Law & Order UK “Repeat To Fade” Recap & Review (Series 8 Finale)

Law & Order “Repeat To Fade” was the final episode of series 8, and possibly the final episode of the show. Earlier this month, ITV announced that Law & Order UK would “rest” for now, this being the last episode for the foreseeable future, and that Bradley Walsh was leaving the show. This was sad news for Law & Order fans both in the UK and in the US, the UK show being the only way US viewers can get a “fix” of new episodes in their beloved “mothership” Law & Order format. (Hopefully series 8 will air on BBC America now that it finished its UK run but as of right now there is no word on that.)    Bradley Walsh leaving the show is a huge loss. Bradley has been with Law & Order UK since the very beginning, and his character Ronnie Brooks is clearly the most interesting and most layered.  It seemed when Ronnie was “born” into the Law & Order universe he was modeled after Law & Order’s Lennie Briscoe,  but over the years Ronnie developed into his own unique character. I can’t say whether the show deciding to “rest” has anything to do with Bradley’s exit, but his character has been so integral that finding someone to replace him could be a daunting task. I can only hope that someday Law & Order UK will return. The show was produced by Kudos, who did an exceptional job in delivering a high quality episode each week. Law & Order UK is probably the most visually interesting of all the shows in the Law & Order brand. Each scene was framed, lit, and filmed beautifully. Even the most common location shots were staged just right to bring a scene to life. It also featured consistently  excellent writing and a great cast. I am going to miss this show tremendously.

“Repeat to Fade” was based on the original Law & Order episode “Marathon” (season 10, episode 6 ) where Detective Lennie Briscoe insisted that a suspect confessed to him, and only Lennie heard that confession. “Repeat to Fade” had an identical theme but the story still felt fresh and interesting. In this case, Ronnie also has to deal with a new boss, Elizabeth Flynn, who replaced DI Wes Leyton after his murder. Things get off to a rocky start, and things don’t get better when only Ronnie hears a confession from a suspect in a high profile murder case.  Viewers feel like they know Ronnie so we already trust that he did hear what he said he heard. But his own boss DI Flynn thinks he is a dinosaur and her boss, Commander Stone, is ready to put Ronnie out to pasture. It’s a huge embarrassment that Flynn is publicly tough on knife crime and her team can’t seem to nail the person who killed a woman with a knife. The legal case hits a brick wall when the limited evidence they have is circumstantial. Thankfully, the Ronnie we know and love remains diligent and manages to find the one shred of evidence that can put the case together and to put a young killer behind bars.

Even though Ronnie was offered a job by Flynn and Stone which would move him off the street, we never hear if Ronnie has accepted the job. I assume that, with Ronnie working so passionately to (successfully) close his current case, that he had no intention of leaving. Now that Bradley Walsh has decided to exit the show, and the show won’t be returning for the foreseeable future, we can only wish that Ronnie is happy doing whatever Ronnie has decided to do. Many thanks to Bradley Walsh for making the beloved Ronnie Brooks come to life and for making viewers truly care about him.

Law & Order UK fades to black…for now.

Here is the recap:


Cast:
Bradley Walsh - DS Ronnie Brooks
Ben Bailey Smith – DS Joe Hawkins
Sharon Small - DI Elizabeth Flynn
Dominic Rowan - Jacob Thorne
Georgia Taylor - Kate Barker
Peter Davison - Henry Sharpe

Guest cast:
Jing Lusi - Gabby
Natasha Sparkes - Carla
Joss Porter - Rodin
Raffaello Degruttola - Niccolo
Nicholas Blane - Oswald Spear
Adelayo Adedayo - Kayla
Mark Bagnall - Thomas King
Clifford Barry - Albert Carlow
Liam Sargeant – Jack Carlow
Adjoa Andoh - Lilly
Leo Gregory - Warren Lennox
Shereen Gray - Shonda Washington
Kasey Mckellar - Bobbi Washington
Pippa Bennett-Warner - Zana Washington
Fady Elsayed - Jamal
Nisha Nayar - Namita Cresswell
Tony Gardner – Commander Douglas Stone
Michael Culkin - Justice Lockwood
Colin Salmon - Doug Greer
Michael Byers - Robert Page



At the Farmer’s Market in Southwark on Saturday, December 13th, DS Ronnie Brooks and DS Joe Hawkins help a woman who had been stabbed as emergency medical people race to the scene. Ronnie asks Joe who called it in, and Joe explains it was PCS Lennie and he is giving a statement to a uniform and that SOCO is on the way. The woman is Sally Carlow, she is 24 years old and she was carrying some sweets and her purse has 40 quid in it. The officer tending to the woman tells the detectives Sally was already gone bus she will pronounce her dead at the hospital.

Joe and Ronnie speak with witnesses, who didn’t see Sally get knifed, they just saw a guy running away. A man said he was wearing a black leather jacket but a woman says it was blue. He also wore a red football shirt with a logo but the witnesses differ on the name of the team. Ronnie speaks with another witness who saw the man flee on a scooter, a Typhoon 50cc but he did not see the registration. He wore white helmet with a green a red stripe like his flag.

At the mortuary on the same day. Ronnie and Joe hear there were no identification markings for the knife, which went straight through the femoral artery. The angle of the wound indicates the attacker was 5’4” or 5’5”. They wonder if the killer was a woman or a kid.

Later. at MIU central headquarters, Joe, playing darts, asks Ronnie how come so many witnesses can see so many different things. Ronnie thinks it is because it happened so fast and it takes a while to sink in, the suspect goes missing, and they are stuck talking to the Italian tourist board. As Ronnie tries to get Joe back to the darts, Kayla tells them that CCTV us on its way in and she will track the red scooter. Ronnie tells her the full reg is the priority. As they go back to darts, they notice a news conference on the TV with their new “gov” DI Elisabeth Flynn, who started Monday. She talks about knife crime which is her priority. The ask her about Sally’s stabbing which happened an hour prior and she looks caught off guard. Ronnie says “ouch” adding that Flynn was bitten by her own sound bite, saying she is being a plonk and she knows it. But Flynn has just entered the room and hears this and when Joe thinks Ronnie got the term plonk wrong, Flynn corrects him and says Ronnie did get it right, it means “person of little or no knowledge” and it was Ronnie’s generation called “dinosaurs” before they realized they had brains as well as tits. Ronnie says he was just saying…and Flynn cuts him off and says she knows exactly what he was saying, and fighting knife crime is not just a sound bite for her. She tells Joe to go and get the eyewitness reports and when he is finished with his game of darts, there is a murder for him to solve. As Flynn leaves, Joe turns to Ronnie and says he likes her, then shoots his dart and leaves.

