Red Riding
Encyclopedia
Red Riding is a television adaptation of English author David Peace
's Red Riding Quartet. Published between 1999 and 2002, the quartet comprises the novels Nineteen Seventy-Four (1999), Nineteen Seventy-Seven (2000), Nineteen Eighty (2001) and Nineteen Eighty-Three (2002). Set against a backdrop of serial murders, including the Yorkshire Ripper case, they deal with multi-layered corruption
and feature several recurring characters across the four books. Though real crimes are featured, the scripts are fictionalised and dramatised versions of events rather than contemporary factual accounts.
The adaptation into three feature-length television episodes aired in the UK on Channel 4
beginning on 5 March 2009. They are produced by Revolution Films. The three films were released theatrically in the US in February 2010.
and Andrew Garfield
. It focuses on a series of the unsolved murders of young girls. It is set in the year of the title. The story follows Eddie Dunford (Garfield
), a young reporter from the Yorkshire Post
as he tries to find information on the missing (presumed dead) girls.
John Dawson (Bean), a local businessman, has bribed members of the West Yorkshire Constabulary
and councillors so that he can purchase local land and gain permission
for a mall
he has planned—this is done by burning down a Roma camp previously existing in the area. One of the murdered girls is found on his land, having been tortured, raped, and strangled, with swan
wings stitched to her back.
Young, cocky and naive, Dunford conducts his investigation up to a dangerous stage. After the death of his friend Barry Gannon (Anthony Flanagan
), he meets an elusive male prostitute
, BJ (Robert Sheehan), who passes along incriminating materials Barry had gathered about local authority figures. Dunford becomes involved with the mother of one of the missing girls, Paula Garland (Rebecca Hall
). He then learns that she has a secret sexual relationship with Dawson: she tells Dunford that she and Dawson have known each other all their lives. Dunford ignores threats from police (orchestrated by Dawson) to keep away from Paula and Dawson's institutionalized wife. However, he continues his investigation until he is ultimately arrested by the police, after storming into a private party at Dawson's house, and Paula is abducted and murdered.
After a severe beating and torture
by two police officers, Tommy Douglas (Tony Mooney) and Bob Craven (Sean Harris
), Dunford is given a gun and abandoned in a desolate area. He seeks out Dawson, finds him at the Karachi club and challenges him about the murders. Dawson makes a confession to having 'a private weakness', indicating that he was connected to the girls' murders. Dunford shoots him repeatedly then flees by car. He then deliberately drives into a head-on collision with two police cars that were pursuing him; a vision of Paula appears by his side before his death.
A bag full of documented evidence of police corruption, left by Dunford with a seemingly trustworthy officer before his death, is brought by the latter to Detective Superintendent Maurice Jobson (David Morrissey
), who destroys it.
This episode was shot on 16 mm film
and broadcast with an anamorphic aspect ratio of 16 x 9. It was directed by Julian Jarrold
.
as Peter Hunter, a police officer brought in to assess the investigation of the Ripper murders. It featured David Morrissey
as Maurice Jobson, Jim Carter as Harold Angus and Maxine Peake
as Helen Marshall.
The story focuses on police corruption
. After public outcry concerning the Ripper crimes, and under heavy pressure, the WYC
brings in Hunter to the Ripper investigation, much to the chagrin of Bill Molloy (Warren Clarke
). Hunter had previously worked on the Karachi Club massacre, a case he had to abandon due to his wife's miscarriage. The two cases are linked by Officer Bob Craven (Sean Harris
). Hunter suggests that the Ripper investigation is being side-tracked by the Wearside Jack
tapes and feels that the real Ripper has been interviewed and missed.
Peter Hunter suspects, when reviewing the Ripper cases that the killing of one victim, Clare Strachan, is a copy-cat murder. Hunter, Helen Marshall and John Nolan (Tony Pitts
) receive information on the murder of Clare Strachan from BJ, who is introduced to Hunter by Reverend Laws. Hunter learns that Strachan was likely a prostitute working for Eric Hall, a now-dead policeman. Hall's wife requests that Hunter meet her, and after visiting her house, (finding Reverend Laws also present), Hall's wife provides Hunter with proof of Hall's work as a pimp, and that she gave Hall's documents to Maurice Jobson. Jobson claims to have lost the files, and Hunter interrogates Prentice and Alderman about the case. Alderman lets slip that the Strachan murder was probably performed by Hall, and covered up to look like a Ripper murder.
