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IMDbPro

In Plain Sight

  • TV Mini Series
  • 2016
  • TV-14
  • 50m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
Douglas Henshall and Martin Compston in In Plain Sight (2016)
In Plain Sight
Play trailer0:36
1 Video
9 Photos
True CrimeCrimeDramaMystery

A three part TV miniseries about Lanarkshire's Detective William Muncie and his quest to bring to justice notorious killer Peter Manuel.A three part TV miniseries about Lanarkshire's Detective William Muncie and his quest to bring to justice notorious killer Peter Manuel.A three part TV miniseries about Lanarkshire's Detective William Muncie and his quest to bring to justice notorious killer Peter Manuel.

  • Stars
    • Douglas Henshall
    • Martin Compston
    • Joanne Thomson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    3.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Stars
      • Douglas Henshall
      • Martin Compston
      • Joanne Thomson
    • 24User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 5 nominations total

    Episodes3

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated1 season2016

    Videos1

    In Plain Sight
    Trailer 0:36
    In Plain Sight

    Photos8

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    Top cast44

    Edit
    Douglas Henshall
    Douglas Henshall
    • DS William Muncie
    • 2016
    Martin Compston
    Martin Compston
    • Peter Manuel
    • 2016
    Joanne Thomson
    Joanne Thomson
    • Iris Laird
    • 2016
    Shauna Macdonald
    Shauna Macdonald
    • Agnes Muncie
    • 2016
    Gilly Gilchrist
    Gilly Gilchrist
    • Samuel Manuel
    • 2016
    Joanna Roth
    Joanna Roth
    • Bridget Manuel
    • 2016
    Sorcha Groundsell
    Sorcha Groundsell
    • Jane Muncie
    • 2016
    Jack Greenlees
    Jack Greenlees
    • DS McLeod
    • 2016
    Bobby Rainsbury
    Bobby Rainsbury
    • Theresa Manuel
    • 2016
    Gavin Jon Wright
    • Hugh Kirk
    • 2016
    Alana McDowall
    • Annie Kneilands
    • 2016
    Kate McLaughlin
    • Sandra Muncie
    • 2016
    David Rintoul
    David Rintoul
    • CC Renfrew
    • 2016
    Michael Nardone
    Michael Nardone
    • Det Supt. Leish
    • 2016
    Grant O'Rourke
    Grant O'Rourke
    • DS Wilson
    • 2016
    James Harkness
    James Harkness
    • Joe Brannan
    • 2016
    Jenny Hulse
    Jenny Hulse
    • Mary McLauchlan
    • 2016
    Louise Mccarthy
    • Babs
    • 2016
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews24

    7.43.1K
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    Featured reviews

    8tomtpcarpe

    Well Written and Acted

    A gruesome tale well told, set in one of my favorite places on earth. I always enjoy learning more about Scotland's history, even the darker stories. The cast members play their roles well, and the storyline tracks history pretty closely. Of course, some details are missing, but the important stuff is there. Watch it. Now, to plan another trip to Scotland...
    7Lejink

    Glasgow Kill

    Being from Glasgow, the murder spree of Peter Manuel is still infamous in these parts, some 60 years after their perpetration and he remains I believe the worst serial-killer in Scottish criminal history. There was no rhyme or reason to his acts, some of his murders were sexual in nature, some were just coldblooded slaughter, some were singly carried-out and covered up, some were shot, some beaten to death, some were of multiple victims (he twice murdered whole households) and then left the slain out almost on display. A callous, selfish, conceited individual, he acted as if he was superior to the police on his tail, almost daring them to catch him. Thankfully, they eventually did, but not before he'd accounted for nine victims, finally being hanged at Barlinnie Prison in 1958.

    This three-part ITV series posits as his nemesis pursuing Detective Police Inspector Muncie and sees the latter drawn into a treacherous game of cat and mouse before Manuel finally overplays his hand and is at last brought to justice.

    It's interesting to compare this dramatisation of a British 50's serial-killer with the recent BBC three-part series on another infamous mass-murderer John Christie from about the same era in "Rillington Place". Both are good but with faults, the problem here being, almost inevitably, the simplification of events (a murder he committed in England is ignored completely) and creation of characters to presumably empower the story, as if fiction could have more dramatic effect than the cold hard truth. For example DI Muncie has as his main assistant a woman detective, which nothing in my background reading has brought up as based in fact. It just looks like what it is, a PC casting decision probably made with a view to modern relevance and to possibly broaden viewer appeal too. It had to be a mistake too not to show something of the criminal trial of Manuel, at the time dubbed in the press up here as the "Trial Of The Century", especially when the accused chose to run his own defence.

