In Defence

In Defence is a four-part British television legal drama series, created and partially written by Mike Cullen, that first broadcast on ITV on 26 June 2000.[1] The series stars Ross Kemp and Sophie Okonedo, and follows Sam Lucas (Kemp), a lawyer and legal detective, who takes it upon himself to investigate cases where the police have failed to uncover enough evidence to secure a conviction. The series was co-written by Maxwell Young and Abigail Fray, and was initially billed as a "star-vehicle" for Kemp, as part of a "golden handcuffs" deal to lure Kemp away from the BBC.[2] The series broadcast weekly until 17 July 2000.[3]

For the Icelandic protest movement, see InDefence.

In Defence
GenreLegal
Created byMike Cullen
Written by
  • Maxwell Young
  • Abigail Fray
Directed by
  • Roy Battersby
  • Simon Massey
Starring
ComposerDebbie Wiseman
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes4 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Susan Hogg
  • Simon Lewis
ProducerHelen Gregory
Production locationsLondon, United Kingdom
CinematographyJames Aspinall
Editors
  • Anne Sopel
  • David Spiers
Running time50 minutes
Production companyGranada Television
Release
Original networkITV
Original release26 June (2000-06-26) –
17 July 2000 (2000-07-17)

The first episode drew in just over seven million viewers, although by the end of this series, figures had dropped to just 4.9 million.[4] Poor ratings led to the series being axed by ITV, which in turn led to discussions regarding Kemp's contract with the broadcaster. However, following the success of Without Motive, a fellow ITV stablemate which Kemp filmed concurrently alongside In Defence, his contract was renewed, with a second series of Without Motive commissioned.[2] The series has yet to be released on DVD, and remains unrepeated since its initial broadcast.

Production

In Defence was co-produced by Helen Gregory and Louise Mutter through Granada Television, and was one of a number of projects commissioned by the broadcaster as "star vehicles" for Ross Kemp.[2] Each of the four episodes in the series begins by outlining details of a specific crime committed, before Lucas attempts to gather further evidence and bring the perpetrator to justice.[2]

Despite rumours that a second series was in the pipeline, no further episodes were produced, and in November 2000, the series was axed by ITV's then head-of-drama, Nick Elliott.[2] A behind-the-scenes documentary, Best Defence, directed by filmmaker Peter Markham, was broadcast alongside the series, detailing the journey from commission to production, as well as interviews with the cast and behind the scenes footage from the set.[5]

Cast

Main

Supporting

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

  • Idris Elba as PC Paul Fraser[8]
  • Jason Pitt as PC Steve Breeze
  • Ian McElhinney as DCS David Dillne
  • Vincent Pickering as DS Frank Burns
  • Nick Day as DCI Brian Minter
  • Timothy Davies as William Cole QC

Episode 4

Episodes
Episode Title Written by Directed by Viewers
(millions)[4]		 Original airdate
1"Episode 1"Mike CullenRoy Battersby7.0326 June 2000 (2000-06-26)
Sources list the title of this episode as "Segment 3".[9]
2"Episode 2"Maxwell YoungRoy Battersby5.753 July 2000 (2000-07-03)
Sam investigates when a prisoner being incarcerated as a result of a police cover-up leads to an innocent man being arrested.
3"Episode 3"Abigail FraySimon Massey5.6310 July 2000 (2000-07-10)
A policeman is framed for suffocating a prisoner by his seemingly racist colleagues, and it falls to Sam to prove his innocence.
4"Episode 4"Mike CullenSimon Massey4.9117 July 2000 (2000-07-17)

References
  1. "In Defence [26/06/2000]". BFI. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  2. "ITV orders new run of Ross Kemp drama". The Guardian. 27 November 2000. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  3. "In Defence [17/07/2000]". BFI. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  4. "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". BARB. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  5. "Best Defence (2000)". BFI. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  6. "In Defence (TV Series 2000)". IMDb. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  7. "In Defence [03/07/2000]". BFI. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  8. "In Defence [10/07/2000]". BFI. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  9. "In Defence – Season 1, Episode 1 – Segment 3". TV.com. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
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