The Commander (TV series)

Plot

The Commander follows Claire Blake, leader of an elite murder investigation squad in London, whose interpersonal relationships often cloud her judgment, leading to bad calls that harm investigations. Midway through the series, Ofcom and ITV received many viewer complaints about Blake's willingness to sleep with suspects to gain evidence, as seen in her relationship with murderer James Lampton (Hugh Bonneville). Viewers argued that such actions were too far-fetched to be believable.

Episode list

The Commander first aired as a single feature-length story split into two parts in February 2003. For its television broadcast, it was simply called The Commander, and it did not receive an official title until the combined DVD release of the first and second series in 2005. The initial episode drew enough viewers to justify commissioning two further stories. The investigating team in this debut included DCI Mike Hedges (Matthew Marsh), DCS Les Branton (Nicholas Jones), DAC Edward Sumpter (Christopher Robbie), DI Ken Miles (Tristan Gemmill), DS Brian Hall (Paul Brightwell), and DC Carol Browning (Poppy Miller).

The second series, which premiered in 2005, was released on a joint DVD with the first series that same year. The same core characters returned, though with some cast changes: Thomas Lockyer replaced Tristan Gemmill as DI Ken Miles, Pip Torrens took over as DCS Les Branton, Ron Donachie stepped in as George Hart, and Anthony Valentine assumed the role of DAC Edward Sumpter. Poppy Miller’s Carol Browning was promoted to DI. The third installment, broadcast in 2006, was another feature-length story split into two parts.

This series has never been released on DVD in the United Kingdom, as it aired between the first DVD set from Contender and a later set from Acorn Media UK, which acquired the rights in 2007. Monica Dolan joined the cast as DC Pamela Hayes after DI Carol Browning departed, and DCS Les Branton did not appear. The fourth series, first broadcast in 2007, consisted of three separate stories, each aired in two parts. Acorn Media UK released the entire series on DVD in 2007, making it the last series to get a UK DVD release.

This series introduced DCI Doug James (Mark Lewis Jones) and DC Alison Goody (Nadine Marshall), leaving Amanda Burton, Anthony Valentine, and Paul Brightwell as the only original cast members. Les Branton returned, once again played by the original actor Nicholas Jones.