Afterwards, walking outside, Ronnie says he will not have her accusing him of being a dinosaur, and Joe replies he didn’t think it is him he needs to be telling. Ronnie replies he’s looking for another chance to make a first impression. Joe gets a phone call from Kayla who tells him the owner of the scooter is at Chadwicke Estate.

At the home of Thomas King at Chadwicke Estate later in the day, the find that his red scooter was nicked that morning. He didn’t report it because they police haven’t responded to his complaints before. They explain the stabbing and Thomas asks if they think it was him because he is short and more suspicious. Joe replies in this investigation, yes. Thomas says someone stole his scooter and dumped it, and tells them it is at the other side of the estate.

Ronnie and Joe find the burned scooter and Joe thinks they won’t get anything off it. Thomas also tells them his crash helmet was laying next to it.

Back at MIU as Flynn sets up her office, the detectives explain Thomas works at the local café and they confirmed he was there. Ronnie shows her the bagged helmet and that Lilly will take some prints from it. She tells them if there is any news to let her know, and to think of her as the third man on the team. Ronnie smirks and looks at Joe, and Flynn asks if that is a problem. Ronnie says no, not at all. She replies good, she likes to keep her hands dirty. Kayla enters and informs them she tracked down Sally’s next of kin; her dad Albert is downstairs and she has a son, Jack.

They speak with Albert Carlow while Jack waits in another room. He wants answers. Sally has been in London two years and she came here to teach art to kids. Ronnie thinks this was random but asks if anyone wanted to hurt Sally or had a grudge. Albert says no, she only had time for Jack and the kids at school. Joe asks for a list of her friends in the area. Ronnie explains they have lots of eyewitness statements they are working on. Ronnie promises they will get him and Albert asks how does he tell Jack he lost his mother.

Ronnie and Albert enter the room where Jack is waiting. Ronnie explains he is a policeman who doesn’t wear a uniform and he has been around a long time, like a dinosaur. He says there are things he doesn’t understand in this world, and sometimes bad things happen to good people. He can’t explain it, but today something sad has happened and…Joe watches from outside the room as Ronnie delivers the news.

At the forensics lab on Sunday December 14, Lilly says the owners prints were on the helmet but found another partial thumbprint and she will email what she has. Ronnie thanks her for coming in and she says no problem, anything for him.

ITV Announces Law & Order UK To Take a Break; Bradley Walsh Exits

ITV Press Release
Published: Tue 03 Jun 2014

ITV announces Law & Order: UK is to take a break from our screens

Bradley Walsh to leave after eight successful series.


The final episode of series 8 of Law & Order: UK scheduled for Wednesday 11 June (9pm on ITV) will be the last to be transmitted for the foreseeable future, ITV and producers Kudos announced today.

The hugely popular series starring Bradley Walsh, Ben Bailey Smith, Peter Davison, Georgia Taylor and Dominic Rowan is to be rested by the channel.

“There may well come a time when we re-visit Law & Order: UK,” said ITV’s Director of Drama Commissioning Steve November. “For the moment we’ll be resting the series whilst we continue to refresh our drama slate,” he added.

The move coincides with Bradley Walsh’s decision to depart the successful crime drama to pursue other projects, both in drama and entertainment.

“Ronnie Brooks is one of my best friends,” said Bradley. “It’s been an absolute pleasure to inhabit Ronnie’s Mac for as long as I have. Eight series is a wonderful achievement for everyone involved in the production. This has been one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. I hope one day to revisit him, but for now I’d like the opportunity to pursue other drama projects which ITV are developing,” he added.

“Don’t forget you have one more chance to watch Ronnie in action on 11 June. I’d really love fans of the series, old and new, to watch the final episode to give the series a fitting and proper send off.”

Created by acclaimed US show runner Dick Wolf and based on the US franchise, Law & Order is one of the most successful American primetime television franchises and has become a firm favourite with the ITV audience since first broadcasting in 2009.

Law & Order: UK is produced by Kudos, a Shine Group company, Wolf Films and NBC Universal, with Executive Producers Jane Featherstone and Alison Jackson on behalf of Kudos and Dick Wolf for Wolf Films with Jane Dauncey producing series 8.

“It’s been a privilege for Kudos to produce Law & Order: UK over the last eight series,” said Jane Featherstone. “It’s success and huge audience appeal over all of these years is a testament to the cast, crew and production team who have worked tirelessly to bring such great drama to air,” said Jane.

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Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order UK “Hard Stop” Recap & Review

Law & Order UK “Hard Stop” may be one of the best episodes ever in all of the Law & Order UK series. It was also Paterson Josephs’ final episode, as his character DI Wes Leyton, is shot and killed within the first two minutes of the story. The episode was based on the original Law & Order episode “Criminal Law” (season 16, episode 9) - a memorable episode all its own - where lead characters were in danger but no lead was killed.  I enjoyed Paterson Joseph in this role and am sorry to see him go.  It will be interesting to see how the MIU team responds to another change in leadership.

This was an exceptionally well written story which delivered not only high drama, but also deep emotion. The beloved Ronnie Brooks, in an outstanding performance by Bradley Walsh, is clearly rocked by Wes’ murder, yet he keeps a stoic outlook and continues to soldier on and work the case without letting others know how, or if, it affected him. The final scene,  where we hear Ronnie’s voice reading the letter he wrote to Wes in the condolence book,  was a true tear-jerker, and I imagine that everyone watching felt their heart sink as Ronnie asked the store clerk for that bottle of vodka. (I heard myself saying "Ronnie, NO!")  After paying for the vodka and as he walked out of the store, when the clerk yells that he forgot to take the vodka with him and he keeps on walking, relief comes  over me.   It was a scene that brought both tearful emotion and fear, followed by a cheer for Ronnie as he walked away from the booze.  Bradley Walsh, along with the wonderful writers over the years for Law & Order UK, have made Ronnie Brooks into one of the few fictional characters that I actually care about.  In the long run, I think Ronnie will be just fine...at least I really hope so.

I was also thrilled to see a story line which gave Peter Davison more to do than having Henry Sharpe give his usual bluster. Henry clearly is stressed by the threat to his own life, and, unlike Ronnie, Henry loses his cool in a very visible way.

“Hard Stop” was a phenomenal episode and there simply aren’t enough superlatives to describe it...although the first word that comes to my mind is "perfection."

