Instinct (TV serial)
Encyclopedia
Instinct is a two-part drama serial
which premièred on ITV
(ITV1
/STV/UTV
) on 26 February 2007. It was created and written by Lizzie Mickery, and produced by Tightrope Pictures
for ITV
. The serial follows Detective Chief Inspector
Thomas Flynn, played by Anthony Flanagan
, as he hunts a serial killer in the Lancashire Pennines
, while dealing with a troubled personal life.
, described Instinct as a character-driven whodunit
, which placed the emotional lives of the characters at the forefront of the drama. In creating the lead character of Thomas Flynn, she wanted to explore "why sometimes somebody who is a good detective is fallible as a man." Flynn is a thirtysomething, contemporary character who is not "the usual middle-aged detective, disillusioned and world weary with a broken marriage and a love of scotch." Flynn's defining characteristics are that he relishes his work, is emotionally detached and has acute powers of observation.
Flanagan described the case investigated by Flynn as a rites of passage
. He said: "Events in his personal life - he discovers he has a half-sister and that throws him totally - begin to impinge on the investigation. That makes it far more interesting than any of the stuff concerned with the procedural side of police work." Mickery considered Flynn's relationship with his half-sister, Milly, to be central to his development as a character. She cited their reunion as a chance for him to reconnect with his emotions, reassess his past, and also as a "sexual awakening".
Mickery and Flanagan both expressed hopes that Instinct would return, with Flanagan stating that the end of the second episode felt like a beginning for his character. ITV did not recommission it, and no further episodes were made.
Instinct was filmed in and around the Rossendale Valley
. Some scenes were shot on location in Bacup
, where the town library was transformed into a police station, and a police chase was filmed through the gardens of local houses.
North West Awards 2007.
It received mixed reviews from critics; Jane Simon, writing for The Mirror
, said: "To really succeed as a TV detective you've got to have a gimmick. DCI Thomas Flynn's is instinct - but you probably could have worked that out from the title." She added: "While Flynn might be able to glance at a bloody crime scene and leap to some helpful conclusions, audiences might find this dark new drama a little bewildering." James Walton, reviewing the first episode for The Daily Telegraph
, commented that the drama had been "bogged down" by its emphasis on the psychological, adding that the "solemn pondering of fathers and sons has so far got in the way of the thrills – but without being fresh, gripping or indeed believable enough to justify its position at centre stage." Digital Spy
s Dek Hogan described the plot as "unnecessarily convoluted", and said the serial was "downbeat, one paced and frankly monotonous ... quite why it took three hours to tell a tale that [could] easily have been told far more economically in one is a far bigger mystery than the one this unmemorable bunch of coppers were trying to solve."
Harry Venning, writing for The Stage
, considered Instinct a "deliciously gruesome, coldly efficient murder mystery." The Guardian
s Gareth McLean
believed the character of DCI Flynn was compelling and had "real potential", and praised the serial for both its look and script. Writing after the decision not to recommission it was taken, he described it as having "the makings of a long-running, iconic detective show with the obligatory troubled, idiosyncratic protagonist."
Serial (radio and television)
Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...
which premièred on 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...
(ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
/STV/UTV
UTV
UTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3...
) on 26 February 2007. It was created and written by Lizzie Mickery, and produced by Tightrope Pictures
Tightrope Pictures
Tightrope Pictures is a British television production company, founded in late 2003 by writer Paul Abbott and producer Hilary Bevan-Jones, who had worked together that year on the successful BBC drama serial State of Play...
for 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...
. The serial follows Detective Chief Inspector
Chief inspector
Chief inspector is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police .-Australia:...
Thomas Flynn, played by Anthony Flanagan
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 he hunts a serial killer in the Lancashire Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
, while dealing with a troubled personal life.
Overview
Mickery, who had previously written the first three series of the similarly themed MessiahMessiah (TV series)
Messiah is a British television drama series, broadcast on the BBC One network and produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland, although the series itself is set in England. Made up of a series of occasional serials, the first, with two parts subtitled The First Killings & The Reckoning, was...
, described Instinct as a character-driven whodunit
Whodunit
A whodunit or whodunnit is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. The reader or viewer is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the final...
, which placed the emotional lives of the characters at the forefront of the drama. In creating the lead character of Thomas Flynn, she wanted to explore "why sometimes somebody who is a good detective is fallible as a man." Flynn is a thirtysomething, contemporary character who is not "the usual middle-aged detective, disillusioned and world weary with a broken marriage and a love of scotch." Flynn's defining characteristics are that he relishes his work, is emotionally detached and has acute powers of observation.
Flanagan described the case investigated by Flynn as a rites of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
. He said: "Events in his personal life - he discovers he has a half-sister and that throws him totally - begin to impinge on the investigation. That makes it far more interesting than any of the stuff concerned with the procedural side of police work." Mickery considered Flynn's relationship with his half-sister, Milly, to be central to his development as a character. She cited their reunion as a chance for him to reconnect with his emotions, reassess his past, and also as a "sexual awakening".
Mickery and Flanagan both expressed hopes that Instinct would return, with Flanagan stating that the end of the second episode felt like a beginning for his character. ITV did not recommission it, and no further episodes were made.
