Suranne Jones
Twelve weeks of principal photography has begun on Scott & Bailey, a brand new crime drama series produced by Red Production Company, based on an idea by Suranne Jones and Sally Lindsay.
Written and co-created by Sally Wainwright, the six-part series explores the personal and professional lives of DC Janet Scott (Lesley Sharp) and DC Rachel Bailey (Suranne Jones), both members of Syndicate 9, a division of Manchester Metropolitan Police, who are tasked to track down killers and uncover their motives for murder.
Janet is subtle, reliable and a diplomatic thinker with a wry sense of humour, which makes her the perfect foil for Rachel.
She has two daughters and is in a marriage that can often feel like nothing more than a convenient arrangement to both her and her husband Adrian (Tony Pitts).
Behind her straight facade is a woman who is capable of infidelity and has suffered an emotional breakdown over the murder of a childhood friend, an event which drove her to join the police force.
Rachel is energetic, impulsive, and bold. Her intuition makes her a great cop, although her boss, DCI Gill Murray (Amelia Bullmore), unfairly views her as a liability, despite the fact she sees many of her own qualities in her.
Often burning the candle at both ends, Rachel's spur of the moment ideas and vulnerability often lead to disaster in her private life and subsequent law breaking of her own.
Both competent and ambitious, neither women suffer fools, and despite their obvious differences, they draw on each other’s strengths every day to deal with the extreme and horrific crimes committed over love, hatred and revenge.
International Director, Sarah Pia Anderson (Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy, Prime Suspect) and Producer Yvonne Francas (A Passionate Woman, Strictly Confidential, Between the Sheets), will together bring this gritty, fast paced series to life through the eyes of two profound modern women.
The team of Syndicate 9 also includes Nicholas Gleaves as DS Andy Roper, Tony Mooney as DC Pete Readyough, Ben Batt as DC Kevin Lumb, David Prosho as DC Ian Mitchell and Delroy Brown as DC Lee Broadhurst.
Scott & Bailey also stars Rupert Graves as Rachel’s partner Nick, Sally Lindsay as Rachel’s sister Alison and Kevin Doyle as Janet’s childhood friend, Geoff Hastings.
Working alongside Sally Wainwright as co-creator is Diane Taylor, a retired Detective within the Greater Manchester Police Force, who has helped shape this series, advising on the realities of working within a murder squad like Syndicate 9.
Scott & Bailey has been commissioned by Director of Drama Commissioning Laura Mackie and Sally Haynes, Controller of Drama Commissioning, and is executive produced for ITV by Nicola Shindler, Director of Red Production Company. The series will be filmed on location in Manchester.