To Be a Somebody: Part 1 (10 Oct. 1994)

A working class man, distraught at the recent death of his father, impulsively becomes a skinhead and murders a Pakistani shopkeeper over a perceived insult.

Director:

Tim Fywell

Writer:

Jimmy McGovern (written and created by)

Stars:

Robbie Coltrane, Barbara Flynn, Christopher Eccleston

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Robbie Coltrane	...	Dr. Eddie 'Fitz' Fitzgerald
Barbara Flynn	...	Judith Fitzgerald
Christopher Eccleston	...	DCI David Bilborough
Lorcan Cranitch	...	DS Jimmy Beck
Geraldine Somerville	...	DS Jane 'Panhandle' Penhaligon
Kieran O'Brien	...	Mark Fitzgerald
Colin Tierney	...	D.C. Bobby Harriman
Robert Carlyle	...	Albie Kinsella
Tracy Gillman	...	Jill Kinsella
Gemma Phoenix	...	Ruth
Dave Bond	...	Factory Supervisor
Martin Pearson	...	Factory Worker
Shango Baku	...	Gregson
Badi Uzzaman	...	Shahid Ali
Wil Johnson	...	D.C. Skelton (as Wilbert Johnson)

Storyline

Albie Kinsella is angry at the world. He has just buried his father who died from a prolonged bout with cancer. Albie was a good son who took care of his father all of that time. His wife left him several years before, but he was always a good father to his daughter and always made sure his wife had enough money for their upkeep. Albie however is fed up being just another face in the crowd. He hates the fact that people assume he is just another working class good for nothing, when in fact he is an intelligent, hard working member of society. A dispute with a local shopkeeper sets him off and leads to a series of murders. Fitz's relations with the police are a low ebb with DCI David Billborough refusing to use him on the case and DS Jane Pehaligon refusing to speak to him after he stood her up on their planned holiday. Fitz understands what is going on and uses his insights to correctly profile the killer. DS Jimmy Beck's incompetence in questioning a potential suspect however has ...

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Plot Keywords:

pakistani | skinhead | backyard garden | kitten | autopsy | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 1994 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

A&E Television Networks, Granada Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

148 min 50 min (DVD)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

DCI David Bilborough: [Panhandle is refusing to contact Fitz after Nolan's murder] Are you embarrased?
Penhaligon: Yes.
DCI David Bilborough: What's embarrassment compared to the grief that two families are suffering?
Penhaligon: That's not fair!

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Connections

References Star Wars (1977)

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Soundtracks

"Home on the Range"
Music by Daniel E. Kelley
Lyrics by Brewster M. Higley
Performed by Robbie Coltrane

User Reviews

Chilling, compelling: The "hero" as bad as the "villain"

I'm not familiar with this television series, but watched the "To Be A Somebody" episode recently. It combined all the best elements of British crime drama: fantastic writing, spot-on acting, tight directing/editing, and a compelling story.

I think I'd prefer not to see it again.

The main focus of the plot from a traditional perspective is the downward spiral of a disaffected working class man, played brilliantly by Robert Carlyle. The parallel theme -- the one we're barely aware of until the end -- is the fact that our protagonist (played brilliantly by Robbie Coltrane) is already at the bottom of that spiral.

While mesmerized by the story, I also had a vague unease whilst viewing. It wasn't until another character calls Fitz "an emotional rapist" that I could identify what was disturbing me so profoundly.

We can understand and even sympathize with the twisted figure of Carlyle's murderer because we can see how an essentially good man can allow himself to be taken over, taken down, and destroyed from the inside out. We see him journey downward to his eventual destruction -- and we see that he doesn't really want to be that person. He would be someone else if he could just see *how.*

Coltrane's character, on the other hand, is rewarded for his sick violations of others' psyches. He is the man who walks free, who feels no remorse, and who views the consequences of his actions solely in terms of whether it will affect his job (i.e. his own self-aggrandizement). It was truly chilling to realize by the end that Fitz would suffer no consequences -- would never be charged with any crime -- would be allowed to walk free, terrorizing whomever he chose. And that he *enjoys* it.

Mesmerizing, compelling -- and I never want to see it again.