Setting
Mickery opted to set Instinct away from the anonymity of a large city, choosing the Lancashire Pennines to provide an atmospheric backdrop to the plot. She described the Pennines as "an extraordinary place. It has that sense of humanity clinging on to nature ... it's beautiful but daunting."Instinct was filmed in and around the Rossendale Valley
Rossendale Valley
The Rossendale Valley is part of the Forest of Rossendale, an upland area of North West England, in Lancashire. The area is within the Borough of Rossendale...
. Some scenes were shot on location in Bacup
Bacup
Bacup is a town within the Rossendale borough of Lancashire, England. It is located amongst the South Pennines, along Lancashire's eastern boundary with West Yorkshire. The town sits within a rural setting in the Forest of Rossendale, amongst the steep-sided upper-Irwell Valley, through which the...
, where the town library was transformed into a police station, and a police chase was filmed through the gardens of local houses.
Cast and characters
- Anthony FlanaganAnthony FlanaganAnthony Flanagan is an English actor most widely known for his portrayal of policeman Tony in Channel 4's comedy-drama series Shameless.-Biography:...
as DCI Thomas Flynn: The protagonist, an introverted detective who has risen speedily through the ranks thanks to his incisive mind and observational skills. He is prone to making instinctive leaps of intuition. The emotional detachment that makes him so brilliant a detective is threatened when he is confronted with his past in the form of his comatose estranged father, and meets his half-sister, Milly, for the first time. - Tom WardTom WardTom Ward is a British film, stage and television actor.-Early life:Tom Ward was born in Swansea, to the poet and academic John Powell Ward and Sarah Ward OBE, a farmer. His brother Tristan became a partner at Macfarlanes LLP, a firm of solicitors in the City of London.Ward was sent to the Dragon...
as Ian Stanford: Stanford comes under police scrutiny after the murder of his wife, Megan. Shortly after her death he is reunited with the son he never knew he had, Jake, the result of a sperm donationSperm donationSperm donation is the provision by a man, , of his sperm, with the intention that it be used to impregnate a woman who is not usually the man's sexual partner, in order to produce a child....
nineteen years before. His newly discovered family ties place him in symmetry to Thomas Flynn, with whom he forms a tacit friendship as the investigation progresses. - Christine BottomleyChristine BottomleyChristine Bottomley is a British actress.She is best known for her regular roles as Melanie in the BBC comedy series Early Doors and Susie Ward in Heartbeat.-Life and career:...
as Milly: Flynn's half-sister. Vivacious and outspoken, she is a single mother to a young son, Sid. - Jaye GriffithsJaye GriffithsJaye Griffiths is a British stage and television actress.Griffiths trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and has appeared in many television dramas, including a starring role in Bugs, which ran for four series...
as DS Shakia Barton: Flynn's right-hand woman. - Fiona GlascottFiona GlascottFiona Glascott is an Irish actress. She was nominated for an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in Film/TV for 2003's Goldfish Memory....
as DC Ali Peters: A junior member of Flynn's team. - Paul RitterPaul Ritter (actor)Paul Ritter is a British stage and screen actor.His selected filmography includes roles in Quantum of Solace, Son of Rambow, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Nowhere Boy, The Eagle and the 2007 television serial Instinct....
as DC Daniel Yelland: A junior member of Flynn's team. - Claire Hackett as Sue Richards: The mother of Ian Stanford's son, Jake.
- Michael Hodgson as Phil Richards: The husband of Sue Richards who has brought up her son, Jake, as his own.
- Liam Boyle as Jake Richards: The biological son of Ian Stanford and Sue Richards.
Episode list
| Episode | Director | Writer | Original air date | Ratings (millions) |
|---|
Awards
Instinct won Best Single Drama or Drama Serial at the Royal Television SocietyRoyal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
North West Awards 2007.
Reception
Instinct made its debut on ITV1 with ratings of 6.26 million. Viewing figures for the second and final episode fell to 4.42 million.It received mixed reviews from critics; Jane Simon, writing for The Mirror
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper which was founded in 1903. Twice in its history, from 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was changed to read simply The Mirror, which is how the paper is often referred to in popular parlance. It had an...
, said: "To really succeed as a TV detective you've got to have a gimmick. DCI Thomas Flynn's is instinct - but you probably could have worked that out from the title." She added: "While Flynn might be able to glance at a bloody crime scene and leap to some helpful conclusions, audiences might find this dark new drama a little bewildering." James Walton, reviewing the first episode for The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, commented that the drama had been "bogged down" by its emphasis on the psychological, adding that the "solemn pondering of fathers and sons has so far got in the way of the thrills – but without being fresh, gripping or indeed believable enough to justify its position at centre stage." Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
s Dek Hogan described the plot as "unnecessarily convoluted", and said the serial was "downbeat, one paced and frankly monotonous ... quite why it took three hours to tell a tale that [could] easily have been told far more economically in one is a far bigger mystery than the one this unmemorable bunch of coppers were trying to solve."
Harry Venning, writing for The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
, considered Instinct a "deliciously gruesome, coldly efficient murder mystery." The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s Gareth McLean
Gareth McLean
Gareth McLean is a Scottish journalist who writes for The Guardian newspaper and on Soap operas for the Radio Times magazine.McLean graduated with an MA in English from the University of Aberdeen, working at The Scotsman newspaper as a Feature Writer from 1997 until he began writing as a TV Critic...
believed the character of DCI Flynn was compelling and had "real potential", and praised the serial for both its look and script. Writing after the decision not to recommission it was taken, he described it as having "the makings of a long-running, iconic detective show with the obligatory troubled, idiosyncratic protagonist."