A new Trial by television

Jan 5 2008 by Laura Davis, Liverpool Daily Post

Lynda La Plante explains to Laura Davis how she keeps her work fresh

WHEN you see the futuristic techniques used by scientists on slick US police shows, it’s easy to assume that all constabularies have access to 30-second DNA testing and facial recognition systems.

The reality, of course, is that while flashy forensics can make or break a case, it’s the traditional side of policing that gets the most results – the knocking on doors, interviewing suspects and witnesses, and going over and over the facts.

Long before Quentin Tarantino directed a special double-episode of the American cop show CSI, a certain Liverpool-born screenwriter was scripting her new series depicting the activities of a less glamorous murder squad.

Lynda La Plante already had a string of successful crime dramas behind her, among them Prime Suspect, the Governor and Mind Games, when she started work on Trial & Retribution.

Although she has since relinquished control of Prime Suspect, she continues to produce Trial & Retribution and the series is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Five new two-part stories will be broadcast on ITV1, starting on January 17 with Rules of the Game about the murder of an Eastern European girl found strangled in a suitcase left at Heathrow Airport.

Keeping the series fresh while remaining true to its original concept is a challenge La Plante has regularly had to face.

“The start of a new series of a long-running show can be a daunting task – one can never rest on previous success. Every aspect of this new series has to remain fresh and innovative,” explains the 61-year-old.

“With powerful actors such as David Hayman and Victoria Smurfit leading our cast, it is imperative they are involved in their characters’ development. Although we have drawn upon their back history, we have taken the opportunity to extend each character’s growth within the series.

“With so many other police dramas on television, Trial & Retribution has to keep raising the bar, maintaining the difference in quality between us and any other show on the air.” While the basic premise of the show remains the same, filming techniques used to create it have developed over the past decade.

Split screen has become something of a trademark of Trial & Retribution, and the new series features stunts of the calibre of a big budget movie.

“Because of our reputation, and the continuing success of the series, we have been able to attract some of the best and well-respected movie directors working today – high-calibre film makers such as Gillies MacKinnon, Ben Ross and David Moore, among others,” adds La Plante.

“We encourage freedom within the production for anyone with innovative ideas and a keenness to make the show their own. As a result, I truly believe we are surpassing ourselves, bringing feature film standards to television drama.

“Over the years, we have hand-picked a team that is professional, yet makes each person feel like they are joining a well-constructed ‘family’.”

The image of a family is one that Dorian Lough, who has appeared in every series, also uses to describe his experiences on set.

He says: “What has been amazing is that it has been like a family. Lynda, David (Hayman), Victoria (Smurfit) and the whole La Plante ‘family’, as it were, are incredibly loyal,” says Dorian, who plays DS Dave Satchell.

He first met the producer while working on The Governor, and has never forgotten the experience.

“Meeting her for the first time was extraordinary because she talked non-stop for about 45 minutes about the character and got up and acted it all out, and I was blown away by her.

“From that, I got the call for Trial & Retribution. Although at that point Satch wasn’t a huge part, I knew some of David’s work and I thought it was phenomenal, so I was happy to be involved.”

It is easy to see why the “family” element of the show is so important to La Plante. Unable to have children due to an early menopause, she adopted a six-month-old boy, Lorcan, from the US four years ago.

Having left her own childhood home in Great Crosby at the age of 15 to study acting at RADA in London, she got her first script accepted – Widows, about three women who plan to take over their dead husbands’ armed robbery plot – in 1983.

With her own production company, and successful dramas that are recommissioned year after year, La Plante puts her success down to hard work and determination, but she is grateful to the actors, production team and fans of the programme who have stood by her.

“I remain in awe of David Hayman and Victoria Smurfit, their loyalty is forever something I treasure. However, it is their supreme talent and generosity as artists which never fails to leave me impressed,” she says.

“Many times, we have been able to use the raw talent of fresh, young actors. Without exception, they are so well treated by our stars, with respect and encouragement, and as a result their performances are often staggering. It is this dedication to their roles that motivates me to keep producing scripts worthy of them.”

She adds, enthusiastically: “Making a series of this scale and quality has certainly been a challenge, but, when the results are this good, it proves that all that hard work has been worth every second. I am incredibly proud of Trial & Retribution. It will be coming out with all guns blazing – cutting-edge, compelling and truthful television drama – worthy of our loyal audience.”

THE new series of Trial & Retribution starts on Thursday, January 17, on ITV1.

lauradavis