Here is the recap:


Cast:
Bradley Walsh - DS Ronnie Brooks
Ben Bailey Smith – DS Joe Hawkins
Paterson Joseph - DI Wes Leyton
Dominic Rowan - Jacob Thorne
Georgia Taylor - Kate Barker
Peter Davison - Henry Sharpe

Guest cast:
Mark Bonnar - Mark Glendon
Elinor Crawley - Abby Glendon
Adelayo Adedayo - Kayla
Rachel Atkins - Cleo Finch
Priyanga Burford - Martine Leyton
Gerry Cowper - Hope Corday
Bradley Hall - Adam Glendon
Julia Hills - Hayley Ashburton
Alexander Perkins - Pete
John Rowe - Judge Silverton
Matt Sapsford - Armed Police Officer
Pip Torrens - Philip Nevins
Lauren Trickett - Cashier

At MIU, the detective and whole team celebrates DI Wes Leyton’s birthday. Wes’ wife Martine arrives to take him to a surprise. Ass Wes and Martine leave, she won’t spill the surprise. In the parking garage, a motorbike pulls up behind their car and blocks their exit. The rider steps of and steps up to Wes’ car window. When Wes asks “Yes mate, what’s the problem?” the rider pulls out a gun and shoots twice, point blank, at Wes. Martine screams.

Later,  Wes’ body is zipped into a body bag as forensics comb the scene. Ronnie speaks with Martine, sitting in an ambulance, who explains what happened. She is devastated and she sobs.

Ronnie speaks with Joe and finds there are no witnesses. Joe speculates if it was a carjacking; Ronnie says it was just a bloke on a motorbike. Joe gets a phone call and then  tells Ronnie that shots were fired in Dalston at the flat of another police officer. Ronnie thinks this is not a robbery, it’s an execution.

Ronnie and Joe leave MIU to find many reporters waiting for them. They don’t answer any questions as they race to their car.

At the home of Archie Morris in Dalston on Thursday, November 27, Ronnie, Joe, and other officers enter Morris’ flat. They find him dead in his bed. Ronnie hears a noise and they find his wife, hiding in the closet.

Later, outside, Joe tell Ronnie Morris’ wife hid as soon as she heard the shooting start so she saw nothing.

On Friday November 28, while walking on Bow Street, Joe tells Ronnie about a motorbike seen cruising near Morris’ home last night but not plates have been IDd. Ronnie, who is on the phone, stops in his tracks and asks the person on the phone if they are kidding him. He sighs as Joe asks what?

Later, with forensics at the scene of another shooting, there is a body of a woman, shot in the head, in a car park. Forensics confirms there were 9mm casings, The woman’s ID says her name is Susan Lewiston who works at Domestic Violence Services, a refuge worker. Her car was parked outside the office.

That same day, inside Greenwood Women’s Aid in Friday, they speak with a manager who said Susan worked late, and she heard and saw nothing. They deal with women with abusive and controlling men. Susan has not received any recent threats. She had been shot before, about 4 years ago. She had been walking a woman to a car and her husband walked up and started shooting. Susan was injured but the woman was killed. Susan gave evidence at the guy’s trial and he was put away for it. She asks if he is still in jail, and Joe says they will follow up. Joe asks to see Susan’s recent case files. As she looks for the files, Ronnie, agitated, comments that a woman gets shot in their car park and lays in the car all night dead…and Joe tries to cut him off but Ronnie continues and asks that no one heard anything? Joe tells Ronnie he’s got this.

Outside, Ronnie wonders if it is an aggrieved husband why shoot Wes and Morris? Joe wonders if it is random but Ronnie says the scenes are the same and the casings are wiped down and thinks this is not your average nutter, this was planned. Ronnie thinks that the killer was parked nearby and waited for her to leave then drives into the car park and pulls up next to the car…and Joe adds “bang.” Joe sees a nearby camera and suggests they get the footage to see if they are right.

Law & Order UK “Repeat To Fade” Episode Information

Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order UK, “Repeat To Fade". (Update April 30, 2014: ITV is rescheduling this episode; the new air date has not been announced as yet. Stay tuned!)

UPDATE May 29, 2014:  ITV announced today that this episode has been rescheduled to June 11, 2014. 



Law & Order UK “Repeat To Fade” Air Date June 11, 2014  (9 PM ET/8C Wednesday ITV)

After a fatal stabbing in a crowded market place, the pressure is on to make Londoners feel safe again. But with a new boss and Ronnie’s effectiveness as a detective being questioned at every turn, is it the end of the road for his career?

Ronnie (Bradley Walsh) and Joe (Ben Bailey Smith) have a new boss to contend with. DI Elisabeth Flynn (Sharon Small) is determined to put her stamp on the MIU, declaring her own personal crackdown on knife crime. It is horribly embarrassing for her then, that the first case to come in under her rule is a stabbing. Under pressure from all sides, Ronnie and Joe struggle to gather enough evidence to charge the youth they believe to be responsible: Bobbi Washington (Kasey McKellar). However, when Bobbi inadvertently confesses to Ronnie, he thinks he’s got him – but with the confession uncorroborated by anyone else, Ronnie begins to realise that his honesty is in question. Can he prove to DI Flynn that he is no "dinosaur?" Guest starring Colin Salmon and Tony Gardner.

Cast list
DS Ronnie Brooks - Bradley Walsh
DS Joe Hawkins - Ben Bailey Smith
Jacob Thorne - Dominic Rowan
Kate Barker - Georgia Taylor
Henry Sharpe - Peter Davison
DI Elizabeth Flynn - Sharon Small
Zana Washington - Pippa Bennett-Warner
Bobbi Washington - Kasey McKellar
Doug Greer - Colin Salmon
Commander Douglas Stone - Tony Gardner

# # #

My recap and review of Law & Order UK “Repeat To Fade” can be found at this link.


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order. Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order UK “Bad Romance” Recap & Review

Law & Order UK “Bad Romance” was a close copy of the original Law & Order episode on which it was based: “Denial” (season 8, episode 2).  The detectives and CPS have a case of apparent murder of a baby by two young kids,  but there’s one big problem: there is no body. At least not at first. By the time the body of the baby is found, all involved have had plenty of time to create just enough confusion with their stories that it’s a field day for the defense. At first, Kate Barker seems smitten with a handsome nemesis of Jake Thorne’s - Maitland Cosby - who is representing the two defendants. Once she sees him in his full smarmy and sleazy persona, she doesn’t want to have anything to do with this “posh boy” from “poshville.” Clearly, Jake was more than annoyed at Cosby, apparently having unpleasant – and for Jake, unsuccessful – cases with him before. In the previous episode (“Customs”), Jake and Kate were at odds, and in this episode, they seemed very comfortable together again.

