous consequences. Meanwhile, the birth of Fitz's new son is not the solution to his marital strife that he expected, and Judith begins to seek solace with Danny. |
| 3-3 |
"True Romance" |
Paul Abbott |
2 |
20 November 1995
27 November 1995 |
Fitz is the target of a secret admirer who is willing to kill — and keep killing — to get his attention, understanding and love, even if it means targeting Fitz's loved ones. |
| Special episode |
"White Ghost" |
Paul Abbott |
1 |
28 October 1996 |
While in Hong Kong on a lecture tour, Fitz is asked by the local police to help investigate the murder of a Chinese businessman. |
| Special episode |
"Nine Eleven" |
Jimmy McGovern |
1 |
1 October 2006 |
Fitz returns to Manchester for his daughter's wedding, but is soon involved in another murder investigation when an American comedian is killed, apparently without motive. |
Influences
In some respects,
Cracker stories are structured like episodes of
Columbo. They often begin by showing the criminal committing the crime, and so sidestep the whodunnit format which is the central attraction of many television crime dramas. Both series feature a lead character who solves crimes while masking an intelligent, perceptive nature behind a slobbish exterior; Fitz delivers his summing-up in "To Say I Love You" while doing a
Peter FalkPeter Michael Falk was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo...
impression. However, while Lieutenant Columbo invariably solves each case to perfection, Fitz's involvement often only exacerbates the situation, for example leading police to arrest the wrong man ("One Day A Lemming Will Fly"), or unwittingly causing a serial rapist to murder his victim ("Men Should Weep").
Cracker's conception was also in some ways a reaction against the
police proceduralThe police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
approach of fellow Granada crime serial
Prime Suspect, placing more emphasis on emotional and psychological truth than on correct police procedure. In an interview with the
NMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, McGovern dismissed
Prime Suspect, noting that "Good TV writing has narrative simplicity and emotional complexity," and characterising the series as "A narratively complex story going up its own arse." Gub Neal, who produced the first series of
Cracker, is quoted as saying, "That we had adopted the right approach was confirmed for me when Jacky Malton, the senior woman police officer who advised on
Prime Suspect, said that although the way things happened in
Cracker was sometimes highly improbable, the relationships between the police were in many ways much more credible than they had been in
Prime Suspect."
The "Men Should Weep" storyline was originally conceived as a plot for
Prime Suspect, in which the series' protagonist, Jane Tennison, was raped.
Other versions
In 1997 a short spoof episode,
Prime Cracker, was produced for the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's biennial Red Nose Day charity
telethon in aid of Comic Relief. A crossover with ITV stablemate crime drama
Prime Suspect, the spoof starred Coltrane and
Prime Suspect lead
Helen MirrenDame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:...
as their characters from the respective series, sending up both shows.
In 1997 a 16-part US version of
CrackerCracker is an American crime drama series produced by Granada Entertainment for ABC and based upon the British television crime drama of the same name created by Jimmy McGovern....
— directed by
Stephen CraggStephen Cragg is an American television producer and director. Cragg has directed for several present-day network television series. More recently Cragg has directed episodes of Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal and Third Watch...
and
Michael FieldsMichael Fields may refer to:*Michael Fields , American TV director, writer and producer*Michael Fields , British lute and theorbo player*Mickey Fields, jazz musicianSee also*Michael Field...
— was made, starring
Robert PastorelliRobert Joseph Pastorelli was an American actor. He had many roles on TV, in movies, and on the stage, including the seven years he played the portly painter Eldin Bernecky on the television series Murphy Brown. His last role was as an oddball hit man in Be Cool, reuniting him with Michael star...
in Coltrane's role. The original UK story lines were transferred to Los Angeles. The series finished after the first season, and was regarded by critics as a poor copy of the original. It was said that the storylines failed to translate well into an American version. Nevertheless, it was broadcast in the UK, retitled
Fitz.
External links