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Revision as of 03:29, 2 May 2011

This article is about the 2009 adaptation of the US television series. For the 1978 BBC2 teleplays, see Law & Order (UK TV series).
Law & Order: UK
Title card
Genre
Created byDick Wolf
Creative directorJane Featherstone[1]
StarringBradley Walsh
Jamie Bamber
Harriet Walter
Freema Agyeman
Peter Davison
Dominic Rowan
Bill Paterson
Ben Daniels
ComposerAndy Price[1]
Country of originVereinigtes Königreich
Original languageEnglisch
No. of series4
No. of episodes26 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersChris Chibnall
Andrew Woodhead
Stephen Garrett[2]
ProducerRichard Stokes
Production locationsLondon, United Kingdom
Running time60 minutes[3]
Production companiesKudos Film and Television
Wolf Films
Universal Media Studios
Original release
NetworkITV (ITV1/STV/UTV)
(also ITV1 HD/STV HD/UTV HD)
Release23 February 2009 (2009-02-23) –
present
Related
Law & Order (franchise)

Law & Order: UK is a British police procedural and legal television programme, adapted from the American series Law & Order. The programme is financed by the production companies Kudos Film and Television, Wolf Films, and Universal Media Studios.[2] Head writer Chris Chibnall based the first series of episodes on scripts and episodes of the parent series. Based in London, and following the formula of the original, Law & Order: UK stars Bradley Walsh, Jamie Bamber, Harriet Walter, Freema Agyeman, Dominic Rowan (who replaced Ben Daniels) and Peter Davison (who replaced Bill Paterson). Law & Order: UK is the first US drama television series to be adapted for British television.[4]

Premise

"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: The police who investigate crime, and the Crown Prosecutors who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories."

Template:Nb10—Opening narration spoken by Robert Glenister.

File:Londonskyline.jpg
Law & Order: UK is based in London.

Law & Order: UK (also known as: Law & Order: London in Ireland) is a foreign adaptation of the Law & Order franchise, one of the most successful brands in American primetime television.[2]

Law & Order: UK is based in London and duplicates the episode format of the original series. The first half focuses on the perpetration of a crime and the related police investigation typically culminating in an arrest, while the second half follows the legal and court proceedings in an effort to convict the suspect.[5] The show dwells little on the characters' back-stories or social lives, focusing mainly on their lives at work.[6]

Production

Conception

Law & Order: UK had been a dream of creator Dick Wolf's for a long time.[7] The first 13 episodes are based on scripts from the original Law & Order series to accommodate contractual requirements with his company and to build on the experience with successful storytelling. The episodes were picked by show runner and lead writer Chris Chibnall, who had previously worked on Torchwood, Life on Mars and Born and Bred.[5]

Chibnall delved through the so-called Law & Order bible (a collection of synopses for every episode) and watched the series on DVD before picking 15–16 that would translate well to British television. The final 13 episodes are the favourites of Chibnall and producer Richard Stokes, although one episode had to be replaced due to incompatibility with English law.[5] Stokes considered a 13-episode series to be quite long for British television drama, and described the pacing as "the only real challenge", whereas Dick Wolf was disappointed at the short series, as the American series typically run for more than 20 episodes per season. Wolf further hopes that the show will succeed sufficiently to allow him to push ITV for more episodes per series.[3][5][8] The scripts have been updated for contemporariness, and while the difficulties of adapting the scripts for the English legal system exceeded the expectations of the production team, Stokes opined that audiences familiar with both shows would enjoy them for their distinctions.[5] Comparing UK with the original Law & Order, Wolf described the biggest difference as the wigs, "The law is not really that dissimilar and, you know, murder is murder."[7]

The filming of Law & Order: UK began in January 2008.[9] Despite concerns expressed by star Jamie Bamber and Variety magazine as to the possibility of a second series,[10][11] it was announced in June 2009 (2009-06) that ITV had commissioned a second batch of 13 episodes to be produced in the second half of 2009.[12] While the first 13 episodes went out in two instalments, the third series begins airing on ITV on September 9, 2010.[13] The second and third series of Law & Order: UK have continued to adapt original Law & Order scripts to the UK justice system.