I was a little confused about the timeline for this episode, as it relates to this series to date. The season started showing they were working a case in January, and the cases in the following episodes in the series  proceeded chronologically.  The episode which preceded “Bad Romance” (“Pride”) took place in March and April. In “Bad Romance”, we jumped all the way to October and November. I don’t know if this episode was aired out of sequence or if there was an intentional huge jump in the timeline. It will be interesting to see the dates in the next episode.

As the episode followed the original Law & Order story line very closely, it lacked the drama and suspense that Law & Order UK usually delivers. But the episode had many amusing points and dry humor peppered throughout which made it quite enjoyable.  Law & Order UK does drama well, but they also have a great cast that can really pull off the funny bits and make them seem very natural.

Here is the recap:

Cast:
Bradley Walsh - DS Ronnie Brooks
Ben Bailey Smith – DS Joe Hawkins
Paterson Joseph - DI Wes Leyton
Dominic Rowan - Jacob Thorne
Georgia Taylor - Kate Barker
Peter Davison - Henry Sharpe

Guest cast:
Lacey Bond – Linda
Philip Rosch – Alan
Anna Marie Cseh - Magda
Svetlana Bida – Ioana
Nicola Sanderson – SOCO Joy
Steve Furst – Edward Blanchard
Adelayo Adedayo – Kayla
James Wilby - Charles Hutton
Joanna Brooks – Marsalee
Emma Campbell-Jones - Camille Hutton
Lucy Boynton - Georgia Hutton
Nicholas Jones - Edmund Rintoul
Greg Austin - Rufus Barton
Paul Bentall - Harold Maysby
Adjoa Andoh - Lilly
Alice Sanders - Poppy
Nimmy March - Elizabeth Rawls
Janet Dibley – Karen Hannay
Joseph Milson - Maitland Cosby
Karen Archer - Justice O'Neill


At Lord Darnley Hotel in Shepherd’s Bush on Monday, September 29, two women from housekeeping who are having fun barging into people’s rooms discover a bed covered with blood. Later, DS Ronnie Brooks and SOCO Joy and her team are on the scene. The amount of blood may indicate a laceration or ballistic trauma. There is no body, the victim either walked or was moved. There is no blood trail. The hotel owner, Mr. Blanchard, who arrives with DS Joe Hawkins, complains about when he can have the room back. Joe says the occupant of the room checked in as CP Hutton, and he paid cash but left his credit card details as security. He did sign in, and Joe takes a photo of the log. Hutton seemed about 20. Joe explains there is only on CCTV camera covering the entrance and corridor but someone stuck a piece of chewing gum over the lens.

Back at MIU, Ronnie and Joe confer with DI Wes Leyton about there not being a body. Based on the look of the room, Ronnie is sure there is a victim. Wes informs them of a memo from above, which is printed on paper, saying they are striving for a paper free office and he cautions them that anything that doesn’t need to be printed doesn’t get printed. Kayla brings in a document which she announces that she printed for Ronnie. They find that CP Hutton is Charles Peregrine Hutton who is 50 years old and a company director, and that’s 30 years older than the guy who checked into the hotel.

At Hutton and Fellowes on the same day, Ronnie and Joe speak with Hutton who did not realize his credit card was missing. He thinks he last used it months ago and last night he was at a dinner at a club. Joe asks for the info on the club and Ronnie asks for something with his signature. Joe compares the signature and there is no match. His wife would not have used his card, and Hutton worries if his wife will know about this, she already thinks he is a fool when it comes to looking after money, Ronnie replies they will let him break that bad news.

Back at MIU, Joe says they can’t confirm Hutton’s alibi as the doorman at his club refused him entry. Joe hands Ronnie a police artist’s sketch of the man who checked into the hotel. Kayla is checking the credit card transactions and finds credit card charges from a music store. She also finds a large charge in a kinky attire shop.

Later, at the shop, Ronnie and Joe find out what the guy purchased and show the shop worker the police sketch. She doesn’t recognize him as the order for the item was from the Internet. After Ronnie asks, she angrily gets him the delivery address which is in Holland Park. She says if they see any of her merchandise there, get it back.

Afterwards, at the Hutton home, Ronnie and Joe discuss with Hutton the fact that the items were shipped to his home and the fact his alibi can’t be verified. They show him the police sketch and Hutton plays dumb. His wife and daughter walk in as he says he did not use that card for the hotel. He tells her it is about a missing credit card and she says he is hopeless. She also denies using the card, and the detectives ask to speak with their daughter.

Ronnie and Joe speak with Georgia Hutton who doesn’t understand why she would use the credit card. They show her a photo of the person who used the card and she says she does not know him. When Ronnie mentions this could be about a murder, she says she can’t help them. Hutton tells them they are done here. Ronnie asks for a list of anyone who works the house and a list of Georgia’s school friends, and her mother informs them Georgia doesn’t have guests, she is doing six A levels. She goes to St. Sebastian’s Upper School. When Joe comments that is nice, Hutton asks him if he knows people there. The look on Joe’s face changes, and he says no.

At St. Sebastian’s Upper School that same day, they speak with the headmaster who says Georgia’s father was an old boy there but implies he wasn’t much and rode on his old family money. He doesn’t know anything about Mrs. Hutton. He thinks Charlie married below stairs. Georgia will be off to Oxford. Ronnie sees a poster for auditions for “West Side Story” and the headmaster says Georgia tried out for it but it wasn’t her finest hour but she was expecting a leading role. He adds that young people today have such pathological self-belief. Ronnie shows him the police sketch and the headmaster says, “Goodness.”

Law & Order UK “Hard Stop” Episode Information

Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order UK, “Hard Stop."


Law & Order UK “Hard Stop” Air Date April 23, 2014 (9 PM ET/8C Wednesday on ITV)


When a series of shootings claims one of their own, Ronnie (Bradley Walsh) and Joe (Ben Bailey Smith) have little time to grieve – they must catch the killer before he or she can reach the next people on the hit - list.

And in first place on that list is Henry Sharpe (Peter Davison), head of the Crown Prosecution Service. The link between all the targets becomes clear - the common factor is the case of Mark Glendon (Mark Bonnar) put away for the murder of his wife four years ago.

But he is still in prison, though soon to be retried. However, the police struggle to find concrete evidence that connects Glendon to the shootings and the race is on the catch the killer before the jury delivers their verdict.

Cast list
DS Ronnie Brooks - Bradley Walsh
DS Joe Hawkins - Ben Bailey Smith
DI Wes Leyton - Paterson Joseph
Jacob Thorne - Dominic Rowan
Kate Barker - Georgia Taylor
Henry Sharpe - Peter Davison
Mark Glendon - Mark Bonnar
Abby Glendon - Elinor Crawley

# # #

My recap and review of Law & Order UK “Hard Stop” can be found at this link.



