Above Suspicion (TV series)

Lore & Background

The series follows D.C. Anna Travis, a rookie detective determined to prove herself in a male-dominated police department by solving a trail of gruesome murders left by an unknown serial killer. Kelly Reilly described her character as having an innocence and not hiding her femininity, creating a dilemma for the audience who might normally dismiss such a woman. The first three series aired on consecutive nights, while the fourth used a traditional weekly format.

Reader's Guide

Above Suspicion is significant as a successor to Lynda La Plante's earlier Prime Suspect, with The Daily Telegraph calling it 'Lynda La Plante's younger, sassier successor to Prime Suspect.' The series was broadcast over four years on ITV, with the first episode drawing 5.495 million viewers. The second series was partly based on the true Black Dahlia murder case. The series received favorable reviews, with The Daily Telegraph requesting 'more please' after the second series. Its legacy lies in adapting La Plante's popular novel series for television and providing a fresh take on the female detective archetype.

Did You Know?

• The series is based on the Anna Travis novels written by Lynda La Plante.
• The second series was partly based on the true story known as the Red Dahlia murder.
• The first episode of series 3 opened with 5.495 million viewers on ITV.

Creative Origins & Literary Roots

Above Suspicion draws its narrative DNA from the Anna Travis novel series penned by Lynda La Plante, a writer whose earlier television work established a particular brand of gritty British procedural storytelling. When ITV adapted the material for the small screen, The Daily Telegraph positioned the result as a younger, sassier spiritual successor to La Plante's own Prime Suspect franchise, suggesting a deliberate lineage of female-led crime drama. The core premise places a rookie detective at the centre of a male-dominated police department, tasked with tracking a string of gruesome murders committed by an unidentified serial killer. This setup immediately establishes the show's thematic tension: a young woman pushing against institutional inertia while confronting the most violent end of criminal investigation. The adaptation retained the literary backbone of La Plante's writing while translating it into a format suited to ITV's broadcast schedule, creating a series that felt both rooted in a specific authorial voice and accessible to a wide television audience.

The Central Partnership

The emotional and dramatic engine of Above Suspicion is the pairing of Kelly Reilly as Detective Constable Anna Travis and Ciarán Hinds as Detective Chief Inspector James Langton. Reilly has spoken thoughtfully about what distinguishes Travis from earlier iconic police women on British television. She noted that Travis is not a political figure in the mould of Jane Tennison; she does not spend her energy fighting for ground or asserting authority through combative rhetoric. Instead, Travis carries a quality of innocence, and she simply does not conceal her femininity—wearing skirts and heels without treating them as a weapon or a statement. Reilly observed that this creates a genuine dilemma for viewers: one's initial prejudices might invite dismissal of a woman who appears slightly awkward or dressed in a way that feels out of place among the hackneyed male detectives surrounding her. Yet Travis brings something genuinely fresh to the ensemble, and that contrast between her and the established men in the department becomes a recurring source of tension and humour throughout the series.

Broadcast Arc & Audience Response

Above Suspicion ran for four series across four years on ITV, with the very first episode hitting screens on 4 January 2009 and the final episode airing on 23 January 2012. The scheduling strategy shifted over the run: the first three series were broadcast on consecutive nights, creating an event-style viewing experience, while the fourth series adopted a more conventional weekly format. Critical reception was broadly warm. The Daily Telegraph praised the second series with the simple exhortation to deliver "more please," and that series drew on the real-life Black Dahlia murder case for part of its narrative. Viewership figures for the third series premiere showed strong performance, with 5.495 million viewers tuning in on ITV and an additional 326,000 watching on ITV HD, yielding a 19.5 percent audience share. The episode was narrowly outperformed by BBC One's new run of Silent Witness, which attracted 5.877 million viewers and a 20.9 percent share in the same 9-to-10 pm slot, underscoring the competitive landscape in which the series operated.

Supporting Ensemble & Guest Appearances

Beyond the central pair, Above Suspicion built a rotating ensemble of supporting detectives and guest stars that gave each series a distinct flavour. Shaun Dingwall appeared as D.I. Mike Lewis, while the role of D.S. Paul Baroilli was played by Daniel Catagirone in the first series and then taken over by Celyn Jones for the remaining three. Michelle Holmes and Amanda Lawrence rounded out the core detective team as Barbara Maddox and Joan Faulkland respectively. The senior command role shifted across series: Martin Herdman as Elliot Hudson in series one, Stuart Organ as Bill Morgan in series two, and Ray Fearon as Sam Power in the final two. Guest appearances added further texture—Julian Sands, Robbie Gee, and Richard Brake featured in series three, while Joanna Vanderham appeared in the fourth. The second series brought in Ty Glaser, Edward MacLiam, Sylvia Syms, and Simon Williams. Production details such as filming at Lexham Mews in West Kensington for the Silent Scream arc further grounded the series in recognisable London locations.