The Stage

C5 commissions cop drama

Published Tuesday 6 July 2004 at 11:35 by Joanna Taylor

Channel 5 has commissioned This Life creator Tony Garnett’s production company to make a new high-profile drama series about the Metropolitan Police.

The series, called Murder Prevention, will be three two-hour films made by World Productions and are expected to be screened later this year. It is the station’s most ambitious original UK drama commission to date, marking a departure from its more usual Hollywood movies and US imports such as CSI.

Murder Prevention will be directed by Spooks director Justin Chadwick and produced by Eleanor Greene. C5 director of programmes Dan Chambers will act as executive producer.

Chambers said: “I am delighted that we have commissioned such an exciting major project from World Productions who, quite rightly, have a reputation as one of the country’s most innovative and accomplished drama producers.”

The programme is understood to feature relatively unknown actors in the main roles. Garnett, who made Cathy Come Home and Between the Lines, is also working on a show for the BBC called Brief Lives about the deals cut between the police and lawyers.