Promo for Law & Order UK "Hard Stop"

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order. Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order UK “Customs” Recap & Review

Law & Order UK celebrated its 50th episode with “Customs”, a story based on the original Law & Order episode “Ritual” (season 8, episode 10). “Ritual” was not one of my favorite episodes, I suspect due to the subject matter, which make me squirm just hearing about it. In “Customs,”  Safia Mahmoud kills her mother in law over her very real fear that she was arranging a procedure on Safia’s daughter Laila which would mutilate her genitals. There may be some weird customs in the world, but this one certainly is one of the most horrific, casing both physical and emotional trauma for any young girl forced into the procedure. In this particular case, the girl’s father is clueless about the real nature of the procedure and its after effects, likely only wanting it done for his daughter because his mother said so, and out of tradition.

Things seemed to have been going very well at CPS for Kate and Jake – until this case. Kate goes back to her defense mindset; she has difficulty keeping from the defense what she thinks are mitigating circumstances for the defendant's act of murder.  Kate goes behind Jake's back to convince the defendant to open up to her own attorney about her fears of female genital mutilation being arranged for her daughter.  Jake is clearly unhappy about this.   But, at the end, even Jake had to admit that Kate did the right thing by digging further into this case.

This episode had a great first half but a somewhat dull second half, despite the friction between Jake and Kate. I was hoping, as it was Law & Order UK’s 50th episode, there would be something thrilling to close the episode. But, based on some advance information on episode 7, I think we’ll be getting plenty of excitement to make up for it coming up on April 23, 2014. Stay tuned!

Here is the recap:

Cast:
Bradley Walsh - DS Ronnie Brooks
Ben Bailey Smith – DS Joe Hawkins
Paterson Joseph - DI Wes Leyton
Dominic Rowan - Jacob Thorne
Georgia Taylor - Kate Barker
Peter Davison - Henry Sharpe

Guest cast:
Gillian Saker – Kayleigh
Solomon Israel – Carl
Nicola Sanderson – SOCO Joy
Jessica Gunning – Angela
Gareth Snook – Giles Moss
Hara Yannas = Safia Mahmoud
Dhafer L’Abidine - Tariq Mahmoud
Ofrrie Haddi – Laila Mahmoud
Annael Mullion – Pathologist Eleanor
Glyn Pritchard – Graham
Akin Gazi – Dr. Yafeu Elsayed
Fraser James – Dr. Toby Marsh
Delroy Brown – Dr. Turnbull
Haydn Gwynne - Madeline Morgan
Gregory Floy – Judge Maisden
Shamaya Blake - Yasmin


A woman screams as she goes into labor. As her husband races her to the car to go to hospital, he sees a body laying on the ground – a person appears to have jumped. He calls for the police but then races to the hospital.

Later, DS Ronnie Brooks arrives on the scene and SOCO Joy is already there. The dead person is a white female and the only thing on her is her phone. DS Joe Hawkins also found nothing, and when he looks at the body, Ronnie notices the woman was not wearing a coat, despite the cold.

At MIU,  Ronnie speaks with DI Wes Leyton and explains the data on the phone was mostly in Arabic and Wes tells him to get a translator. Joe tells Ronnie the phone was registered to a Ranya Habib, and he has an address. Ronnie asks Joe how is his Arabic, and Joe says something in Arabic. Ronnie is impressed, that is, until Joe tells him it means “My hovercraft is full of eels” and that he is a big Python fan. Ronnie asks where they are going, and when Joe says Highgate, Ronnie tells him “no dead parrot jokes.”

At the home of Ranya Habib in Highgate on Thursday, March 20, police are taking out evidence and Joe shows Ronnie that he found a note in Arabic with a couple numbers – 779 LHR 355. Ronnie wonders if it is a flight number. Ronnie says he will see what they neighbors have to say.

Ronnie speaks with a neighbor Mr. Moss who says Ranya was not very tolerant and he heard her last night having an argument with somebody at about 11. The talking was in Arabic and it was like listening to burning cats. Her husband died years ago. Joe approaches and after Ronnie gives Moss his card, he walks off with Joe, commenting he was well rescued.

Back in the flat, Ronnie looks at the document Joe gave him and comments 900 grand and Joe says Habib Imports can be anything. Ronnie looks at a diary planner and sees dinner last night with Tariq, who Wes says is her son, and that today was all blanked out with the letters “YE.” Ronnie looks at the rest of the diary and notes that Ranya is very busy for someone planning to “clear her diary.”

As Ronnie walks down the stairway he smells bleach. He speaks with Moss again and asks who cleans the stairwell and he says they have someone who comes Tuesdays. Ronnie then turns to Joe and asks if this smells three days old to him and Joe doesn’t answer and Ronnie says it does not. Ronnie tells Joe to get the boys over her and get the place forensicated, wondering if the argument turned nasty.

At the Mahmoud home in Muswell Hill on the same day, Ronnie give his condolences to Ranya's son and wife. Their daughter enters and her mother tells her they must leave the men to talk. As they leave, they asks Mahmoud the last time he saw his mother. He explains she came for dinner last night and left just after 10. She seemed normal and cannot believe she would take her own life. They asked about the YE in her diary and her tersely asks how should he know. Ronnie reminds him they are only trying to do their job,

At the mortuary, the pathologist, Eleanor, says Ranya did not die of a suicide. The skull fracture, her injuries, and the fact there wasn’t enough blood on the road aren’t consistent with a fall form that height. It is more like a fall down a stairwell. Given her body temp at the time they found her, she had been dead at least a couple hours. Ronnie suspects she was pushed down the stairs and dumped at the other location. Joe’s phone rings and then he informs Ronnie the numbers on the paper were from a flight number 779 at 3:55 from Arab Air to Heathrow and Ronnie suspects YE was the person flying in.

At the airport, Ronnie and Joe find that there were two people with the initial YEs on the note that was due to fly in then. One was a 12 year old travelling with a family and the other was Yafeu Elsayed in from Cairo for 3 days. They see him on the video coming into customs and he is meeting Ranya. They get his immigration card and flight history which is very extensive. Ronnie sees he is staying at the Sovereign Hotel in London. Ronnie gets a call from Angie and then tells Joe the Sovereign can wait as they race off.

