Waking the Dead

I've been watching the series on BBC America. Turned it on part-way through an episode and haven't turned away yet. It is exceptionally well-written and well-acted and positively disturbing. Love it. I was especially impressed with the most recent episode, "Into Thin Air." Actually taped it and sent it to my sister the mystery buff, who doesn't have cable. She passed it on to our parents (who don't have cable, either). Mom wants to see more. If anyone from the BBC is reading this, PLEASE SEND MORE!

This is a wonderful drama series and I hope there will be much more in the future. Being a fan of CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) but also being a scientist and frustrated with the unrealistic portrayal of scientific procedures in CSI, I'm more impressed by Waking the Dead. Frankie strikes me as a thorough person and very professional, she knows how long it takes to analyse a sample of DNA, and its limitations. All the characters in the Cold Case Unit are totally convincing and fascinating people in themselves, especially Trevor Eve's character Boyd. This series continues to be very satisfying and has depths that are lacking in more superficial "murder mysteries". If only all the cold cases in this country could be sorted out by this lot - it would make life easier for many suffering victims of crime.

Trevor Eve ( Boyd) must have gone to the Loud School of Acting it's unfortunate , he yells and berates ,creates a toxic workplace and his charm offensive after ( too little ,too late) seems smarmy and insincere .. however we love the rest of the cast and watch it in spite of Boyd's histrionics.

Trevor Eveheads the cast in this gritty yet popular BBC1 series as Detective Superindent Boyd, an arrogant but effective leader of the Cold Case Squad, which investigates old, unsolved murder cases. Using modern methods and new technology that may not have been available during the original investigation the team aim to uncover lost information. Helped by forensic profiler Dr Grace Foley, (Sue Johnston) Detective Sergeant Mel Silver, (Claire Goose) Detective Inspector Spence Jordan, (Will Johnston) and assisted by their able forensics scientist Dr Frankie Wharton (Holly Aird) the cold case squad dig into the past, resurface, reconstruct, and discover the secrets that time had buried.

If there was a show that ended before its time it was Waking the Dead.

The series focuses on a team of detectives that investigate cold cases. A few changes in personnel over the years, but the linchpin all the way through remained Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd, the charismatic, irascible but intelligent head of the unit. Two other constants, Boyd's second in command DI Spencer Jordan, and Criminal profiler Doctor Grace Foley, both at times struggled on occasion to cope with Boyd's methods and temperament, Grace more so.

The series ran from 2000 to 2011, it gave us nine wonderful Series. It managed to stay relevant, intelligent and thought provoking throughout, criticised at times for being overly complicated, stories such as Walking on Water and Subterraneans drew criticism for being too hard to follow.

High points included Cold Fusion, Yahrzeit and Shadowplay, too many others to name, but these three are among the best, superbly written, always wonderfully acted, with lots of twists and turns.

Everyone is exceptional throughout the series, it showcased just how good an actor Trevor Eve is. You literally see Boyd develop and change as a character as the series progresses, you see that Mel and Luke have a huge impact on his character.

Some very memorable performances from guest stars throughout, Genevieve O'Reilly's performance in Harbinger, Harriet Walter's in Every breath you take, and Paul Freeman's in Straw Dog are a few highlights.

A series very similar to Silent Witness, it always surprised me that they ended this when they did, it had 2 more series I would have thought. The final series is outstanding, they truly did go out on a high. Eve Lockhart had proved an effective character that she was given a spin off show 'The Body Farm,' which only ran for one series and never fully reached its potential.

Waking the Dead remains one of the best. 2018's radio dramas proved there was still interest in this show, needs bringing back.