The Innocent (miniseries)
The Innocent is a two-part British television crime drama miniseries, written by Jan McVerry and Stephen Mallatratt, that first broadcast on ITV on 7 January 2001.[1] Directed by Sarah Harding, The Innocent tells the story of David Pastorov (Paul Rhys), a barrister accused of rape by one of his fellow colleagues, Alison (Clare Holman). Although he initially denies the claims, when it later transpires that he slept with the alleged victim, his wife, Beth (Caroline Quentin), heavily pregnant with the couple's third child, struggles to believe his version of events.[2]
| The Innocent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Sarah Harding |
| Starring | |
| Composer(s) | Christopher Gunning |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 2 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Carolyn Reynolds |
| Producer(s) | Hugh Warren |
| Cinematography | John Ignatius |
| Editor(s) | Edward Mansell |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Yorkshire Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | 16:9 |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 7 January – 8 January 2001 |
The two episodes of The Innocent attracted 9.87 and 9.49 million viewers respectively.[3] Despite going head-to-head with Rebel Heart, the BBC's controversial Irish War of Independence drama, which had attracted widespread criticism before its broadcast (which resulted in critics expecting it to draw a large audience), The Innocent drew nearly six million more viewers.[4] Despite this, the series has never been released on DVD.
Reception
The Daily Mail gave the series a positive review, writing; "The war between the sexes has reached a new height of intensity over the past two nights, with Caroline Quentin and Clare Holman providing doughty new champions for the women's cause. In The Innocent, Jan McVerry's talking-point drama, men have come off rather less well, and I would strongly advise male lead Paul Rhys to wear a heavy disguise if he wishes to avoid being molested by angry women should he venture down to the shops today.".
Gareth McLean of The Guardian was slightly more critical, writing; "On paper - or in the Radio Times, at least - The Innocent hardly seemed like brave new drama. Focusing as it did on a schism between best friends, the subjectiveness of truth, and the compromises made and little lies told to live one's life, it appeared to be another off-the-peg contemporary drama. And with the misogyny of the legal system, the choices women have to make, and the loveliness of everyone's house thrown in, you could have been forgiven for not even turning on."[5]
Cast
- Caroline Quentin as Beth Pastorov
- Paul Rhys as David Pastorov
- Clare Holman as Alison Huntley
- Peter O'Brien as Paul Huntley
- Michael Cochrane as Harold Haig
- Ben Miles as Brian Percival
- David Fleeshman as Gareth Lloyd
- Nicholas Fry as Simon Lang
- Eleanor Lloyd-Davies as Scarlett Pastorov
- Jack Lloyd-Davies as Luke Pastorov
- Nathaniel Burrage-Light as Oliver Pastorov
- Susan Cookson as DC Morgan
- Joe Chadwin as Tom Huntley
- Madeleine Eglin as Annie Huntley
- John Griffin as Maurice Horovitch
- Andrew Scarborough as Mark Latimer
References
- "The Innocent (2001)". The Movie Scene. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
- "The Innocent - Series 1, Episode 1". Radio Times. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
- "BARB - Weekly Top 30 Programmes". BARB. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
- "Viewers Rebel Against New BBC Drama". The Telegraph. 9 January 2001. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
- "Of Vice and Men". The Guardian. 9 January 2001. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
External links
- The Innocent on IMDb