Back at MIU, Ronnie and Joe, with Angela nearby, discuss whether Elsayed is Al Qaeda and Joe tells Wes Ronnie’s terrorist radar is bleeping. Ronnie mentions there are multiple payments from Ranya’s account to various recipients including £6,000 to Elsayed, yesterday she picked him up from Heathrow and then they found her dead. He adds in the last 12 months, Elsayed has been to the Yemen, Libya, and Syria, and they can’t rule terrorism out. Wes tells him to tread carefully.

At the Sovereign Hotel, while Joe searches the room where Elsayed was staying, Ronnie speaks with a worker who knows nothing. Joe finds a receipt for sodium bicarbonate and nitroglycerin and Ronnie comments that is homemade explosives and he could have made that in the hotel room. Ronnie recalls Elsayed had another bag with him and wonders where is the other bag? The worker hasn’t seen it but when Ronnie asks if he knows where Elsayed was going, he points to the Tower Bridge, visible out the window. Ronnie puts in a call to Wes but has to leave a message for Wes to call him, it is urgent. Joe cautions Ronnie that they don’t know for sure, but Ronnie tells Joe to think about it: the risk of not taking action Is far greater. He gives Joe instructions on calling in other authorities.

Law & Order UK “Bad Romance” Episode Information

Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order UK “Bad Romance.”


Law & Order UK “Bad Romance” Air Date April 16, 2014 (9 PM ET/8C Wednesday on ITV)

A bloody hotel room and a stolen credit card lead Ronnie and Joe to Charles Hutton (James Wilby), a member of the wealthy upper classes who dotes on his wife Camille, and daughter Georgia (Lucy Boynton).

Without a body it is difficult to ascertain the crime, but before long, Ronnie and Joe have enough evidence to suggest that Georgia gave birth in the hotel room – but where is the baby now?

Georgia and her boyfriend Rufus (Greg Austin) are difficult enough for Jake and Kate to prosecute but to make matters worse the defence counsel turns out to be an old nemesis of Jake’s, Maitland Cosby (Joseph Milson). But as the evidence against the young couple stacks up, how far will Georgia’s father go to protect her future?

Cast list

DS Ronnie Brooks - Bradley Walsh
DS Joe Hawkins - Ben Bailey Smith
DI Wes Leyton - Paterson Joseph
Jacob Thorne - Dominic Rowan
Kate Barker - Georgia Taylor
Henry Sharpe - Peter Davison
Charles Hutton - James Wilby
Maitland Cosby - Joseph Milson
Georgia Hutton - Lucy Boynton
Rufus Barton - Greg Austin

# # #

My recap and review of Law & Order UK “Bad Romance” can be found at this link.





Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order UK “Pride” Recap & Review

Law & Order UK “Pride” brought back Dame Harriet Walter as Natalie Chandler, a former MIU Detective Inspector. She’s tied into a murder via her father’s connection to the victim, a connection not made clear to Natalie or to Ronnie Brooks until close to the end. This episode was based on the original Law & Order  episode “Identity” (season 14, episode 6), and while both cases dealt with identity theft and murder, “Pride” uses this case to bring back Chandler.  This time she’s not as in control of the situation as she'd been accustomed as DI. Her desire to believe that her estranged father is not a murderer causes her to go off the rails more than once, despite promising Ronnie she’d stay out of the case and behave. Natalie gets her answer in the end, although it’s not the answer she’d like to hear.

This case was heavy on the detective work and light on the legal work, but this imbalance did not detract from the story. Harriet Walter always brought a stern, yet likable crustiness to Natalie Chandler, and it was nice to see her as the focus of an episode now that she is no longer a series regular. Clearly, Bradley Walsh is the cornerstone of this series and it has been truly interesting watching Ronnie develop over the years. Ronnie is one of those people that if he was your friend, you would have confidence he would move heaven and earth to help you. He risked getting in trouble with his boss yet again to help Natalie get to the bottom of her father’s involvement in a murder and fraud.

It was a very nice touch to see a scene where a bus comes into the picture with a large ad in the side with the words “Identity.” Not only was in an indicator of what was at the root of the murder, but it also seemed a homage to the original episode.

Each week, Law & Order UK continues to impress me. It’s one of a handful of shows that I actually look forward to each week.

Here is the recap:

Cast:
Bradley Walsh - DS Ronnie Brooks
Ben Bailey Smith – DS Joe Hawkins
Paterson Joseph - DI Wes Leyton
Dominic Rowan - Jacob Thorne
Georgia Taylor - Kate Barker
Peter Davison - Henry Sharpe

Guest cast:
Harriet Walter - Natalie Chandler
Martin Jarvis - Eddie Stewart
Roy Hudd - Felix Hargreaves
Laura Rogers – Sally Lester
Alexander Aze – Ethan Lester
Nicola Sanderson – SOCO Joy
Roxy Sternberg – Alice Edwards
Ella Kenion – Cashier
Matt Slack – Rob Hebden
Melanie Kilburn – Julie Perkins
Leila Hoffman – Florence
Jessica Gunning – Angela
Martin Jarvis – Eddie Stewart
Geoff McGivern – Geoffrey Sykes
Jack Beale – Clerk
Cyril Nri – Judge DeMarco
Fraser James – Dr. Toby Marsh
Michael Luxton – Paul Harrison


At the Lester home, as kids race into the house for a party, a woman screams as she opens a door to another room.

Later, DS Ronnie Brooks and SOCO Joy are on that scene where Neil Lester lay dead from a head wound from a paperweight. Ronnie and DS Joe Hawkins speak with his wife,  Sally Lester, and ask about her husband’s job and his recent actions. Things sound very good and Ronnie and Joe wonder who wanted him dead.

Back at MIU, Ronnie and Joe confer with DI Wes Leyton. There is a laptop missing from Lester’s desk, and there is no match on the prints on the murder weapon. The wife is not a likely suspect. They think there was something on the laptop. Wes tells them to find out why Lester came home early.

At AKDC Marketing on March 11, Ronnie and Joe ask about Lester’s job. The detectives ask why Lester went home early, and a colleague seems confused at the question, They find Neil Lester hasn’t worked there for 9 months, his job was cut.

On the same day, back at the Lester home, his wife was not aware of this. Ronnie gets a call and then asks Sally Lester about their finances, specifically a £160,000 in a savings account, deposited 3 months after he lost his job. She thinks they are mistaken.

Later, Ronnie and Joe are at LPB Bank and find the account was opened 6 months ago and closed it 24 hours later. It was transferred there by an Edward Stewart. Stewart recently took out another advance – a loan against the value of his property. They wonder what Stewart had to do with Lester,

The same day, at Lincoln Rise, they think Stewart took out a loan to pay Lester. When they knock on the door, a property developer answers. The house went to auction 3 months ago, the owner slopped paying his bills,

Back at MIU, Ronnie and Joe explain what they found and wonder if the two had a scam going. No leads on Stewart. Wes instructs them to continue to see if anyone knows anything about Stewart.

