Dr. Tony Hill
Encyclopedia
Dr Tony Hill is a fictional character
created by Scottish
crime writer Val McDermid
. He is portrayed by actor Robson Green
in the ITV
television series Wire in the Blood
based on her Tony Hill series of novels.
s throughout his turbulent career. He suffers from dyspraxia
and has poor social skills, stemming partly from a childhood of emotional abuse. Both his mother (who bore him out of wedlock) and grandmother used excessive corporal punishment
against him, although this was more because they resented his presence in their lives than any actual wrongdoing on his part. As a result he can't stand arguing, having once said that it reminds him of being a child ("the grown-ups are shouting and it must be my fault").
He is often accompanied on his investigations by the gutsy Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan. He enjoys video games such as Tomb Raider
.
He is occasionally implied as having a difficult relationship with his mother, an emotionally detached businesswoman who bore her son while she was still young and unmarried, at a time when such a thing was considered scandalous. It is also revealed in Beneath The Bleeding that when he was a child his grandmother used to shut him in a cupboard for long periods of time whenever he irritated her or did something wrong. Additionally, both his mother and grandmother used beatings as punishment for unintended childhood misdemeanors - when really, it appears that his grandmother's exception could be attributed to Tony's birth out of wedlock rather than justifiable instances of wrongdoing, and his mother resented his presence in her life.
Tony tends to solve his cases using a mix of role-play, first person analysis and intuition. This approach often unsettles those around him and in the TV series, it isn't until Carol realises his worth in a practical setting that Bradfield CID embraces his ongoing assistance. Within the novels, Tony has an established professional standing that earns him a place at the head of the National Profiling Task Force after he conducted the feasibility study that resulted in its formation.
In the TV series, Tony has admitted to being dyspraxic as well as socially inept. He draws his satisfaction in life from analysing and understanding damaged minds, something that he often fears has affected him deeply - an affliction he refers to in the novels as his attempts at "passing for human." There are numerous references in both TV and book canon to the spectre of his past and how he fears it leaves little distinction between him and the psychopaths he profiles. It appears that many of his ongoing issues and feelings of inadequacy can be traced to the negativity of his childhood and his early sexual experiences.
as Carol Jordan. She stayed in the role up until series 4, when her character was replaced with D.I. Alex Fielding, an equally tough, ambitious single mother played by Simone Lahbib
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
crime writer Val McDermid
Val McDermid
Val McDermid is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of suspense novels starring her most famous creation, Dr. Tony Hill.-Biography:...
. He is portrayed by actor Robson Green
Robson Green
Robson Green is an English actor, singer–songwriter and presenter.-Biography:Robson Golightly Green was born in Hexham, Northumberland, and baptised in Bethel Chapel, , and named in Northeast tradition as first son after family surnames: Robson is his grandmother's maiden surname, while Golightly...
in the ITV
ITV
ITV 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...
television series Wire in the Blood
Wire in the Blood
Wire in the Blood was a British crime drama television series, devised and produced by Coastal Productions for the ITV network that ran from 2002 to 2009. The series is based on characters created by Val McDermid; a university clinical psychologist, Dr Anthony "Tony" Valentine Hill , is teamed with...
based on her Tony Hill series of novels.
Overview
Dr Hill is a clinical psychologist who works as a profiler for the Bradfield police; he specialises in repeat violent offenders, and has come into contact with a number of serial killerSerial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
s throughout his turbulent career. He suffers from dyspraxia
Dyspraxia
Developmental dyspraxia is a motor learning difficulty that can affect planning of movements and co-ordination as a result of brain messages not being accurately transmitted to the body...
and has poor social skills, stemming partly from a childhood of emotional abuse. Both his mother (who bore him out of wedlock) and grandmother used excessive corporal punishment
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
against him, although this was more because they resented his presence in their lives than any actual wrongdoing on his part. As a result he can't stand arguing, having once said that it reminds him of being a child ("the grown-ups are shouting and it must be my fault").
He is often accompanied on his investigations by the gutsy Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan. He enjoys video games such as Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider is an action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was originally released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn, with MS-DOS and PlayStation versions following shortly thereafter...
.
He is occasionally implied as having a difficult relationship with his mother, an emotionally detached businesswoman who bore her son while she was still young and unmarried, at a time when such a thing was considered scandalous. It is also revealed in Beneath The Bleeding that when he was a child his grandmother used to shut him in a cupboard for long periods of time whenever he irritated her or did something wrong. Additionally, both his mother and grandmother used beatings as punishment for unintended childhood misdemeanors - when really, it appears that his grandmother's exception could be attributed to Tony's birth out of wedlock rather than justifiable instances of wrongdoing, and his mother resented his presence in her life.
Tony tends to solve his cases using a mix of role-play, first person analysis and intuition. This approach often unsettles those around him and in the TV series, it isn't until Carol realises his worth in a practical setting that Bradfield CID embraces his ongoing assistance. Within the novels, Tony has an established professional standing that earns him a place at the head of the National Profiling Task Force after he conducted the feasibility study that resulted in its formation.
In the TV series, Tony has admitted to being dyspraxic as well as socially inept. He draws his satisfaction in life from analysing and understanding damaged minds, something that he often fears has affected him deeply - an affliction he refers to in the novels as his attempts at "passing for human." There are numerous references in both TV and book canon to the spectre of his past and how he fears it leaves little distinction between him and the psychopaths he profiles. It appears that many of his ongoing issues and feelings of inadequacy can be traced to the negativity of his childhood and his early sexual experiences.
TV series
The first episode of the television series, The Mermaids Singing, was broadcast on 14 November 2002, and co-starred Hermione NorrisHermione Norris
Hermione Norris is an English actress.Norris attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the 1980s before taking small roles in theatre and on television. In 1996, she was cast in her breakout role of Karen Marsden in the comedy drama television series Cold Feet...
as Carol Jordan. She stayed in the role up until series 4, when her character was replaced with D.I. Alex Fielding, an equally tough, ambitious single mother played by Simone Lahbib
Simone Lahbib
Simone Lahbib , born 6 February 1965 in Stirling, Scotland is a Scottish actor who has received widespread recognition for her portrayal of strong, emotionally charged characters....
.
Novels
- The Mermaids SingingThe Mermaids SingingThe Mermaids Singing is a crime novel by Scottish author Val McDermid, the first featuring her recurring protagonist, Dr. Tony Hill. It was adapted into the pilot episode of ITV1's television series based on McDermid's work, Wire in the Blood, starring Robson Green and Hermione Norris.The title is...
(1995) - The Wire in the Blood (1997)
- The Last Temptation (2002)
- The Torment of OthersThe Torment of OthersThe Torment of Others is a crime novel by Scottish author Val McDermid, and is the fourth entry in her popular Carol Jordan and Dr. Tony Hill series, which has been successfully adapted into the television series Wire in the Blood. The novel was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Gold...
(2004) - Beneath the BleedingBeneath the BleedingBeneath The Bleeding is a crime novel by Scottish author Val McDermid, the fifth featuring her recurring protagonist, Dr. Tony Hill and his police partner Carol Jordan. The books were successfully adapted into the television series Wire in the Blood., starring Robson Green and Hermione Norris.The...
(2007) - Fever of the BoneFever of the BoneFever of the Bone is a novel written by noted Scottish crime author Val McDermid. It was published by Little, Brown in Great Britain and HarperCollins for the United States and Canada , and is the sixth novel in the series featuring psychologist Dr. Tony Hill and Detective Chief Inspector Carol...
(2009)