A Mind to Kill

A Mind to Kill is a Welsh television police detective series, that developed from a feature-length pilot episode first broadcast in 1991. The series stars Philip Madoc as protagonist DCI Noel Bain. Four series were broadcast between 1994 and 2002, though the Christmas special is sometimes counted as a separate series, bringing the total to five. The show first aired as Yr Heliwr on S4C, before being broadcast on Channel 5 in the UK.

A Mind to Kill
Also known asYr Heliwr
GenreCrime drama
Created bySion Eirian
Lyn Ebenezer
Written byDavid Joss Buckley
Jeff Dodds
Directed byPeter Edwards
Philip John
StarringPhilip Madoc
Ffion Wilkins
Sharon Morgan
Bryn Fôn
Ieuan Rhys
Huw Llyr
Elen Bowman
Geraint Lewis
Gillian Elisa
Theme music composerMark Thomas [Series 1, Series 2, special] / John E. R. Hardy [Series 3, Series 4 - final 7 eps]
Opening themeMark Thomas [Series 1, Series 2] / John E. R. Hardy [Series 3, Series 4 - final 7 eps]
Ending themeMark Thomas [Series 1, Series 2] / John E. R. Hardy [Series 3, Series 4 - final 7 eps]
ComposerMark Thomas [Series 1, Series 2] / John E. R. Hardy [Series 3, Series 4 - final 7 eps]
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languagesWelsh
English
No. of series4 + Christmas special
No. of episodes22 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersBrian Harris
Dafydd Huw Williams
ProducersMike Parker
Peter Edwards
Production locationsAberyswyth
Ceredigion
CinematographyPeter Thornton
EditorJohn Gillanders
Running time120 minutes
Production companiesLluniau Lliw
4L Productions
Release
Original networkS4C
ITV/HTV (pilot)
Channel 5 (series)
Original release14 December 1991 (1991-12-14) –
6 September 2002 (2002-09-06)

The series was filmed in both English and in Welsh, with each scene being shot first in one language and then in the other.[1] The series has since been dubbed into more than a dozen languages and shown all over the world. The series is set in South Wales, and features a variety of post-industrial, rural, urban and seaside landscapes. The pilot episode was filmed in the Aberystwyth area. All twenty-two episodes are available on DVD.

Synopsis

Philip Madoc plays Detective Chief Inspector Noel Bain, a man who looks back fondly to the days when policing involved chasing villains, playing rugby and drinking beer. However, he has come to realise that contemporary policing imposes dilemmas that no training manual could ever anticipate. He is a man out of time and seeks to protect the old way of life, and what he believes are important traditional values. Bain is a widower who has a tempestuous relationship with his daughter, Hannah.

Despite resenting the lack of time her father spent with the family because of police work, Hannah becomes a WPC on the same police force. Bain often sees his position as not just a job; but his raison d'être; meaning that his journey is often an emotional and painful one as the personal and professional universes collide. Bain has a close friendship with police pathologist Professor Margaret Edwards (Sharon Morgan), but his true feelings for her remain ambiguous.

Other regular actors included Gillian Elisa, Meic Povey and Geraint Lewis. Joining the regulars in the last series were Bryn Fôn, Ieuan Rhys, Huw Llyr and Elen Bowman. The series featured many guest spots from well known actors such as Margaret John, Ioan Gruffudd, Sue Jones-Davies, David Warner, Mark Lewis Jones, John Rhys-Davies, David Lyn, Archie Panjabi and Siân Phillips.

Reception

The Windsor Public Library stated that the series drew upon "Intricate plots, strongly drawn characters, and gritty authenticity", making it a "riveting Welsh drama series".[2] Eclipse Magazine said of the series; "A Mind To Kill is a dark and twisty show... CSI's ancestor. Murder is the most extreme human action and stories sometimes play out against the most extraordinary of circumstances, e.g. a Miners' Strike, when the traditional way of life of the community is already under threat."

