Prime Suspect (1991– )

A female police detective investigates a series of serial murders while dealing with sexist hostility from her male comrades.

Stars:

Helen Mirren, Ralph Fiennes, Tom Bell

11 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Helen Mirren	...	DCI Jane Tennison (2 episodes, 1991)
Ralph Fiennes	...	Michael (2 episodes, 1991)

Storyline

DCI Jane Tennison has been passed over time and again to lead a murder investigation, so when one of her fellow DCIs has a heart attack just before he's ready to charge their prime suspect, Jane sees her chance to lead a murder investigation. But the murder squad she takes over is hostile to her, the men upstairs are eager to pull the plug on her investigation, her personal relationships suffer from her obsession with work, and the prime suspect remains elusive. Jane has her work cut out for her as she and her team work their way through computer data trails, legwork, intuitive leaps, chases, arrests, and confessions to find the killer.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | investigation | murder investigation | prime suspect | suspect | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

PBS/Masterpiece Theatre

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 January 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Prime Suspect 1

Filming Locations:

Covent Garden, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

207 min 207 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

On the documentary following the second half of Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act, Helen Mirren notes that Jackie Malton and her colleagues gave the first "Prime Suspect" a standing ovation because they felt it was the first time the police had been accurately portrayed on television.

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Quotes

George Marlow: This is a mess, isn't it?
DCI Jane Tennison: [Nods her head]

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Connections

Referenced in Top Gear: Episode #10.1 (2007)

User Reviews

Being an extra on Prime Suspect

Little did I know when I signed up to be a television extra that I would spend 10 days working on Prime Suspect. Though set in London the interior shots for the Police HQ were filmed in what is now 'The Printworks' in Manchester. I was lucky enough to be a plain clothes detective and featured in many key scenes. It was filmed in December and was freezing cold. The studio was then a deserted newspaper office and the canteen shots were filmed in it's original kitchen which was temporarily brought back into service. It was great to see Tom Bell and

work and each had their own style - Tom would turn up, do his scene and leave, whilst Helen was very much involved in the set up of her scenes. I can remember her accepting a cup of tea from me as she rested on set. Prime Suspect changed the way this type of drama was filmed and it's impact can still be seen today in modern detective dramas. It went on to win many awards and I was in the clip shown at the BAFTAS! If interested, you can see me in a scene where Tom Bell walks into the incident room to make a key announcement - I am behind him looking at a map and have to react - open mouthed with shock! Anyway enjoy..