Sets and shooting

The Old Bailey, Sunday shooting location for the series
Exemplar Law & Order: UK black-and-white intertitle from "Care"

Law & Order: UK frequently shoots on-location around London, including some footage taken in the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court, on Sundays. The filming of the courtroom interior, the police station, and the CPS offices takes place on sets built in disused Ministry of Defence buildings at Qinetiq,[3] off the M25 motorway around Surrey.[14] The police station's sets were designed with an eye to realism; tchotchkes and personal items adorn the desks, while an ironing board and clean shirts are around for the eventuality of police officers heading to court.[3]

Many of the familiar hallmarks of the original Law & Order were carried through to this iteration, including the opening music stylings, black-and-white intertitles, and hand-held camera work; Stokes was especially pleased to be able to use Kudos' method of "guerilla filming" on the streets of London. The so-called Dick Wolf Cash Register Sound—"the little 'dum dum' sound"—separates scenes as well.[3][15]

International broadcasting

TV3 began to show the programme in Ireland, one day after its ITV showing, where it is billed as Law and Order: London.[16] Citytv broadcast the first series in Canada starting 11 June 2009.[17] As of August 2009 Network Ten broadcasts the series in Australia.[18][19] Other countries to have picked up the series include France,[20] Germany, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

In September 2010, BBC America announced that they would air the show in the United States beginning on 3 October 2010.[21][22] In a February 2009 interview, Wolf also hinted at the possibility of a crossover episode on one of the two series.[7] The first 13 episodes have been released on DVD. Beyond Law & Order: UK, Wolf has mentioned that he would love to have an iteration of the show set in a major Muslim city, such as Cairo.[15]

Worldwide broadcasting[23]
Land Network(s) Series 1
(episodes 1–7)		 Series 2
(episodes 8–13)		 Series 3
(episodes 14–20)		 Series 4
(episodes 21–26)
Australien Network 10 12 August 2009 2011
Brasilien A&E 3 March 2010 21 April 2010 22 September 2010 10 November 2010
Kanada Citytv 11 June 2009 30 July 2009 16 September 2010 4 November 2010[24][25]
Finnland YLE TV1 6 September 2009
Frankreich TF1, 13ème Rue 6 June 2010
Deutschland Fox Channel 4 February 2010 25 March 2010
Irland TV3 24 February 2009
Italien Fox Crime 14 March 2011
Niederlande NET 5 23 October 2009
Neuseeland TV1 27 September 2009
Portugal AXN TBC
Südafrika SET TV 7 October 2010
Schweden 30 June 2010
UK ITV1, STV (in Scotland) 23 February 2009 11 January 2010 9 September 2010 7 March 2011[26]
USA BBC America 3 October 2010 19 November 2010 14 January 2011 4 March 2011

Cast

Main article: List of Law & Order: UK characters
Series # Detective Sergeant Detective Inspector Prosecutors Director of CPS London
Senior Sergeant Junior Sergeant Senior Crown Prosecutor Junior Crown Prosecutor
1 Ronnie Brooks
(Bradley Walsh) 		Matt Devlin
(Jamie Bamber) 		Natalie Chandler
(Dame Harriet Walter) 		James Steel
(Ben Daniels) 		Alesha Phillips
(Freema Agyeman) 		George Castle
(Bill Paterson)
2
3
4
5 Jacob Thorne
(Dominic Rowan) 		Henry Sharpe
(Peter Davison)
File:Law & Order UK Cast Photo.jpg
The cast of Law & Order: UK Series 1–4

Guest stars

Guest stars in the first series include Orla Fitzgerald, Holly Aird, Iain Glen, Colin Salmon, Juliet Aubrey, Sean Pertwee, Frances Barber, Derek Riddell, and Keith Barron.[1] Guest stars in Series Two included Denis Lawson, Robert Glenister, Kevin McNally, Sean Harris and Michael Maloney.

