Final Curtain

Synopsis: BBC television police drama series which follows the work of the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS) led by Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman (Redman). It is made up of retired police officers who have been recruited to reinvestigate unsolved crimes. In this episode the team are asked to look again at the death of actor Bill Morley who was shot on stage in 1972 in what was deemed a tragic accident. The plot involves Brian (Armstrong) unwittingly taking part in an audition for a role in Julius Caesar. He recites part of Mark Antony’s funeral oration speech (III ii). He at first reads in a hesitant and stagey manner but as the words begin to have more meaning for him he reaches new heights of feeling. The director praises his performance and regional accent [Armstrong comes from County Durham]. Previously Brian had spoken with affection of learning Shakespeare at school with his teacher Mr Higginbottom who urged the class ‘in your own accents, give it welly’ and says of Julius Caesar ‘a bunch of middle class prats prancing about in togas...for an audience of middle-class prats’.
Series: New Tricks
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Television
Technical information: Colour / Sound
Transmission details: 14 Jul 2008 at 21:00 (Channel: BBC1)
Duration: 60 mins

Director

Julian Simpson

Producer

Keith Thompson

Writer

Chris Coghill

Cast

SHAKESPEARE