The Brief is a British crime drama series first broadcast on ITV on 25 April 2004.[1] The series follows the work of defence barrister Henry Farmer (Alan Davies), whose complicated personal life manages to overlap into his work.[2] Other stars in the series include Linda Bassett, Christopher Fulford and Cherie Lunghi. After critical acclaim and strong viewing figures for the first series of four episodes, a second series was commissioned, which began transmission on 7 October 2005.
| The Brief | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Dusty Hughes |
| Written by | Dusty Hughes |
| Directed by | Various |
| Starring | Alan Davies Linda Bassett Christopher Fulford Cherie Lunghi Robert Whitelock |
| Composers | John E. Keane Paul Leonard-Morgan |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 8 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Ted Childs Michele Buck Damien Timmer |
| Producers | Chris Burt Graeme McArthur |
| Production locations | London, England |
| Running time | 90 mins |
| Production company | Granada Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 25 April 2004 – 28 October 2005 |
However, the second series did not achieve the same viewing figures as the first; and following rumblings of the possible return of Jonathan Creek, Davies quit the role and a third series was not commissioned. However, both series were subsequently released in a double DVD box set on 27 April 2009,[3] and were digitally released via the ITV store on 14 February 2016.[4]
Plot
editThe Brief follows the work of defence barrister Henry Farmer (Alan Davies), whose complicated personal life manages to overlap into his work. With an overbearing workload, debt and alimony payments to meet, as well as being in love with the wife of a prominent politician who won't leave her husband for him, Henry is forced to set his own demons to one side to tackle cases that only he can win. The show was described by the Radio Times as an "engaging blend of courtroom drama, suspense, intrigue and humour".
Cast
edit- Alan Davies as Henry Farmer QC
- Steven Alvey as Paul Bracewell
- Linda Bassett as Maureen Tyler
- Christopher Fulford as Ray Scanlon
- Cherie Lunghi as Cleo Steyn
- Edward Petherbridge as Gillespie
- Robert Whitelock as Ben Halliwell
Episode list
editSeries 1 (2004)
edit| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Viewers (millions)[5] |
Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Road to Hell" | Dusty Hughes | Jack Gold | 6.64m | 25 April 2004 | |
|
Henry takes on three cases at once in order to close his financial shortfall, including an immigrant rug dealer accused of false advertising, an alleged fence dealing in stolen property, and a former mental patient accused of drowning her boyfriend's two children. | ||||||
| 2 | "So Long, Samantha" | Dusty Hughes | Jack Gold | 5.42m | 2 May 2004 | |
|
Henry deals with accusations of misconduct in his latest case after offering help to an aggrieved father who believes his Anglo-Greek daughter was raped and murdered before falling to her death in Jakarta - but local police have declared that it was suicide or an accident. | ||||||
| 3 | "Children" | Dusty Hughes | Stuart Orme | 6.74m | 9 May 2004 | |
|
Henry switches over to a prosecution role, but he's far from happy about it. The defendant is a 12-year-old girl accused of murdering a nine-year-old child, and the trial becomes a choice between one bad verdict and another that could be even worse. | ||||||
| 4 | "A Sort of Love" | Dusty Hughes | Sandy Johnson | 6.58m | 16 May 2004 | |
|
Henry works on the appeal for a man convicted of killing his partner in a twisted sexual triangle, while his own love triangle takes on a few new twists of its own. A missing Ferrari, long-hidden secrets, and difficult clients all push Henry to his limits. | ||||||
Series 2 (2005)
edit| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Viewers (millions)[5] |
Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Blame" | Dusty Hughes | Minkie Spiro | 4.60m | 7 October 2005 | |
|
Henry's love life has derailed, and his financial situation has crashed, leaving him temporarily homeless. But his problems are made even worse when he is forced to deal with his own father as a witness in the trial of a train driver. | ||||||
| 2 | "Lack of Affect" | Amanda Coe | John Deery | 5.17m | 14 October 2005 | |
|
Henry's newest client, who is an Asperger's syndrome sufferer accused of murdering his own mother, may be the only habitually honest person involved in the case. Revelations of adultery and a suspicious bruise complicate matters almost as much as Henry's own life. | ||||||
| 3 | "Forever on the Mind" | Dusty Hughes | David Drury | 5.24m | 21 October 2005 | |
|
Henry defends a nurse accused of murdering an elderly patient who added her to his will two days before his death. Unfortunately, she's determined to speak out and clear her name no matter what Henry says. | ||||||
| 4 | "The Architect's Wife" | Dusty Hughes | Ian Knox | 5.43m | 28 October 2005 | |
|
With almost no evidence in hand, Henry's case against an accused rapist falls to pieces, and the civil action he takes up on behalf of the victim tears his life apart. Couch surfing and fiscally reeling, he is unprepared to see his father is seriously ill. | ||||||
References
edit- ^ Northove, Kylie. "Dawn of a new(ish) Davies," Sydney Morning Herald (Australia). 12 November 2011; retrieved 2012-11-3.
- ^ Leonard, Tom. "'Hamlet? Maybe not, but I'm not rubbish',"' The Telegraph (UK). 5 October 2005; retrieved 2012-11-3.
- ^ "The Brief - Series 1-2". Amazon UK.
- ^ "Itvstudios".
- ^ a b "Top 30 Programmes – BARB". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2016.