Code of a Killer 

The story of Sir Alec Jeffreys' discovery of DNA fingerprinting and its first use by DCS David Baker in catching a double murderer.

Stars:

John Simm, Anna Madeley, David Threlfall

1 win.

Cast

Series cast summary:
John Simm	...	Alec Jeffreys 2 episodes, 2015
Anna Madeley	...	Sue Jeffreys 2 episodes, 2015
David Threlfall	...	DCS David Baker 2 episodes, 2015
Lorcan Cranitch	...	DI Alan Madden 2 episodes, 2015
Jaz Deol	...	DC Taran Kholi 2 episodes, 2015
Andrew Tiernan	...	DS Geoff Taylor 2 episodes, 2015
Robert Glenister	...	DCC Chapman 2 episodes, 2015
Lydia Rose Bewley	...	Vicky Wilson 2 episodes, 2015
Tobias Burton-Rudge	...	Gavin Hopkirk 2 episodes, 2015
Farzana Dua Elahe	...	Tania Patel 2 episodes, 2015
Paul Copley	...	Sidney Jeffreys 2 episodes, 2015
Ged Simmons	...	Eddie Eastwood 2 episodes, 2015
Shirley Dixon	...	Joan Jeffreys 2 episodes, 2015
Hannah Walters	...	Kath Eastwood 2 episodes, 2015
Dorothy Atkinson	...	Barbara Ashworth 2 episodes, 2015
Jessica Woods	...	Carole Pitchfork 2 episodes, 2015
Neil Edmond	...	Robin Ashworth 2 episodes, 2015

Storyline

DCS David Baker headed up the investigation into the brutal murders of two Leicestershire schoolgirls between 1983 and 1987. Only a few miles away, Dr Alec Jeffreys, was a scientist at Leicester University who, on 10 September 1984, invented a remarkable technique to read each individual's unique DNA fingerprint. When a local teenager admitted to one of the murders but not the other, Baker asked Jeffreys to analyze the DNA evidence left at the crime scenes. Both men were shocked to discover that the teenager was innocent, his confession false. DCS Baker then took the extraordinarily brave step to launch the world's first ever DNA manhunt, testing over five thousand local men to track down the killer.

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Plot Keywords:

1980s | year 1984 | dna | police | tv mini series | 

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Taglines:

Murder is in the blood.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The laboratory is a real Chemistry lab at the old Dagenham site of pharmaceutical company Sanofi, which was closed in 2013.

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Alternate Versions

When Code of a Killer was released on DVD, the two 90-minute episodes were re-formatted as three 60-minute episodes.

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Connections

Featured in The Wright Stuff: Episode #20.70 (2015)

User Reviews

A bit too static, even for a film based on true events and characters

I am aware that planning and creating a feature film/series when many people know of the course of events and ending is a challenge, with the need to emphasize other elements, e.g. acting, background, directing, etc. In spite of the fact that the events happened "before my time" in a different country, I could still guess the outcome, and many decisions probably relevant then seem odd and questionable at present. The result for me is a half-documentary and protracted depiction with "not-among- the-finest" actors in the leading roles, with focus on hesitations instead of implementation and, in retrospect, odd blunders by the local police.

Both the director (James Strong) and John Simm and David Threlfall have participated in more integral and more interesting works, but if you like docudramas and are not too young, then Code of a Killer is definitely above average.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2015 (UK)

Also Known As:

Code of a Killer

Filming Locations:

Ripley, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP0 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

World Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min 130 min (2 parts)

Color:

Color