Answering fans' inquiries in February 2009 as to whether Law & Order: Special Victims Unit character John Munch—played by Richard Belzer—will appear on Law & Order: UK, Chibnall joked that he believed it was a contractual obligation.[15]

Episodes

Main article: List of Law & Order: UK episodes

Originally planned for a single series, the first run was transmitted as two separate series in the UK, with episodes 1–7 being shown in 2009 and episodes 8–13 in 2010. The second 13 episode order was also shown as two separate series, with episodes 14–20 being shown in late 2010 and episodes 21–26 shown from March 2011. The programme is shown in Canada in 13 episode seasons, which has resulted in the latter half of each 13 episode order being shown in Canada before the UK. A third order of 13 episodes was announced in October 2010.[27]

Reception

Independent writer Robin Jarossi attended a special preview of the premiere episode at the British Film Institute in London (attended to by Wolf, Chibnall, Daniels, and Agyeman) on 5 February 2009. Jarossi praised the uniquely British take on the franchise for balancing the new vision while maintaining the proven Law & Order formula. Jarossi specifically extolled the unexpected casting of Bradley Walsh, the excellent use of their London backdrop, and Chibnall's adaptation of the show.[28] John Boland of the Irish Independent compared Law & Order: UK to the original, ultimately deciding that the former is just as engrossing as the latter, if its tone is slightly more jocular. Boland expects ITV "[has] a winner on its hands."[29] Andrew Billen from The Times expects the series to be successful based on the premiere episode,[30] and TV Times said that "those concerned can give themselves a pat on the back because this really, really works."[31] The Daily Express' Matt Baylis described the new series as "a breath of fresh air [...], and the Daily Mirror said "It’s all highly professional and heroic."[4] Variety magazine called the series a hit, quoting NBC Universal as saying, "'Law and Order' has won its slot every week and is actually increasing its ratings."[11]

While Radio Times reviewer Alison Graham felt the series' execution was adequate, she criticised its pacing and writing; the former for not matching that of the original Law & Order programmes, and the latter for "[falling] headfirst into a typically British legal-drama trap of the noble prosecutor [...] crusading to bring the guilty to justice while pitted against the louche, self-serving defence barrister."[32] Whereas, on the other hand, The Guardian's Sarah Dempster didn't feel that using the original series' camera work and stylings was appropriate for British crime drama: "Fiddly. And wrong.".[4] However, later on in the series' run The Observer's Kathryn Flytt writes that despite her initial prejudices, the series "seems to have absorbed the pace and energy of the original without looking too tricksily derivative".[33]

In Australia, Melinda Houston commented favourably in The Age on the show's opening series, opining that the fusion between British crime drama and the US Law & Order franchise is like "a match made in heaven."[34] The premiere episode which aired on 12 August 2009, only rated 775,000 viewers (compared with the average numbers of 1 million viewers on the major commercial networks) and was outside the top 15 rated shows for that period.[35]

DVD releases

Region 2

DVD title Release date Episodes Zusätzliche Informationen
Law & Order UK Series 01 11 January 2010 7 The entire first series, with bonus features:
  • Audio Commentary ("Care")
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Extended Scenes
  • Alternate Beginning ("Care")
  • Summing Up ("Vice")
  • CPS Set Tour
  • Interview with Jamie Bamber
  • Interview with Chris Chibnall
  • Interview with Bradley Walsh
  • Interview with Dick Wolf
Law & Order UK Series 02 22 February 2010 6 The entire second series, with bonus features:
  • Audio Commentaries ("Samaritan", "Honour Bound")
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Extended Scenes
  • Police Set Tour
  • Interview with Harriet Walter
  • Interview with Richard Stokes
  • Interview with Robert Glenister
Law & Order UK Series 03 7 March 2011[36] 7 The entire third series, with bonus features:
  • Audio Commentary ("Masquerade")[36]
  • From Dawn 'til Dusk: Filming on the streets of London[36]
Law & Order UK Series 04 4 July 2011[37] 6 The entire fourth series.
  • Bonus features TBA.