They continued by stating that; "There is a strong psychological element, and as the series proceeds, the stories begin to dig deeper into Bain’s subconscious. The unresolved death of his wife causes great mental anguish and torment, and his dealings with the people he meets and the crimes he investigates are not always as straightforward as they should be."[3]

Episodes

Series overview
SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
0114 December 1991 (1991-12-14)
1613 November 1994 (1994-11-13)29 January 1995 (1995-01-29)
2730 August 1997 (1997-08-30)22 November 1997 (1997-11-22)
Special129 December 1998 (1998-12-29)
3324 March 2001 (2001-03-24)26 May 2001 (2001-05-26)
4416 August 2002 (2002-08-16)6 September 2002 (2002-09-06)

Pilot (1991)
No.TitleDirected byWritten byBritish air date
1"A Mind to Kill"Peter EdwardsLyn Ebenezer & Sion Eirian14 December 1991 (1991-12-14)
A young girl is found brutally murdered in a small seaside town. The police are baffled; the town's inhabitants are panic-stricken. A serial killer is on the loose, and as yet more horrific murders take place, the search for clues becomes a desperate race against time.

Series 1 (1994—1995)
No.TitleDirected byWritten byBritish air date
1"Black Silence"Peter EdwardsDavid Joss Buckley13 November 1994 (1994-11-13)
During a strike at the local coal mine, Bain investigates the murder of a 17-year-old prostitute. He suspects that the powerful, intimidating strike leader Roderick Tate is involved, but the evidence points to another man.
2"White Rocks"Edward ThomasDavid Joss Buckley27 November 1994 (1994-11-27)
A young mother is beaten to death at a run-down holiday camp, and her 7-year-old son - who may have witnessed the crime - disappears. Racing against time to find the boy before the murderer does, Bain uncovers secrets worth killing for.
3"Gameboys"Peter EdwardsDavid Joss Buckley11 December 1994 (1994-12-11)
When the charred body of a young man is found in a peaceful farming community, Bain's investigation leads to a series of shocking discoveries: drugs, rent boys, and a town elder who's not as respectable as he seems.
4"Rest Not Secure"Edward ThomasDavid Joss Buckley1 January 1995 (1995-01-01)
A gang war is brewing, but Bain is preoccupied with troubles at home: his teenage daughter, Hannah, has moved out, resentful of his job as a policeman. When Bain retreats to a remote cabin for some privacy, he is taken hostage by an escaped prisoner bent on revenge.
5"Son of His Works"Hugh ThomasWil Roberts15 January 1995 (1995-01-15)
A gruesome killing in the woods links a secretive religious cult to a troubled urban neighbourhood and a heroin dealer to a prominent married judge and his lover. Bain must untangle a web of clues to learn the truth behind the murder and expose a fraud.
6"Rachel Hardcastle"Peter EdwardsDavid Joss Buckley29 January 1995 (1995-01-29)
Bain is flattered by the romantic attentions of Rachel Hardcastle, a successful concert pianist and sophisticated, attractive woman. Then her husband turns up dead, and Bain becomes the prime suspect in his murder.