Hunter returns home for Christmas, but near the end of the vacation, his house is burned down. When he returns to West Yorkshire, he is taken off the ripper case. Hunter criticizes Jobson for no longer "being on the same side." Nolan, talking to Hunter later, tells Hunter it would probably be best for him to leave, and that he will take care of the case. Hunter, determined, tracks down BJ and threatens him, demanding clear information. BJ reveals that masked policemen burst into the Karachi club minutes after Dunford's revenge, killing all civilian survivors and finding Bob Craven and Tommy Douglas wounded by Eddie. Clare and BJ, two of the waiters at the club, witnessed the whole scene while hiding behind the bar, and were spotted by Angus and Craven as they fled the premises. BJ is, therefore, the only surviving witness of the Karachi double massacre, which forces him to flee town. BJ also implies that Craven was the murderer of Clare Strachan.
Peter Hunter returns to Millgarth Station, Leeds
to reveal this new information to Nolan; Nolan takes Peter down to the cells where Nolan says Craven is. Hunter enters the cell to see Bob Craven slouched back in a chair, a bullet through his head. Nolan reveals that he took part in the Karachi Club shootings and shoots Hunter dead. Detective Inspectors Dickie Alderman and Jim Prentice make it look like Hunter and Craven shot each other. Joan Hunter is seen comforted by Reverend Laws after Hunter's funeral.
This episode was shot on 35 mm film
and broadcast with an anamorphic aspect ratio of 2.35:1. It is directed by James Marsh
.
(Peter Mullan
), who had appeared throughout the series. The events of this movie begin with the disappearance of a fourth girl.
Maurice Jobson's pangs of conscience are a major plot point in this episode. It is established that Jobson, who in the previous two episodes was mostly a silent supporting figure, was in fact deeply reluctant in his participation in most of the corruption and criminal activity within the West Yorkshire Constabulary
and that he was the one who tipped off Dunford about the arson in the Gypsy camp, in which he took part against his will under pressure by Bill Molloy. It is also revealed that he knew about the innocence of the mentally challenged man who was accused of the murders of young girls in the first episode, Michael Myshkin (Daniel Mays
), and that he realized at least as early as 1974 that the Constabulary was protecting high-profile figures, including Dawson, from a thorough investigation concerning their shady activities. These flashbacks are brought about by Jobson's investigation of the recent missing girl, and his decision to go back and investigate previous cases. In a parallel plot development also taking place in the present, Jobson falls in love with a medium (Saskia Reeves
) who seems to be in possession of valuable information concerning the latest crimes.
John Piggott (Mark Addy
) is a public solicitor whose late father (nicknamed "the pig") was a notorious member of the Constabulary. His inquiries lead him to Leonard Cole (Gerard Kearns
), the young man who found the swan-stitched victim in episode one and who is now being framed for the disappearance of a young girl named Hazel Atkins. Cole is finally tortured and murdered by the police, his death disguised as a suicide. Piggott's investigation, informed by his visits to the imprisoned Michael Myshkin, finally leads him to a mine shaft hidden in a pigeon shed near Laws' home, where he makes a discovery of horrific implications. It is revealed that a paedophiliac
and child-murdering ring was run in West Yorkshire by Laws, who abducted lost children under the guise of securing their well-being on behalf of his parish. It is implied that only when children with known, stable families were abducted was the criminal structure partially compromised -- perhaps the main reason for the constables' indirect assistance in Dawson's demise. Laws counted on the complicity and even direct collaboration of high-ranking officials in the WYC
. It is also revealed, through Piggott's imagination and flashbacks by other characters, that the clients of this ring included significant figures of society, among them businessmen such as Dawson and policemen such as Piggott's father.
