刑场 第一季

中文介绍暂时不上了，因为国内没有报道的剧集（也就是说没资料的），我都是用翻译软件翻译后再重新衔接连贯起来的。大致意思不会有什么出入。但这篇有点长，现在又是上班时间，我就先不翻译了。

本剧又英国ITV电视台播出。

There are no new stories.

But part of what raises Place of Execution into the realms of excellence is that it glories in familiarity; this brilliant drama contains many prime time touchstones.

Parental break-up that’s resulted in a stroppy, rebellious teen, check. A fast-tracked young policeman whose university education is viewed as hoighty-toighty by the rest of the force, check. Sinister stepfather with perhaps too keen an interest in his stepdaughter - this is familiar territory.

Yes, we’ve been here before, but then we’re supposed to have been. The past is being relived in the present.

Alison, a 13 year old school girl disappeared without a trace in 1963. The case was assigned to young DI George Bennett (Lee Ingleby), and, although a body was never found, he’s still haunted by the case.

In the present day, Catherine Heathcote (Juliet Stevenson) is a respected journalist who’s putting the finishing touches to a documentary about the case when without warning, the now retired DI Bennet (Philip Jackson) pulls his support to the documentary. But why?

The action moves skilfully from the early ‘60s to the present as flashbacks are interwoven with the current story, and the beautiful backdrop of the Yorkshire village of Scardale, where the action takes place, is used to haunting effect.

The image of a group of caped policeman surrounding a dead body like a group of bedraggled vultures, each waiting for the other to take the first peck, is particularly effective.

Although this is creepy, compelling viewing that moves at a stately, yet confident pace, there are some darkly humorous moments to break the tension. “Come on, let’s get the knicker sniffer,” is not something you’d expect a modern-day policeman to say.

Which is probably for the best.

Superbly acted, gripping and slick, if the standard remains this high, we know exactly where we’ll be for the next three weeks.