ITV has commissioned a new two-part drama, Case Sensitive, based on the highly acclaimed and chilling psychological suspense novel Point of Rescue from Sophie Hannah.
Case Sensitive stars OLIVIA WILLIAMS (The Ghost, Dollhouse, An Education, The Sixth Sense, Rushmore) in the lead role of DS Charlie Zailer and DARREN BOYD (Whites, Personal Affairs, Little Dorrit, Green Wing) as DC Simon Waterhouse. They are joined by RUPERT GRAVES (Garrow’s Law, Single Father, Sherlock), RALPH INESON (Waterloo Road, The Bill, The Office), and AMY BETH HAYES (Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Whatever it Takes, Misfits).
Case Sensitive is a story which explores themes of identity, guilt and family strife. The 2 x 60 min drama has been adapted for ITV by Hat Trick Productions.
When Geraldine Bretherick and her 5-year-old daughter Lucy are found dead in the bath of their luxury home, the case divides new DS Charlie Zailer and her DC Simon Waterhouse. Is it murder, suicide or something even more sinister, and how watertight is the alibi of the husband Mark?
Meanwhile, when Sally Thorne, a working mother with a husband and two young children, hears of the deaths, she is shocked and appalled. Months before she'd met Mark Bretherick at a hotel and had a brief but passionate affair with him. Now she feels the need to get in touch with him again to offer her sympathy. Her friend Esther does not think this is very wise.
Case Sensitive was filmed on location in Buckinghamshire and was directed by Charles Martin (Skins, Being Human, Married Single Other). The Executive Producer for Hat Trick Productions is Mark Redhead (Mutual Friends, God On Trial, Bodies, Bloody Sunday). The producer is Christopher Hall (The Lost World, Archangel, Burn Up).
The drama has been commissioned by Controller of Drama Commissioning Sally Haynes and ITV’s Director of Drama Commissioning Laura Mackie who comments: “Case Sensitive is adapted from an engrossing novel which not only tackles the dark side of motherhood but also mistaken identity and murder. It’s a superb adaptation of Sophie Hannah’s highly contemporary crime novel and I'm delighted that Olivia Williams is on board to play DS Charlie Zailer."
Mark adds: "Sophie Hannah takes deftly plotted police procedurals, psychological thrillers, women-in-peril stories and noir fiction and blends them to create something altogether different. This story explores the darkness that lies beneath the surface of apparently blissful provincial lives."
BBC Worldwide are responsible for international distribution.
A short foreword from Sophie Hannah author of Point of Rescue
“I've heard a lot, over the years, about authors of novels who are unhappy when those novels are adapted for television. Either the TV version has a different ending, or certain key characters have disappeared, or the flavour and feel are different - and by different I mean much worse. 'Oh well,' the disappointed authors say, 'The novel still exists - that's the important thing.'
Thankfully, my experience has been the opposite. When I watched, for the first time, the TV adaptation of my novel The Point of Rescue, I was so impressed by it that my first thought was, 'I hope my novel is as good as a novel as this is as a TV drama.' I almost felt as if some element of magic must have been involved, because the whole thing struck me as being perfect from start to finish. The casting, the visuals, the dialogue, the atmosphere, the music - everything seemed to have fallen into place in an ideal way, to form what seems to me to be the perfect ITV1 psychological thriller. And I ought to know, because no one is more addicted to ITV1 psychological thrillers than I am! Case Sensitive has a real sense of menace and suspense that keep you hooked until the final scene, and the depth of characterisation is wonderful.
The actors are all brilliant, and in my mind they have 'become' my characters - to the point where, when I see any of them acting in other programmes, I come over all sniffy and possessive! I really hope everyone who watches Case Sensitive loves it as much as I do.”