Finally, it is also revealed that BJ was the first child abducted by this criminal enterprise, and almost certainly the only one who survived. He ends up returning to Laws' home to enact revenge, but in the last moment finds himself unable to do so due to Laws' mind-numbing, domineering influence on him. Seconds before Laws is about to trephine
BJ with an electrical drill
, Jobson appears with a shotgun and shoots the reverend three times, killing him. He then opens the hidden entrance to the mine shaft just in time for Piggott to emerge from it with a still-living Hazel Atkins in his arms. BJ flees southward by train, reflecting on his upbringing, his experiences, and his "escape" from the past of West Yorkshire.
The third episode of the trilogy aired on 19 March 2009 on Channel 4. It was shot using the Red One digital camera. It was directed by Anand Tucker
.
has acquired the rights to adapt the novels and films into a theatrical film. The studio was negotiating with Ridley Scott
in October 2009 to direct it.
The Trilogy was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the US by IFC Films on Feb. 5, 2010.
David Peace
David Peace is an English author. Known for his novels GB84, The Damned Utd, and Red Riding Quartet, Peace was named one of the Best of Young British Novelists by Granta in their 2003 list...
's Red Riding Quartet. Published between 1999 and 2002, the quartet comprises the novels Nineteen Seventy-Four (1999), Nineteen Seventy-Seven (2000), Nineteen Eighty (2001) and Nineteen Eighty-Three (2002). Set against a backdrop of serial murders, including the Yorkshire Ripper case, they deal with multi-layered corruption
Police corruption
Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest....
and feature several recurring characters across the four books. Though real crimes are featured, the scripts are fictionalised and dramatised versions of events rather than contemporary factual accounts.
The adaptation into three feature-length television episodes aired in the UK on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
beginning on 5 March 2009. They are produced by Revolution Films. The three films were released theatrically in the US in February 2010.
1974
The first episode of the trilogy features Sean BeanSean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
and Andrew Garfield
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
. It focuses on a series of the unsolved murders of young girls. It is set in the year of the title. The story follows Eddie Dunford (Garfield
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
), a young reporter from the Yorkshire Post
Yorkshire Post
The Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
as he tries to find information on the missing (presumed dead) girls.
John Dawson (Bean), a local businessman, has bribed members of the West Yorkshire Constabulary
West Yorkshire Constabulary
The West Yorkshire Constabulary was, from 1968 to 1974, the statutory police force for the West Riding of Yorkshire, in northern England.It was formed under the Police Act 1964, and was a merger of the previous West Riding Constabulary along with six borough forces for the county boroughs of...
and councillors so that he can purchase local land and gain permission
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
for a mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
he has planned—this is done by burning down a Roma camp previously existing in the area. One of the murdered girls is found on his land, having been tortured, raped, and strangled, with swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
wings stitched to her back.
Young, cocky and naive, Dunford conducts his investigation up to a dangerous stage. After the death of his friend Barry Gannon (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:...
), he meets an elusive male prostitute
Male prostitution
Male prostitution is the practice of engaging in sexual acts for money. Compared to female sex workers, male sex workers have been far less studied by researchers, and while studies suggest that there are differences between the ways these two groups look at their work, more research is needed.Male...
, BJ (Robert Sheehan), who passes along incriminating materials Barry had gathered about local authority figures. Dunford becomes involved with the mother of one of the missing girls, Paula Garland (Rebecca Hall
Rebecca Hall
Rebecca Maria Hall is an English actress.In 2003, Hall won the Ian Charleson Award for her debut stage performance in a production of Mrs. Warren's Profession...
). He then learns that she has a secret sexual relationship with Dawson: she tells Dunford that she and Dawson have known each other all their lives. Dunford ignores threats from police (orchestrated by Dawson) to keep away from Paula and Dawson's institutionalized wife. However, he continues his investigation until he is ultimately arrested by the police, after storming into a private party at Dawson's house, and Paula is abducted and murdered.
After a severe beating and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
by two police officers, Tommy Douglas (Tony Mooney) and Bob Craven (Sean Harris
Sean Harris
Sean Harris is a British actor, who is best known for his performance as Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis in the film 24 Hour Party People. He grew up in Norwich, Norfolk, where he lived until he was 23....
), Dunford is given a gun and abandoned in a desolate area. He seeks out Dawson, finds him at the Karachi club and challenges him about the murders. Dawson makes a confession to having 'a private weakness', indicating that he was connected to the girls' murders. Dunford shoots him repeatedly then flees by car. He then deliberately drives into a head-on collision with two police cars that were pursuing him; a vision of Paula appears by his side before his death.
