Marcella (TV series)

Marcella
series title against a blurred background
Genre	Crime drama
Created by	Hans Rosenfeldt Nicola Larder
Written by	Hans Rosenfeldt
Starring	Anna Friel Nicholas Pinnock Sinead Cusack
Opening theme	"Fall" by The Bug featuring Inga Copeland
Composer(s)	Lorne Balfe
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	8
Production
Executive producer(s)	Hans Rosenfeldt Nicola Larder Tony Wood
Producer(s)	Andrew Woodhead
Cinematography	Ula Pontikos
Running time	46-47 minutes
Production company(s)	Buccaneer Media
Release
Original network	ITV
Picture format	(4k)
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	4 April (2016-04-04) – 16 May 2016 (2016-05-16)

Marcella is a British crime noir detective series. The series began airing on ITV on 4 April 2016. Episodes are available on Netflix worldwide outside the UK and Ireland after it airs on ITV.

Plot

Former detective Marcella Backland is devastated when her husband leaves her and their two children. He is a legal adviser to DTG construction, property developers, effectively controlled by the Gibson family. When she is visited by a senior detective on the murder squad for information regarding an unsolved serial killer 11 years previously who seems to have become active again, Marcella returns to the murder squad. She enters a world of on-line dating, prostitution, and dubious dealings of her husband's employers while trying to save her marriage.

Production

The production mainly filmed in London and the Port of Dover featured briefly in Episode 7.

Cast and characters

Main cast

• Anna Friel as Detective Sergeant Marcella Backland
• Nicholas Pinnock as Jason Backland
• Sinéad Cusack as Sylvie Gibson
• Nina Sosanya as Detective Chief Inspector Laura Porter
• Harry Lloyd as Henry Gibson
• Laura Carmichael as Maddy Stevenson
• Maeve Dermody as Grace Gibson
• Jamie Bamber as Detective Inspector Tim Williamson
• Patrick Baladi as Stephen Holmes
• Ray Panthaki as Detective Inspector Rav Sangha
• Stephen Lord as Stuart Callaghan
• Ian Puleston-Davies as Peter Cullen
• Tobias Santelmann as Yann Hall
• Florence Pugh as Cara Thomas
• Ben Cura as Matthew Neil
• Charlie Covell as Detective Constable Alex Dier
• Andrew Lancel as Clive Bonn
• Jack Doolan as Detective Constable Mark Travis

Supporting cast

• George Anton as Andrew Barnes
• Yasen Atour as Mo El-Said
• Jasmine Breinburg as Lea Coombes
• David Fahm as Greg Brady
• Imogen Faires as Emma Backland
• Otto Farrant as Evan Jones
• Asher Flowers as Edward Backland
• Nick Hendrix as Adrian Cooper
• Emil Hostina as Bendek Krol
• Rob Jarvis as Don Parkin
• Shivani Kapur as Beth Bachan
• Youssef Kerkour as Hassan El-Said
• Isobel Middleton as Victoria Daughton
• Toby Wharton as Ronnie Weir
• Robert Whitelock as Guy Roberts
• Susannah Wise as Linda Callaghan