Region 1

DVD title Release date Episodes Zusätzliche Informationen
Law & Order UK Season 01 23 March 2010
(only at Target Stores)

26 October 2010		 13 The entire first and second series, with bonus features:
  • Audio Commentaries
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Extended Scenes
  • Alternate Beginning ("Care")
  • Summing Up ("Vice")
  • CPS Set Tour
  • Police Set Tour
  • Interview with Jamie Bamber
  • Interview with Chris Chibnall
  • Interview with Bradley Walsh
  • Interview with Dick Wolf
  • Interview with Harriet Walter
  • Interview with Richard Stokes
  • Interview with Robert Glenister

References

  1. ^ a b c "Law & Order: UK Press Pack" (DOC) (Press release). ITV plc. 9 February 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2009.
  2. ^ a b c "The cream of British acting talent comes together for Law & Order:UK". United Kingdom: ITV. 17 October 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e Hoggart, Paul (18 February 2009). "TX: Law and Order". Broadcast. EMAP. Retrieved 25 February 2009. After a successful 19-year run in the US, Law and Order is being reinvented for UK viewers. Paul Hoggart goes behind the scenes to find out if ITV's investment will pay off.
  4. ^ a b c Braxton, Greg (11 March 2009). "'Law and Order' gets an Old Bailey twist". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington, USA: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved 12 March 2009. [dead link][dead link]
  5. ^ a b c d e Wilkes, Neil (15 December 2008). "2009 TV Preview: Law & Order UK". Digital Spy. United Kingdom: Hachette Filipacchi (UK) Ltd. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  6. ^ "Jamie's new show 'a moral puzzle'". United Kingdom: Google News. The Press Association. 16 February 2009. Archived from the original (Reprint) on 29 August 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |curly= ignored (help)
  7. ^ a b c Wylie, Ian (12 February 2009). "Law & Order UK: Bradley Walsh". Manchester Evening News. Manchester, England: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 14 February 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |curly= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Warman, Matt (23 February 2009). "Feature: Law and Order heads to Britain". The Daily Telegraph. London, England, United Kingdom. Retrieved 24 February 2009. As a UK version of US crime series Law and Order starts on ITV1, Matt Warman meets its creator Dick Wolf and cast members Bradley Walsh and Freema Agyeman. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |curly= ignored (help)
  9. ^ "Cast announced for Law & Order: UK". ITV. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  10. ^ "Bamber doubts crime show return". Grimsby Telegraph. Grimsby, England, UK: Northcliffe Media. 23 April 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
  11. ^ a b Clarke, Steve (27 March 2009). "British version of 'Law and Order' a hit". Variety. New York City, USA: Reed Business Information. Retrieved 30 May 2009. UK audiences tuning into ITV1 series
  12. ^ Holmwood, Leigh (25 June 2009). "Law & Order to return to ITV". The Guardian (in British English). Kings Place, London, England, UK: Guardian Media Group. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 July 2009. ITV1 commissions second series of UK version of crime drama with Bradley Walsh, Jamie Bamber and Freema Agyeman{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  13. ^ "ITV: Law & Order Series 3 Press Pack" (in British English).{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  14. ^ Gilbert, Gerard (20 February 2009). "American law... British order". The Independent. Canary Wharf, London, England, United Kingdom: Independent News & Media. Retrieved 21 February 2009. It's one of the longest-running dramas on US television, but how will Law and Order fare in its new UK incarnation on ITV? {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |curly= ignored (help)
  15. ^ a b c walmsley, Clare (23 February 2009). "Law & Order gets UK makeover". United Kingdom: BBC. Retrieved 24 February 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |curly= ignored (help)
  16. ^ "TV3 | Law and Order". TV3 Ireland. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  17. ^ "Law and Order UK,' 'The Goode Family' among Citytv's summer shows". Google News. The Canadian Press. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
