The Children (TV series)

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|

2008  TV series or program

The Children

Genre| Crime drama
Thriller
Written by|

* Lucy Gannon

Directed by|

* David Evans

Starring|

* Kevin Whately
* Geraldine Somerville
* Ian Puleston-Davies
* Lesley Sharp
* Kate Ashfield

Country of origin|

* United Kingdom

Original language|

* English

No. of series| 1
No. of episodes| 3 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer|

* Hilary Bevan Jones

Producer|

* Tim Whitby

Production location|

* United Kingdom

Running time| 60 minutes
Production company|

* Tightrope Pictures

Original release
Network|

* ITV

Release| 1 September (2008-09-01) –
15 September 2008 (2008-09-15)

The Children is a three-part thriller first shown on ITV on 1 September 2008. Starring Kevin Whately and Geraldine Somerville, and written by Lucy Gannon, the story focuses on the murder of an eight-year-old girl, who is found on the patio of her home, and the subsequent investigation to discover which one of the adults who cared for her could have killed her. The series was released on DVD on 26 December 2008.[1]

## Plot

[edit]

The series centres on the dysfunctional lives of Cameron, Sue, Sue's daughter, Emily, Sue's ex-husband and DJ Paul, his new girlfriend Natasha, Cameron's ex-wife Anne and their son Jack. The main plot follows Cameron's family life at home, dealing with life living as a step family. The plot is told in a backwards flashback mode. Arguments and tensions rise throughout the story, and eventually, following her strange and naughty behaviour, little Emily is killed. Any one of the adults could have been responsible – and were all placed at the scene.

As the plot reaches its climax, Cameron is shown hitting Emily and accidentally smashing her through a glass patio door, however there is a twist to the tale as all the suspects are then seen killing her one by one – all except one of them. Natasha, the only character not seen killing Emily, is seen crying and sobbing whilst shouting "I'm sorry". This scene was particularly disliked by some critics,[who?] because viewers were not shown how or indeed why, or if, Natasha killed her. That, however, said the writer, was the crux of the drama, that any one of them could have, and that her position within her family had become so marginalized that she was, at times, perceived as a nuisance or problem by all of them.[citation needed]

## Cast

[edit]

* Kevin Whately as Cameron Miller
* Geraldine Somerville as Sue Miller
* Ian Puleston-Davies as Paul Sutton
* Lesley Sharp as Anne Miller
* Kate Ashfield as Natasha Sutton
* Freddie Boath as Jack Miller
* Michael Begley as D.S. Bliss
* David Maybrick as D.C.I. Goodier
* Leanne Lakey as D.C. Morton
* Andrew Brooke as P.C. Warrior
* Pascale Burgess as P.C. Cardigan
* Karen Bryson as P.C. Yearsley
* Simon Trinder as P.C. Rook
* Sinead Michael as Emily

## Episodes

[edit]

No.| Title| Directed by| Written by| British air date| UK viewers
(million)[2]

|
|
|
|
|

1| "Episode 1"| David Evans| Lucy Gannon| 1 September 2008 (2008-09-01)| 5.45
2| "Episode 2"| David Evans| Lucy Gannon| 8 September 2008 (2008-09-08)| 5.20
3| "Episode 3"| David Evans| Lucy Gannon| 15 September 2008 (2008-09-15)| 5.17

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Children". UK: Amazon. 26 December 2008.
2. ^ "Broadcasters Audience Research Board". BARB. Retrieved 3 May 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* The Children at IMDb

*[No.]: Number