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (millions)
1	"Episode One"	Charles Martin	Hans Rosenfeldt	4 April 2016 (2016-04-04)	9.18
When her husband Jason leaves her, Marcella is devastated. She is visited by the Detective in charge of an investigation that is being linked with one of Marcella's unsolved cases. The case involves a serial killer who the police believe has begun to kill again after 11 years. Reinstated with her old rank of detective sergeant, Marcella has a very different idea about who should be the main suspect to her new superior. Both appear to be very clear, focused and perhaps blinkered to other possibilities. She discovers her husband, who works as a legal advisor for DTG Construction property developers, is having an affair with Grace Gibson, a director of the firm.
2	"Episode Two"	Charles Martin	Hans Rosenfeldt	11 April 2016 (2016-04-11)	8.37
Grace Gibson is reported missing and Marcella vaguely remembers visiting her the previous evening to confront her about Jason. Marcella is warned by her superiors to stop harassing Peter Cullen, her prime suspect, who she claims has a personality disorder that cannot take rejection. A disorder she is secretly being treated for that gives her memory blackouts. Sex worker Cara is threatened in her internet chatroom by someone she has stolen from. Marcella is drawn to a wood by fleeting memories and discovers a woman's body in a shallow grave wrapped in plastic on Hampstead Heath.
3	"Episode Three"	Charles Martin	Hans Rosenfeldt	18 April 2016 (2016-04-18)	7.55
Marcella fails to report the body that is later found as being Grace Gibson. She is treated as the fourth victim of the serial killer. Marcella's early hopes of a reconciliation with her husband maybe fruitless when she discovers his affair had been for over three years and Grace was pregnant. When Grace's mother who is Jason's boss discovers the affair, Jason is dismissed. The police realise sex worker Cara can identify the killer and as Marcella closes in Cara is murdered by a hit and run driver. Student Maddy Stevenson who has been meeting Peter Cullen while writing a dissertation about him endangers her boyfriend. Studying CCTV at Hampstead Heath the police discover that Clive Bonn and Marcella had been there around the time of the body was left.
4	"Episode Four"	Jonathan Teplitzky	Hans Rosenfeldt and Marston Bloom	25 April 2016 (2016-04-25)	7.50
Ordered to check CCTV again Marcella discovers a taxi parked outside Grace's home the night she was murdered. Jason is beaten by four men. A break-in at a pensioner's home provides a new clue. Marcella fakes her DNA so she cannot be linked to Grace's home, not knowing an illegal immigrant taxi driver saw a woman taking a heavy item from Grace's home. Maddy's boyfriend is found dead on the river shore and Marcella's pursuit of Peter Cullen comes to a head.
5	"Episode Five"	Jonathan Teplitzky	Hans Rosenfeldt and Ben Harris	2 May 2016 (2016-05-02)	6.26
Marcella's interrogation of Peter Cullen leads to a conclusion to the 2005 murders. The taxi driver who told Marcella he had seen a woman leaving Grace's flat is found shot through the head. Further investigation reveal that it was the taxi driver's brother outside Grace's flat. Marcella discovers evidence that allays her own fears regarding Grace's death. Jason gets his job back but a man is dead. Deliveryman Ron's girlfriend is found murdered by the serial killer and his young daughter missing.
6	"Episode Six"	Jonathan Teplitzky	Hans Rosenfeldt and Mark Greig	9 May 2016 (2016-05-09)	6.20
Marcella and her police colleagues desperately search for May, who has been taken by the serial killer. May's father calls her phone, which causes the serial killer to panic and dispose of her phone along the way. Marcella and her team find his burnt out car and the drowned girl nearby. DNA evidence leads to the arrest of Yann Hall, homosexual friend of Henry Gibson. The apparent suicide of Andrew Barnes is being investigated. Jason Backland tries to disconnect himself from any involvement by paying off his investigator, who himself is being blackmailed by his lodger, Bendek. Mo, the brother of the taxi driver who was shot, breaks into Marcella's home.
7	"Episode Seven"	Henrik Georgsson	Hans Rosenfeldt	16 May 2016 (2016-05-16)	6.58
Seeking a confession that Marcella killed his brother, she only confesses to Mo that she moved Grace's body. The evidence against Yan Hall begins to break down pointing towards his flatmate Matthew Neil. Jason Backland comes under suspicion regarding the murder of Andrew Barnes. Stuart and his lodger Bendek conspire to blackmail Jason. Bendek is found dead in his room. Matthew Neil appears to have absconded abroad. Marcella accepts her marriage is over.
8	"Episode Eight"	Henrik Georgsson	Hans Rosenfeldt	17 May 2016 (2016-05-17)	6.31
Unable to find Matthew Neil, Marcella's attention turns to his best friend Henry Gibson, Grace's brother; his phone tracing him to a bar the night Grace was murdered. A bar that was closed and burgled, with nothing taken, that night. Jason realises Marcella's suspicions and he goes to Henry's home to confront him. Marcella follows on and finds Jason stabbed. When Marcella's colleagues arrive she is accused by Henry of attacking and trying to kill him. Given 12 hours to find evidence against Henry; a bite mark on his shoulder ls tied to the dead daughter of the deliveryman. Detective Williamson's investigation of Andrew Barnes murder uncovers the possible involvement of Marcella's husband and previously doctored CCTV footage of the removal of Grace's body by Marcella.

External links

• Marcella at IMDb