At Chiswick High Street outside Jimmy’s hair stylist, Joe tells Ronnie that the landlady hasn’t seen Stewart in 3 months and Ronnie comments that Stewart hasn’t been in Jimmy’s for a while. Ronnie complains there is no sense of community anymore and whines about texting and twitting. Joe calls him “gramps.”

At Julie's, having a meal, they hear Stewart was there about a month ago and get a suggestion to speak with Felix Hargreaves at the Community Center, he and Stewart were thick as thieves.

At Oak Reach Community Center, where the people look very elderly, they meet up with Felix to talk about Stewart. They were paratroopers in 1952 and had since moved to Australia. Felix blows them off to go back to the old ladies.

Back at MIU, Wes tells Ronnie that Angie tracked down a next of kin, a daughter who is in Finsbury Park. But Wes tells Ronnie to take a closer look at the file and Ronnie looks stunned.

At the daughter’s home, Ronnie decides to take the lead. When the door opens, it’s former DI Natalie Chandler that is standing there.

Inside Natalie’s home, she explains her mother’s death and then once Joe introduces himself, she asks what they are doing there. They ask about her dad. She last saw him 4 months ago. They explain he defaulted on loan payments and repossessed his house. Natalie explains he didn’t take it well when her mother moved in with her when her mother became ill. They explain they talked to Felix and Natalie doesn’t understand why they did that. When Ronnie explains Felix and Eddie were good friends, Natalie asks what is going on. They explain they think her father went into business with Neil Lester, and Natalie has never heard of him. Joe mentions the possible bank fraud and then explains Lester was found dead Monday afternoon.

Afterwards, outside MIU with Wes, Ronnie and Joe discuss Natalie’s reaction and they don’t understand why her dad got into that business at 78. As they enter MIU, Angie is there and explains they traced Lester’s laptop to a second hand shop in Shepherd’s Bush. They see a photo of the person who was at the shop and Ronnie recognizes the person in the photo.

Law & Order UK “Customs” Episode Information

Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order UK, “Customs.”


Law & Order UK “Customs” Air Date April 9,  2014 (9 PM Wednesday ITV)

When Ronnie and Joe are called to a suicide it doesn’t take long for Ronnie to suspect foul play: Ranya Habib had no reason to kill herself. Although they are initially suspicious of a Dr Elsayed, recently arrived in the country to visit Ranya, they can’t find any evidence against him. Turning their attentions back to Ranya’s family, they soon suspect Ranya’s son, Tariq (Dhaffer L’Abidine) However, as the evidence comes in, it all points to Tariq’s wife: Safia (Hara Yannas).

Safia eventually admits that she killed Ranya but says that she didn’t mean to: it was in the heat of an argument and she refuses to say what the argument was about. Joe, however, thinks he knows: Dr Elsayed’s medical history includes the practice of FGM, female genital mutilation, on young girls - and he believes Ranya brought Elsayed over to perform FGM on Laila, Safia and Tariq’s daughter. Appalled by this, Kate struggles to remain professional and jeopardises her entire career leaving Jake to prosecute the case alone. Guest starring Haydn Gwynne.

Georgia Taylor, who plays Kate Barker, says: " Kate becomes very involved in this case; she believes it is not black and white and there are mitigating factors that have influenced what’s gone on in this family. Jake is saying ‘It’s not your place to question the morals of something, it is about the law. Did this person break the law – yes or no?’ Kate comes at it from an emotional angle and thinks maybe it was justified, so maybe it should be manslaughter. It’s not really her job to do that as she is working for the prosecution, but she can’t help herself getting involved. They come to blows and ultimately she takes a course of action which could jeopardise the whole case and her job..."

Cast list
DS Ronnie Brooks - Bradley Walsh
DS Joe Hawkins - Ben Bailey Smith
DI Wes Leyton - Paterson Joseph
Jacob Thorne - Dominic Rowan
Kate Barker - Georgia Taylor
Henry Sharpe - Peter Davison
Madeline Morgan - Haydn Gwynne
Tariq Mahmoud - Dhaffer L’Abidine
Safia Mahmoud - Hara Yannas
Dr Elsayed - Akin Gazi

# # #

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order UK “I Predict A Riot” Recap & Review

I don’t think there are enough superlatives to describe Law & Order UK “I Predict A Riot.” This was an expertly written story that delivered the drama,  both on the investigative side and the legal side.  The episode was based on the original Law & Order episode “Ramparts” (season 9 episode 11) and I think it was a big improvement on the original. The case begins with Ronnie and Joe working on a stakeout to catch a drug dealer, and in working that case, a car is found in the river with a body in the boot. Not only did they dredge up a car with a dead body, they also dredged up a decades old cover-up by some in law enforcement. A long time friend of Ronnie’s is in the mix, and CPS Director Henry Sharpe’s trust in Jake Thorne is hanging by a thread. Jake takes a big gamble with some creative legal maneuvering and, had it not been for Ronnie’s help, Jake would have lost big. At least Jake was willing to take the big risk in order to expose any corruption.

Not only was the story about the possibility of police corruption, it also addressed the racism that occurred in the 1980s, both inside and outside the police force. Joe gets a taste of present day racism while questioning Darren Grady when Grady mentions, staring right at Joe, that it was too dark to see the victim, who was also black. Grady also seems to have a similar problem with Wes.   Wes has difficulty impressing with Henry Sharpe the need to stay with the case, with Henry thinking this is just a crusade of Wes’. Henry was right to be cautious at first.  Winning the case OR losing it would likely mean trouble for the police or for the CPS. But Henry was also likely hiding these fears by claiming Wes had his own motives to pursue the case.

This episode included some great locations, staging of scenes, use of color and lighting, plus some fantastic camera work. I was amazed at the long scene in the courthouse where Jake, Kate, and Phillip walked quickly through the halls and up stairwells while the camera preceded their every step. It made me feel like I was right there. Visually, this episode was a pleasure to watch.

It was also nice to see Jessica Gunning, as the hard working Angela, return for this episode, even though it was only for a brief moment.

The episode was dedicated to the memory of Roger Lloyd Pack, an accomplished actor who portrayed Alex Greene, and who passed away shortly after this episode was filmed.

