James Strong

Code of a Killer: Interviews

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“IT is by any measure an extraordinary drama.”

Prof Sir Alec Jeffreys talking to me about Code of a Killer, a heartbreaking, powerful and brilliant TV production written by Michael Crompton.

Revealing the story of how DNA fingerprinting was discovered and then used in a double murder investigation.

It was a real honour to be asked to write the ITV interviews for this moving 2 x 90 minute drama, which begins at 9pm on Easter Monday.

Including an unforgettable day in the very same laboratory at Leicester University where Sir Alec experienced that ‘Eureka Moment’ on September 10 1984.

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From There To Here: Q&A

From Here To There

“WE nearly died in there. Doesn’t it make you think?”

Daniel Cotton (Philip Glenister) asks the question of his father Samuel (Bernard Hill) in From There To Here.

The three part BBC1 drama, written by Peter Bowker, opens with the June 1996 Manchester bomb which destroyed a large part of the city centre.

But this is not a story about the IRA attack. It charts the ripples of that initial trigger on two families across Greater Manchester and Cheshire.

Last night I attended a screening of episode one at BAFTA in London followed by a Q&A, including Phil and Pete.

You can read my full transcript below, edited very slightly to remove any major spoilers.

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United: Extra Time

Duncan Edwards (Sam Claflin) and Mark Jones (Thomas Howes)

“THE following story is based on real events.”

It was a freezing cold day in January when I visited the cast and production team on their final day of filming for BBC2 drama United.

The location was Seven Kings Park in Ilford, east London, which contains a number of relatively isolated football pitches.

Plus a small sports pavilion, including changing rooms, straight out of the 1950s.

It was here, in the space of one day, that many of the training scenes (both before and after the crash) featured in United were filmed.

With the production wrapping just before the fading afternoon winter light turned to darkness.

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United: David Tennant

Jimmy Murphy (David Tennant) and Bobby Charlton (Jack O'Connell)

“ME and Jimmy here, we’re men of grass and boots and beauty.”

Manchester United manager Matt Busby (Dougray Scott) is sitting next to his assistant Jimmy Murphy (David Tennant).

Leaving Football League Secretary Alan Hardaker (Neil Dudgeon) in absolutely no doubt as to who is the boss.

You don’t need to be a football fan to appreciate BBC2 drama United, which tells the story of the Busby Babes, the Munich Air Crash and the months that followed.

My second feature on the film is in today’s Manchester Evening News – and below – ahead of a preview screening at The Lowry in Salford tonight.

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