Series 2 (1997)
No.TitleDirected byWritten byBritish air date
1"Bloodline"Peter EdwardsDavid Joss Buckley30 August 1997 (1997-08-30)
What looks like a suicide pact between brothers gets complicated when another body is found. Bain uncovers a family saga of blackmail, abuse, and revenge and also copes with disturbing news from his daughter, Hannah.
2"Death Watch"Gwennan SagePeter Lloyd18 October 1997 (1997-10-18)
When the charred remains of a body are found inside a burned-out car, Bain travels to a town where vigilante justice prevails. Despite the locals' disrespect, he attempts to unravel an unsettling chain of events that led to murder.
3"Game Plan"Ceri SherlockTony Holland and John Maynard25 October 1997 (1997-10-25)
Bain goes undercover at a seedy seaside resort to investigate a young woman's murder. Then Hannah shows up for her own holiday, much to her father's chagrin.
4"Inheritance"Edward ThomasMeic Povey1 November 1997 (1997-11-01)
A wooded sanctuary in a small rural village has become a battleground between big business and local environmentalists. Investigating a string of violent killings, Bain is caught between two militant and potentially dangerous groups.
5"Head of the Valleys"Peter EdwardsDavid Joss Buckley8 November 1997 (1997-11-08)
Called in to investigate a five-year-old corpse found beneath a parking lot, Bain suspects a local crime dynasty and their ruthless matriarch. While tracking down leads, he confronts his own attitudes towards wealth and power.
6"Strange Territory"Peter EdwardsDavid Joss Buckley15 November 1997 (1997-11-15)
When a teenager turns up dead in a Celtic burial ground, the top suspects are her scorned boyfriend and the local psychic who discovered her. Inconsolable with grief, the victim's family decides to take justice into their own hands.
7"Green Wounds"Peter EdwardsDavid Joss Buckley22 November 1997 (1997-11-22)
Plagued with nightmares about the death of his wife—killed 12 years earlier by a drunk driver—Bain takes a leave of absence to seek revenge against the man who ruined his life.

Christmas Special (1998)
No.TitleDirected byWritten byBritish air date
1"Shadow Falls"Endaf EmlynDavid Joss Buckley29 December 1998 (1998-12-29)
Investigating a suspicious suicide in a tightly knit community, Bain wants to close the case and go home. Prompted by his daughter, Hannah, he digs deeper, unearthing a dark secret that binds three couples together.

Series 3 (2001)
No.TitleDirected byWritten byBritish air date
1"Colour Blind"Philip JohnD.T. Caballo24 March 2001 (2001-03-24)
The death of a young Pakistani man looks like a hate crime, but is it? Racial tension is the last thing the community needs, and it's up to Bain and his team to keep the situation from escalating into full-scale violence.
2"Box"Philip JohnDavid Joss Buckley19 May 2001 (2001-05-19)
Bain tracks a sexually disturbed killer who holds his victims captive. At the same time, he copes with a new constable at the station: his daughter, Hannah, whose courage and inexperience soon put her in danger.
3"The Inner Life of Strangers"Edward ThomasDavid Joss Buckley26 May 2001 (2001-05-26)
When a successful pop singer suddenly retires and comes home to Wales, not everyone applauds her decision. Then two of her closest business associates are murdered, and unless Bain can stop the killer, she may be next.

Series 4 (2002)
No.TitleDirected byWritten byBritish air date
1"Blood and Water"Edward ThomasDavid Joss Buckley16 August 2002 (2002-08-16)
A young pregnant woman is killed by her jealous foster brother. A witness to the crime won't come forward, and the killer's brother is a policeman who covers for him. With this kind of stonewalling, will Bain get his man?
2"Soundbites"Tim LynJeff Dodds23 August 2002 (2002-08-23)
Abandoned by his ambitious father and left to care for his mentally ill mother, the son of a local politician vows revenge. Bain follows a trail of fire to learn the truth about the family's past.
3"Engineer"Dai EvansJeff Dodds30 August 2002 (2002-08-30)
A couple commits a desperate act when their only daughter falls into a coma after a routine surgery. All they want is a public admission of guilt from the surgeon; all Bain wants is to prevent another tragedy.
4"The Little House in the Forest"Euros LynDavid Joss Buckley6 September 2002 (2002-09-06)
When a 15-year-old girl is found murdered, a pedophile living alone in the forest is easy to blame. But Bain knows that simple answers aren't always the right ones, and he steps in to help a young colleague solve the case.

References
  1. Eclipse Magazine - http://eclipsemagazine.com/dvd/15098/
  2. Windsor Public Library - http://windsor.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1396189016_a_mind_to_kill
  3. Eclipse Magazine - http://eclipsemagazine.com/dvd/15098/
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