  18. ^ Law & Order: UK - Network Ten - Network Ten
  19. ^ Law & Order: UK premieres 12 August - tvauscast ,28 July 2009
  20. ^ ""Law & Order : UK" prochainement sur TF1 ! - News - AlloCiné". Allocine.fr. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  21. ^ Seidman, Robert (16 September 2010). "BBC America Brings 'Law & Order: UK' Home to the US In October". Tvbythenumbers.com. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  22. ^ "BBC America To Air Law & Order: UK (chung CHUNG!) « Spinoff Online – Covering TV, Film and Entertainment News Daily". Spinoff.comicbookresources.com. 16 September 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  23. ^ "Bradley Walsh | Law and Order UK Worldwide". Bradley Walsh Website. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  24. ^ "TVGuide.ca TV Listings - Law & Order: UK: Denial". TVGuide.ca. Zap2it. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
  25. ^ "CITYTV CALGARY 2010 - PROGRAM SCHEDULE WHAT'S ON - Thursday, November 04, 2010". Citytv. Archived from the original on 25 October 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
  26. ^ "Bradley Walsh Website - New Series 4 broadcast in UK". United Kingdom. 22 February 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  27. ^ "ITV commissions 13 new episodes of Law & Order: UK". tvthrong.co.uk. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  28. ^ Jarossi, Robin (6 February 2009). [british-tv.suite101.com/article.cfm/law_order_uk_review_episode_1 "Law & Order: UK Review Episode 1"]. suite101.com. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Suite101.com Media Inc. Retrieved 16 February 2009. ITV1 Succeeds with London Version of US Prime-time hit {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  29. ^ Boland, John (28 February 2009). "You have the right to remain brilliant..." Irish Independent. Dublin: Independent News & Media. Retrieved 16 March 2010. I found this first UK instalment just as engrossing as its American counterpart, with Bradley Walsh an engaging London version of Jerry Orbach and Bill Paterson a striking crown prosecutor. Yet the overall tone is subtly different, a bit more jokey (the US version is quite humourless) and a bit more sentimental, too, as evidenced in the somewhat treacly score and in some forced attempts at poignancy. But the action moves along smartly and I'll be surprised if ITV doesn't have a winner on its hands here.
  30. ^ Andrew Billen (24 February 2009). "Law & Order; The Real Casino Royale; Maradona - In the Hands of the Gods". Times Online.
  31. ^ "THE CRITICS AND THE AUDIENCE LOVE LAW & ORDER: UK". Universal-Playback. Universal Studios. 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  32. ^ Graham, Alison. "Law & Order: UK — Monday 23 February — Programme Details — Radio Times". RadioTimes.com. Radio Times. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  33. ^ Flett, Kathryn (5 April 2009). "Sing a song of British drama". The Observer. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 16 March 2010. I am, rather quietly and, until now, a tiny bit secretly, enjoying the British franchise of Law and Order despite having decided in advance that it would translate badly, because the Americans do this kind of pacy plot-twisting so much better than we do. Law and Order UK has a great cast and seems to have absorbed the pace and energy of the original without looking too tricksily derivative.
  34. ^ Melinda, Houston (12 August 2009). "TV highlights, August 12". The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 16 March 2010. It's all been tweaked just enough to be refreshing, not enough to be alienating. Plus, of course, it brings together two great television traditions: the large and distinguished school of British crime drama and the venerable 20-year history of the Law & Order franchise. It looks - and feels - like a match made in heaven.
  35. ^ Seven - Daily Ratings Report - eNews eBroadcast.com.au, 13 August 2009
  36. ^ a b c "Law & Order: UK - Series 3 (2 Discs) - DVDs at Play.com (UK)". Play.com. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  37. ^ "DVDs". Bradley Walsh. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
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