Here is the recap:

Cast:
Bradley Walsh - DS Ronnie Brooks
Ben Bailey Smith – DS Joe Hawkins
Paterson Joseph - DI Wes Leyton
Dominic Rowan - Jacob Thorne
Georgia Taylor - Kate Barker
Peter Davison - Henry Sharpe

Guest cast:
Roger Lloyd Pack - Alex Greene
Ralph Brown - DS Darren Grady
Craige Els – Dave Simmons
Lace Akpojaro – Frank
Pasha Bocarie – River Police Officer
Annabel Mullion – Eleanor
Ellen Thomas – Rebecca Houghton
Jenny Jules - Nikki Carroll
Antony Byrne - DS Pete Langham
Michael Cronin – Maurice Bennett
Graham Cole – Terry Wilson
Pip Torrens - Philip Nevins
Paul Darrow – Justice Prentice
Jessica Gunning – Angela
Don Warrington – Eamonn Callaghan
Chereen Buckley – Journalist


At Brentford Park on Tuesday, 18th March, DS Ronnie Brooks and DS Joe Hawkins are on a stake out at the park. They see their target and as they watch and hear a drug deal going down,  it appears their target has a gun. Joe radios that information to the others in the team as the other man gives the target the money. When the other guy moves to pick up the rucksack with the product, the target kicks him, grabs his rucksack back and runs. Joe radios to the others what is happening and Joe gets out of the car and chases the target. Joe and the others chase the target under a bridge and to the river, and the target – Dave Simmons – throws the rucksack in and Joe catches up to him and arrests him and reads him his rights. As others take Simmons off,  an officer asks Joe if Simmons had the heroin, and Joe explains if it was in the rucksack it’s in the river now and to call the divers to hopefully find it.

Later, with more officers and equipment on the scene, they are pulling out a car from the river. Ronnie complains to one of the officers he is supposed to be looking for a rucksack. They open the boot of the car and find a body inside.

Back at MIU, Joe, along with DI Wes Leyton, explain that Simmons squealed as soon as they found the rucksack full of heroin and admitted to everything. Ronnie is happy they can say goodbye to the drug squad, saying sitting around in cars all day is a waste of their time. Wes says the body in the boot is there so wrap it up as quick as they can.

At the forensics lab on March 19, they find from Eleanor that the body is a male between his late teens and thirty. Eleanor is not sure of the ethnicity but it is probably not Caucasian. He broke his collarbone at least 10 years before he died. She can’t say if the head wound is the cause of death and thinks the skull fracture happened before he was dumped. When Ronnie asks how long she thinks he’s been down there, she explains that the body has near compete decomposition, anything between 25 and 30 years.

Back at MIU, Ronnie and Joe explain to Wes that the last registered keeper of the car was Rebecca Connor in 1984 and after that there are no more records. They are trying to track her down now and also looking for missing persons around that time and this may take a while. Wes reminds him he told him to make this quick, and  he instructs them to give the grunt work to someone else and instead help him out and clear it off their desks.

At Houghton’s Hairdressers the same day, they speak with Rebecca (now Houghton)  about the car and she said she sold it for cash. She needed the money so she sold it to Nikki Carroll. She said they were in Manchester at the time.

Back at MIU, Joe finds on the computer there were no missing reports during that timeline, and Ronnie reminds him that up to 1988, everything at that time was hard copy or on paper and if you wanted a file, you had to literally get it yourself. As Ronnie holds on the phone to get an address for Nikki Carroll, Joe seems surprised they didn’t upload it into computers. Ronnie explains they started but ran out of money. Ronnie gets the address and says Nikki is in the database but not in Manchester. The known charges are breach of the peace, all outside police stations. Ronnie thinks she was an activist.

On the same day, Ronnie and Joe are at the Redway Community Center where Nikki appears to be holding a group session. She tells them she does not know who they’ve come to see, but nobody talks without a lawyer, she just got those kids to trust her. Ronnie and Joe explain they are there to see her and ask about the car. She asks of they’ve found it, and then looks panicked. She sits down and then comments after all this time, and then asks if they found him. Joe asks who is it she thinks they found, and Nikki, looking more distraught, thinks they found her brother.

Later, she explains her brother broke his collarbone going over the handlebars of his chopper. She lent him the car. His name was Taylor Kane. He came to London for his job, and Ronnie recognizes the name as a police officer, saying she is Nicky Kane’s daughter. Ronnie recalls her mother campaigning to find her brother. She said it was the summer of 1985, they didn’t know exactly when. She explains how they tried to find him and they got people to support them. But the death ate at her mother like cancer and she died . They set up trust and got charitable status but over time, support went away. Everyone gave up on him except her and her mother, Joe says they believe he was murdered and they won’t give up on him.

Back at MIU, Wes recalls the Kane Trust and it started and ended with the mother and daughter, but at its peak they got press coverage and they were lobbying Parliament fighting for the rights of ethnic minorities. They were a force for good but the establishment didn’t think so. This is why the family was angry – the police line was always there was nothing they can do. Joe says Nikki is the last one left, she has no kids or siblings and her mum is dead. Wes recalls meeting Nikki’s mother and says she was a formidable woman but you could see the strain in her eyes. They owe her a conviction. He tells them to go back to the beginning and this time they will do it properly.

At the General Registry Office on the same day, they find Taylor completed his training in 1982 in Manchester and he went to London in 1984. Joe says Taylor had a handler, and thinks he was undercover. Ronnie comments there weren’t many black undercovers in those days, there weren’t even many black officers. Joe thinks this explains why he was out of contact with his family and others. Ronnie says being under the radar is part of the job and maybe that is why Maggie Kane could not get support from the force. Joe finds and end of service form signed and dated in July 1987. Ronnie wonders why they would have done that without a body. Joe says it was signed off by the Chief of London, Alexander Greene, and for the Northwest Police, Maurice Bennett. Ronnie knows them both. Ronnie says Bennett was a great copper and great teacher and his reward was getting Manchester. The handler’s name was Pete Langham.

At the Chiswick Police Station on March 20, they speak with Peter Langham who says he lost touch with Taylor Kane, Taylor was UC and he couldn’t just knock on his door and he explained all this at the time, even to Taylor’s family. He last saw him the night after the Brixton riots kicked off. They met at a copper’s pub in Lamberth, The Singing Sparrow, they didn’t want to meet there were there could be careless talk so they met down the road. Taylor said he was scared, and who could blame him? They thought they had lost control of the street. Joe asks if anyone can corroborate that meeting, and Pete says no, they just have to take his word for it. Ronnie asks who Pete was drinking with and when Pete tells him he does not know, it was long time ago, Ronnie counters that if he went back to the archive and found his little blue diary that may jog his memory. Pete says if it was anyone it would have been Darren Grady, they trained the guy.