The Vice Returns
- Ken Stott stars in critically acclaimed intense crime drama, The Vice -
BBC AMERICA joins the Vice Unit of London's Metropolitan Police Force for an all-new season of investigations into organized crime, murder and prostitution on the back streets of Britain's capital city. Season four of The Vice premieres Mondays, March 13, 2006 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT.
Award-winning actor Ken Stott (Casanova, The Girl in the Café) returns as Pat Chappel, the tough uncompromising leader of a dedicated team of detectives charged with cleaning up London's sleazy red light districts. Haunted by the human cost of the sex industry, Chappel seems unable to distance himself emotionally from his work. As the pressure mounts his obsessive approach threatens to undermine the confidence of his squad and possibly endanger their safety in the field.
In four gripping new shows, Chappel puts his career on the line when he finds himself vying with a London investment trader for the heart of a prostitute. His right hand man, Detective Joe Robinson (David Harewood, The Merchant of Venice, Silent Witness), earns promotion only to come into conflict with Chappel who seems more demanding than ever. The newest member of his team, Kirsty Morgan (Rosie Marcel) gets dangerously close to her work when she seduces a suspect in pursuit of evidence. And Cheryl Hutchins (Caroline Catz, Murder in Suburbia), a loyal and long serving member of the squad, begins to lose faith in Chappel when she believes his professional judgment is being undermined by his single-minded pursuit of a former adversary.
For up-to-the-minute information on BBC AMERICA, forthcoming U.S. premieres, art work and news from the channel, log on to www.press.bbcamerica.com . BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring razor-sharp comedies, provocative dramas, life-changing makeovers and news with a uniquely global perspective. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. BBC AMERICA is distributed by Discovery Networks. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV.
CAST AND PRODUCTION CREDITS
Pat Chappel Ken Stott
Cheryl Hutchins Caroline Catz
Joe Robinson David Harewood
Kirsty Morgan Rosie Marcel
Producer Stephen Smallwood
Executive producer Rob Pursey
Directors Justin Chadwick (Bleak House, MI-5)
Tim Leandro
Jon East
WHAT THE BRITISH PRESS SAID
"...last night's feature-length effort was breathtakingly good." The Times
"One particular plus is the quality of the performances by the leads, notably Stott, whose initials could be taken for TEK Stott, such is the regularity with which critics refer to The Excellent Ken Stott." The Sunday Times
"If you thought the previous two feature-length episodes were shocking, you ain't seen nothing yet." The Express
EPISODE SYNOPSES
TRADE
Inspector Chappel attempts to keep his head above water despite the pressure of a murder investigation, but is increasingly compromised as he finds himself vying with the main suspect, investment trader Gordon Ellis, for the heart of a young prostitute, Sandra.
Unable to hide his feelings for Sandra, Chappel's pursuit of the killer becomes increasingly obsessive and personal. His long time colleague, Cheryl Hutchins, is concerned that his emotional attachment to the case is undermining his professional judgment and Ellis, while under interrogation, taunts him for his infatuation with the prostitute. Chappel is so pre-occupied that he barely notices that his right hand man, Joe Robinson, is sitting exams that could lead to an important promotion. Episode one premieres Monday March 13 at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT.
NO MAN'S LAND
Robinson successfully earns promotion to Inspector but Chappel demands that he remains on his team to help on one final case.
Chappel is reunited with Clara King, a high-class hooker, when she decides she would like to send her pimp and porn baron boyfriend, Keith Beaumont, behind bars once and for all. A former adversary of Chappel, Beaumont is now attempting to hit the big time by making a bid to run a national newspaper and he's using prostitutes to gain influence with the establishment. When Chappel sends the teams newest recruit, Kirsty Morgan, undercover she gets dangerously close to her work when she seduces Beaumont.
Meanwhile, Chappel's boss, Lieutenant Archer and Cheryl are concerned that his obsessive pursuit of Beaumont is a personal vendetta.
Episode two premieres Monday, March 20 at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT.
ONE MORE TIME
Chappel goes undercover as an insurance salesman to unearth evidence of child pornography. He takes lodgings with Martin, the man who's suspected of distributing the pornography. Chappel must secure the trust of Martin and his wife Dawn. The family, however, are hiding a secret more horrific than Chappel could have imagined. With young children at risk in the house, he's under tremendous pressure and to make matters worse, Dawn tries to seduce him.
Cheryl, meanwhile, betrays Chappel, turning him in to the boss, and resigns disillusioned with the vice squad. Will Chappel be able to persuade her to return to the squad?
Episode three premieres Monday, March 27 at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT.
HOOKED
In the wake of Chappel's last investigation, his boss Frank Vickers has been drafted into the Vice Unit to turn its fortunes round with a much vaunted zero tolerance campaign. When Cheryl goes missing during an undercover operation investigating a pornographer, the disgraced and sidelined Chappel risks everything to save her.
But when Cheryl confides in Vickers, and tells him how the pornographer raped her, Chappel's world collapses, and in despair he takes revenge. Ironically, for the first time in his career, Chappel finally has the power to destroy Vickers.
Episode four premieres Monday, April 3 at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT.