A bag full of documented evidence of police corruption, left by Dunford with a seemingly trustworthy officer before his death, is brought by the latter to Detective Superintendent Maurice Jobson (David Morrissey
David Morrissey
David Mark Morrissey is an English actor and director. Morrissey grew up in the Kensington and Knotty Ash areas of Liverpool, and learned to act at the city's Everyman Youth Theatre. At the age of 18, he was cast in the television series One Summer , which won him recognition throughout the country...
), who destroys it.
This episode was shot on 16 mm film
16 mm film
16 mm film refers to a popular, economical gauge of film used for motion pictures and non-theatrical film making. 16 mm refers to the width of the film...
and broadcast with an anamorphic aspect ratio of 16 x 9. It was directed by Julian Jarrold
Julian Jarrold
Julian Edward Peter Jarrold, born 1960 in Norwich, is a BAFTA Award-nominated English film and television director.He is a member of the family which founded Jarrolds of Norwich in 1823 and was educated in Norfolk at Gresham's School, Holt...
.
1980
The second episode of the trilogy aired on 12 March 2009. The theme for this episode is the investigation of the Yorkshire Ripper murders. It starred Paddy ConsidinePaddy Considine
Patrick George "Paddy" Considine is an English actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, musician and frequent collaborator with Shane Meadows. Best known to audiences for his portrayals of dark, troubled, morally or mentally ambiguous characters...
as Peter Hunter, a police officer brought in to assess the investigation of the Ripper murders. It featured David Morrissey
David Morrissey
David Mark Morrissey is an English actor and director. Morrissey grew up in the Kensington and Knotty Ash areas of Liverpool, and learned to act at the city's Everyman Youth Theatre. At the age of 18, he was cast in the television series One Summer , which won him recognition throughout the country...
as Maurice Jobson, Jim Carter as Harold Angus and Maxine Peake
Maxine Peake
Maxine Peake is an English stage, film and television actress known for playing Veronica in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless, Twinkle in Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies, and, most recently, barrister Martha Costello in BBC legal drama Silk.-Early life:Peake is the second of...
as Helen Marshall.
The story focuses on police corruption
Police corruption
Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest....
. After public outcry concerning the Ripper crimes, and under heavy pressure, the WYC
West Yorkshire Constabulary
The West Yorkshire Constabulary was, from 1968 to 1974, the statutory police force for the West Riding of Yorkshire, in northern England.It was formed under the Police Act 1964, and was a merger of the previous West Riding Constabulary along with six borough forces for the county boroughs of...
brings in Hunter to the Ripper investigation, much to the chagrin of Bill Molloy (Warren Clarke
Warren Clarke
-Biography:Clarke was born in Oldham, Lancashire. His first television appearance was in the long running Granada soap opera Coronation Street, initially as Kenny Pickup in 1966 and then as Gary Bailey in 1968. His first major film appearance was in Stanley Kubrick's controversial A Clockwork...
). Hunter had previously worked on the Karachi Club massacre, a case he had to abandon due to his wife's miscarriage. The two cases are linked by Officer Bob Craven (Sean Harris
Sean Harris
Sean Harris is a British actor, who is best known for his performance as Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis in the film 24 Hour Party People. He grew up in Norwich, Norfolk, where he lived until he was 23....
). Hunter suggests that the Ripper investigation is being side-tracked by the Wearside Jack
Wearside Jack
Wearside Jack is the nickname given to John Samuel Humble , a hoaxer who pretended to be the Yorkshire Ripper in the late 1970s. In 2006 he was convicted for perverting the course of justice.-Taunting letters:...
tapes and feels that the real Ripper has been interviewed and missed.
Peter Hunter suspects, when reviewing the Ripper cases that the killing of one victim, Clare Strachan, is a copy-cat murder. Hunter, Helen Marshall and John Nolan (Tony Pitts
Tony Pitts
Anthony "Tony" Pitts is an English actor, most notable for playing Archie Brooks in the long-running British soap Emmerdale Farm between 1983 and 1993.He is now a screenwriter....
