A Mind to Kill

A Welsh police detective series, *A Mind to Kill* began as a feature-length film that aired in 1994. The show stars Philip Madoc as Detective Chief Inspector Noel Bain. Four series were broadcast from 1994 to 2002, with a Christmas special sometimes considered a fifth. It originally aired as *Yr Heliwr* on S4C, later appearing on Channel 5 in the UK.

Each scene was filmed twice, once in English and once in Welsh, and the series has been dubbed into over a dozen languages for international broadcast. Set in South Wales, the show features post-industrial, rural, urban, and seaside locations. The pilot was filmed near Aberystwyth. All twenty-three episodes (including the pilot and the Christmas special) are available on DVD.

The protagonist, DCI Noel Bain, fondly remembers a time when police work meant chasing criminals, playing rugby, and drinking beer. He now faces dilemmas that no training manual could cover, feeling out of step with modern policing. He tries to protect traditional values and a way of life he believes is fading. A widower, Bain has a rocky relationship with his daughter, Hannah, who becomes a police constable on the same force despite resenting his past absences. For Bain, the job is his reason for being, leading to painful collisions between his personal and professional lives. He shares a close friendship with pathologist Professor Margaret Edwards (Sharon Morgan), though his true feelings for her stay unclear.

Other regular cast members include Gillian Elisa, Meic Povey, and Geraint Lewis. The final series added Bryn Fôn, Ieuan Rhys, Huw Llyr, and Elen Bowman. Guest actors included Margaret John, Ioan Gruffudd, Sue Jones-Davies, David Warner, Mark Lewis Jones, John Rhys-Davies, David Lyn, Archie Panjabi, and Siân Phillips.

The Windsor Public Library praised the series for its "intricate plots, strongly drawn characters, and gritty authenticity," calling it a "riveting Welsh drama series." *Eclipse Magazine* described it as "a dark and twisty show... CSI's ancestor," noting that murder is the most extreme human action and that stories sometimes unfold against extraordinary backdrops, such as a Miners' Strike, when the community's traditional way of life is already threatened. The magazine added that the series has a strong psychological element, digging deeper into Bain’s subconscious as it progresses.