A Mind to Kill

A Mind to Kill
Also known as Yr Heliwr
Genre Crime, drama
Created by Sion Eirian
Lyn Ebenezer
Written by David Joss Buckley
Jeff Dodds (series 4)
Directed by Peter Edwards (series 1-3)
Philip John (series 4)
Starring Philip Madoc
Ffion Wilkins
Sharon Morgan
Bryn Fôn
Ieuan Rhys
Huw Llyr
Elen Bowman
Geraint Lewis
Gillian Elisa
Theme music composer Mark Thomas
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) Welsh
English
No. of series 5
No. of episodes 21 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Brian Harris
Dafydd Huw Williams (both series 1)
Producer(s) Mike Parker (series 4-5)
Peter Edwards (series 1)
Editor(s) John Gillanders (series 1)
Location(s) Aberyswyth and Ceredigion, Wales
Cinematography Peter Thornton (series 1)
Running time 120 minutes
Production company(s) Lluniau Lliw/4L Productions (seriess 1-2)
Distributor Channel 5 Television
Harlech Television (HTV)
Release
Original network Channel 5
HTV
S4C
Original release 27 November 1994 – 6 September 2002
Chronology
Related shows A Mind to Kill (1991)

A Mind to Kill is a police detective series set in Wales, UK. It was developed from a 1991 pilot which starred Philip Madoc as DCI Bain, and Hywel Bennett. The series ran from 1994 to 2004 and first aired as Yr Heliwr on S4C, the Welsh language TV channel, before being broadcast on the UK Network channel, Channel 5. The series was filmed in English and in Welsh, with each scene being shot first in one language and then in the other.[1] It has since been dubbed into more than a dozen languages and shown all over the world. The 21 episodes have been divided into 3 series which are now available on DVD. The pilot episode is also available on DVD.

DCI Bain

Philip Madoc plays Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Noel Bain, a man who looks back fondly to the days when policing involved chasing villains, playing rugby and drinking beer. However, he has come to realise that contemporary policing imposes dilemmas that no training manual could ever anticipate. He is a man out of time and seeks to protect the old way of life, and what he believes are important traditional values. Bain is a widower who has a tempestuous relationship with his daughter, Hannah, (Ffion Wilkins). Despite resenting the lack of time her father spent with the family because of police work, Hannah becomes a Woman Police Constable (WPC) on the same police force. This is not just a job for Bain but his raison d'être which means that his journey is often an emotional and painful one as the personal and the universal collide.

Other Characters

DCI Bain has a close friendship with police pathologist Professor Margaret Edwards (Sharon Morgan) but his true feelings for her remain ambiguous. Other regular characters include Gillian Elisa Thomas and Geraint Lewis. Joining the regulars in the last series were Bryn Fôn, Ieuan Rhys, Huw Llyr and Elen Bowman. The series also featured guest characters who were played by, among others, Margaret John, Ioan Gruffudd, Sue Jones-Davies, David Warner, John Rhys-Davies, Archie Panjabi, and Siân Phillips.

Style

'Intricate plots, strongly drawn characters, and gritty authenticity mark this riveting Welsh drama series'.[2] A Mind To Kill is a 'dark and twisty show... and CSI's ancestor',[3] which has occasional graphic violence and nudity. Murder is the most extreme human action and stories sometimes play out against the most extraordinary of circumstances, e.g. a Miners' Strike (Black Silence), when the traditional way of life of the community is already under threat. There is a strong psychological element and as the series proceeds the stories begin to dig deeper into Bain’s subconscious. The unresolved death of his wife causes great mental anguish and torment, and his dealings with the people he meets and the crimes he investigates are not always as straightforward as they should be.

Location

The series was set in South Wales and featured a variety of post-industrial, rural, urban and seaside landscapes. The pilot episode was filmed in the Aberystwyth area.

List Of Episodes

References

External links

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