) receive information on the murder of Clare Strachan from BJ, who is introduced to Hunter by Reverend Laws. Hunter learns that Strachan was likely a prostitute working for Eric Hall, a now-dead policeman. Hall's wife requests that Hunter meet her, and after visiting her house, (finding Reverend Laws also present), Hall's wife provides Hunter with proof of Hall's work as a pimp, and that she gave Hall's documents to Maurice Jobson. Jobson claims to have lost the files, and Hunter interrogates Prentice and Alderman about the case. Alderman lets slip that the Strachan murder was probably performed by Hall, and covered up to look like a Ripper murder.
Hunter returns home for Christmas, but near the end of the vacation, his house is burned down. When he returns to West Yorkshire, he is taken off the ripper case. Hunter criticizes Jobson for no longer "being on the same side." Nolan, talking to Hunter later, tells Hunter it would probably be best for him to leave, and that he will take care of the case. Hunter, determined, tracks down BJ and threatens him, demanding clear information. BJ reveals that masked policemen burst into the Karachi club minutes after Dunford's revenge, killing all civilian survivors and finding Bob Craven and Tommy Douglas wounded by Eddie. Clare and BJ, two of the waiters at the club, witnessed the whole scene while hiding behind the bar, and were spotted by Angus and Craven as they fled the premises. BJ is, therefore, the only surviving witness of the Karachi double massacre, which forces him to flee town. BJ also implies that Craven was the murderer of Clare Strachan.
Peter Hunter returns to Millgarth Station, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
to reveal this new information to Nolan; Nolan takes Peter down to the cells where Nolan says Craven is. Hunter enters the cell to see Bob Craven slouched back in a chair, a bullet through his head. Nolan reveals that he took part in the Karachi Club shootings and shoots Hunter dead. Detective Inspectors Dickie Alderman and Jim Prentice make it look like Hunter and Craven shot each other. Joan Hunter is seen comforted by Reverend Laws after Hunter's funeral.
This episode was shot on 35 mm film
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
and broadcast with an anamorphic aspect ratio of 2.35:1. It is directed by James Marsh
James Marsh (director)
James Marsh is a film director known for directing the cult film Wisconsin Death Trip starring Marcus Monroe and Sir Ian Holm. He won 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for directing Man on Wire....
.
1983
This episode describes a redemption of sorts for three main characters. In doing so, it reveals or implies all of the significant hidden plot points in the previous two episodes; it is for this reason that flashbacks are much more prevalent here than in episode two. It also sheds light on the figure of Reverend Martin Laws from FitzwilliamFitzwilliam, West Yorkshire
Fitzwilliam is a small village on the edge of West Yorkshire, England. It is located in the City of Wakefield district. Technically, it is part of the town of Hemsworth and governed by Hemsworth Town Council as well as Wakefield M.D.C., but the Land Registry and Post Office recognise Fitzwilliam...
(Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan is a Scottish actor and film-maker who has been appearing in films since 1990.-Early life:Mullan, the sixth of eight children, was born in Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland, the son of Patricia, a nurse, and Charles Mullan, a lab technician who worked at Glasgow University. He...
), who had appeared throughout the series. The events of this movie begin with the disappearance of a fourth girl.
Maurice Jobson's pangs of conscience are a major plot point in this episode. It is established that Jobson, who in the previous two episodes was mostly a silent supporting figure, was in fact deeply reluctant in his participation in most of the corruption and criminal activity within the West Yorkshire Constabulary
West Yorkshire Constabulary
The West Yorkshire Constabulary was, from 1968 to 1974, the statutory police force for the West Riding of Yorkshire, in northern England.It was formed under the Police Act 1964, and was a merger of the previous West Riding Constabulary along with six borough forces for the county boroughs of...
and that he was the one who tipped off Dunford about the arson in the Gypsy camp, in which he took part against his will under pressure by Bill Molloy. It is also revealed that he knew about the innocence of the mentally challenged man who was accused of the murders of young girls in the first episode, Michael Myshkin (Daniel Mays
Daniel Mays
-Early life:One of four boys, Mays was raised in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, by his electrician father and bank cashier mother. He attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts before going on to win a place at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.-Career:...