    On the positive side, the depiction of the times was fine, helped no doubt by the fact that the neighbourhoods in which Manuel ran amok are pretty much still standing today. I also think it was wise not to show the depiction of any of the actual murders, presumably on taste-grounds. The two leads are fine, Douglas Henshall, never off the screen as a cop these days it seems and Martin Compson, playing a villain from a previous generation this time as opposed to his recent turn as Paul Ferris in the film "The Wee Man". At first I thought Compson would be a physical mismatch for the evil-eyed Manuel, but I learned they both shared a diminutive stature and though Compson can't match the devilish intensity of the well-known contemporary Manuel mug-shot, he does resemble him at other times.

    I do think the piece could have been darker and sharper in presentation but perhaps the makers did the viewer a favour in cutting this would-be big-shot murderer down to size without glorifying his terrible misdeeds. One of the last men hanged in Scotland, I disapprove of capital punishment but if ever there was a deserving case of the rope, Manuel was surely it. And as for the strong local accents requiring subtitling, there was no problem in my household and it was good to hear the realistic vernacular of the day as opposed to pukker-English or bland American accents for a change.
    9drbadass5

    Great Acting, great Drama based on true events

    This is the Drama of the year for me from ITV (that are based on fact). Compston plays Manual great and Henshall plays Muncie great as well. This 3 part series tells the story of the murder spree of Peter Manual and IMO doe's a great job, each episode went by so fast for me and they did not drag it out like many other dramas have been before. I would say to anyone watch this mini series and the fact it is based on real events makes it more interesting. Manual was a cocky man but Muncie was going to get his man. Muncie investigated 50 murders during career and solved everyone but will be remembered for the Manual case. Manual was a twisted man who even did his own defense at trials after sacking his legal team, even the judge comments on how he performed his defense. He was a step ahead all the time until his downfall came. He was a very committed his offenses in a very calculated manor, all the time right under the nose of the police hence the title i guess. I recommend this 100%. Good script and great acting to along side it.
    8kitellis-98121

    A mixed bag, but mostly good.

    A very watchable and well-made piece of television drama.

    The period detail was excellent, as was the cinematography and the acting from both lead actors. The writing was workmanlike, but lacked cohesion, and this dribbled through to the edit which was a bit choppy and uneven.

    Certain events (which really happened) were referred to in the dialogue but were never shown, leaving me wondering a few times if I'd accidentally skipped an episode. Also, certain aspects of the storytelling were poorly executed, leaving me unclear about the order of events; for example, in the middle of a crime-spree the bad guy was suddenly in prison with no scenes explaining why/how he came to be there. At first I thought I must have dozed-off and missed the big arrest. (Upon reading about the real-life events on Wikipedia I discovered that he'd been out on parole and then went back inside for previous crimes unrelated to the story being told).

    The directing was also somewhat uneven, with the interior scenes featuring small groups of people being far better directed than those on location with larger crowds. He seemed not to know where to place the camera, and the blocking was awkward. This is surprising, considering that the man credited as Director, John Strickland, is highly experienced and has produced an impressive body of work. Maybe he just wasn't inspired by the material.

    But overall, and despite a few niggles, it was a perfectly acceptable dramatization of events which may not otherwise have been spectacular enough to make it to the screen, and I now know about a historical serial-killer case that had previously eluded me, so it was educational too.
    10rivanerakaren

    Excellent

    Great acting, great cast, extremely well made series based on true events in my eyes its a must see show.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The programme is set in the 1950s, but the characters' story began in 1943 when Muncie first arrested 16-year-old Manuel for housebreaking and multiple sexual assaults. He served nine years in Peterhead Prison in Aberdeen before being released.
    • Soundtracks
      Maybellene

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    FAQ18

    • How many seasons does In Plain Sight have?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 7, 2016 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • En mördares leende
    • Filming locations
      • Glasgow, Scotland, UK
    • Production companies
      • World Productions
      • Finlaggan Films
      • ITV - Independent Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo

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