), and that he realized at least as early as 1974 that the Constabulary was protecting high-profile figures, including Dawson, from a thorough investigation concerning their shady activities. These flashbacks are brought about by Jobson's investigation of the recent missing girl, and his decision to go back and investigate previous cases. In a parallel plot development also taking place in the present, Jobson falls in love with a medium (Saskia Reeves
Saskia Reeves
Saskia Reeves is a British actress perhaps best known for her roles in the films Close My Eyes and ID , and the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune....
) who seems to be in possession of valuable information concerning the latest crimes.
John Piggott (Mark Addy
Mark Addy
Mark Addy Johnson is an English actor, best known for his roles as Detective Constable Gary Boyle in the UK sitcom The Thin Blue Line, Dave in the British film The Full Monty, father Bill Miller in the U.S...
) is a public solicitor whose late father (nicknamed "the pig") was a notorious member of the Constabulary. His inquiries lead him to Leonard Cole (Gerard Kearns
Gerard Kearns
Gerard Kearns is an English actor. He has appeared in film and television. He played Ian Gallagher, one of the original characters in Channel 4's Shameless, for 6 years.- Career :...
), the young man who found the swan-stitched victim in episode one and who is now being framed for the disappearance of a young girl named Hazel Atkins. Cole is finally tortured and murdered by the police, his death disguised as a suicide. Piggott's investigation, informed by his visits to the imprisoned Michael Myshkin, finally leads him to a mine shaft hidden in a pigeon shed near Laws' home, where he makes a discovery of horrific implications. It is revealed that a paedophiliac
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
and child-murdering ring was run in West Yorkshire by Laws, who abducted lost children under the guise of securing their well-being on behalf of his parish. It is implied that only when children with known, stable families were abducted was the criminal structure partially compromised -- perhaps the main reason for the constables' indirect assistance in Dawson's demise. Laws counted on the complicity and even direct collaboration of high-ranking officials in the WYC
West Yorkshire Constabulary
The West Yorkshire Constabulary was, from 1968 to 1974, the statutory police force for the West Riding of Yorkshire, in northern England.It was formed under the Police Act 1964, and was a merger of the previous West Riding Constabulary along with six borough forces for the county boroughs of...
. It is also revealed, through Piggott's imagination and flashbacks by other characters, that the clients of this ring included significant figures of society, among them businessmen such as Dawson and policemen such as Piggott's father.
Finally, it is also revealed that BJ was the first child abducted by this criminal enterprise, and almost certainly the only one who survived. He ends up returning to Laws' home to enact revenge, but in the last moment finds himself unable to do so due to Laws' mind-numbing, domineering influence on him. Seconds before Laws is about to trephine
Trepanation
Trepanning, also known as trephination, trephining or making a burr hole, is a surgical intervention in which a hole is drilled or scraped into the human skull, exposing the dura mater in order to treat health problems related to intracranial diseases. It may also refer to any "burr" hole created...
BJ with an electrical drill
Drill
A drill or drill motor is a tool fitted with a cutting tool attachment or driving tool attachment, usually a drill bit or driver bit, used for drilling holes in various materials or fastening various materials together with the use of fasteners. The attachment is gripped by a chuck at one end of...
, Jobson appears with a shotgun and shoots the reverend three times, killing him. He then opens the hidden entrance to the mine shaft just in time for Piggott to emerge from it with a still-living Hazel Atkins in his arms. BJ flees southward by train, reflecting on his upbringing, his experiences, and his "escape" from the past of West Yorkshire.
The third episode of the trilogy aired on 19 March 2009 on Channel 4. It was shot using the Red One digital camera. It was directed by Anand Tucker
Anand Tucker
Anand Tucker is a film director and producer based in London. He began his career directing factual television programming and adverts...
.
Theatrical film adaptation
Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
has acquired the rights to adapt the novels and films into a theatrical film. The studio was negotiating with Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
in October 2009 to direct it.
The Trilogy was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the US by IFC Films on Feb. 5, 2010.
External links
- Northern Exposure, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, February 28, 2009 - Review, Leicester Mercury
- http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100310/REVIEWS/100319992/1023Review by Roger EbertRoger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
], March 10, 2010