“The
compulsive drama Collision
should not be dismissed as just another
story of a group of strangers whose
lives are affected by a road traffic
accident — there is much to like about
this absorbing five-part serial, not least
that it is created by master storyteller
Anthony Horowitz (Foyle’s War)...” A TENSE, THOUGHT-PROVOKING DRAMA with a prestigious cast, ITV1's
Collision steers clear of the current penchant for the gory and explicit;
exploring the lives of those involved in and affected by an eight-car road traffic
accident on the A12 in Essex. The incident has left two dead and six injured,
one critically.
Although they do not know each other, they share one single, devastating, life-changing
moment. Collision demonstrates the fragility of life and how a false
sense of immortality while driving can play a part in a destiny that is sometimes
beyond our control.
Collision explores the cause of the crash through the eyes of Metropolitan
Police DI John Tolin (Douglas Hensall: Primeval; Dorian Gray; French Film),
who is convinced there is more to the incident that was at first thought. Supporting
his daughter Jodie (Jo Woodcock), he has returned to West End Central Police
Station after an extended leave of absence following the death of his wife.
To make matters worse two policemen, PC Sanjay Gopal (Sushil Chudasama) and
PC Alan Clacy (Andrew Brooke), were chasing a black BMW being driven by black
boy Gareth Clay (Anwar Lynch). Gareth's 23-year-old girlfriend Alice Jackson
(Lenora Crichlow) has died in the accident, but was it caused by the patrol
car?
Operation Quadrant begins with Alice's father Bill (Colin McFarlane) claiming
racism and threatening to sue the Police. And while Tolin and Ann Stallwood
(Kate Ashfield: Shaun Of The Dead; The Children; The Diary Of Anne Frank),
as senior police officers in charge of the investigation, tackle the grim task
ahead, their complicated personal lives clash. Was the crash just a tragic accident
or is there something more sinister at work?
Millionaire property developer Richard Reeves (Paul McGann: True Dare Kiss;
Withnail And I), travelling with chauffeur Paul (Ray Sawyer), is having
problems with a project in Germany and he his wife Angela (Victoria Wicks) have
a troubled marriage.
Danny Rampton (Dean Lennox Kelly: Married Single Other; Robin Hood; Shameless;
The Invisibles; Being Human), the driver of an abandoned white van, is missing.
His brother Jeffrey (real-life brother Craig Kelly: Coronation Street; Strictly
Come Dancing; Hotel Babylon; Queer As Folk) runs an antiques business and
claims Danny had been in Holland on business. But what shady dealings are the
brothers involved with and who is the dead man concealed in the back of the
van? What drives Jeffrey's wife Sandra (Zoë Telford) to take matters into her
own hands?
Does Sidney Norris (David Bamber: Psychoville, Hotel Babylon, Rome, Daniel
Deronda), living with landlady Mrs Whitfield (Di Botcher), have a guilty
secret? Having suspiciously changed his name after an alleged incident at a
prep school, he now teaches the piano to young Simon Parker (Joe Westcott).
Was he really fazed by a young boy filming him from a passing car? Why is he
contacting Ed Wilson (Brian Pettifer) on the internet and offering a disc to
him? What will the police find when they seize his computer?
Jane Tarrant (Lucy Griffiths: Robin Hood; Sugar Rush; Sea Of Souls; U Be
Dead) is frustrated with her life working at a diner with friend Cindie
Smith (Jocelyn Jee Esien), dragging her heels over marrying boyfriend Dave Brown
(Matt Ryan). But can the attraction between Jane and Richard Reeves ever come
to anything?
Why does Karen Donnelly (Claire Rushbrook: New Tricks; Mutual Friends; Whitechapel),
working for Keith Fowler (Christopher Villiers) at HDC Chemicals, copy files
to deliver to Ben Hickman (Richard Harrington), whom she believes to be journalist
James Taylor. And does Keith suspect her? After surviving the crash, will her
life be at risk again?
Living on a knife-edge with his difficult mother-in-law Joyce Thompson (Sylvia
Syms: The Queen; Eastenders; Above Suspicion; The Red Dahlia), Brian
Edwards (Phil Davis: The Fixer; Desperate Romantics; Whitechapel) has
taken her for a drive. She becomes suspicious that they are not taking the promised
route and when she is killed in the Collision his devastated wife Christine
(Jan Francis: U Be Dead; Mistresses; New Tricks) cannot understand her
husband's reaction to the police questioning.
What were the circumstances of Tolin's wife's death and what is his own guilty
secret? How does he link to Harry Canwell (Ben Crompton), who has just been
released from prison? How does the accident relate to an East African disaster
and human trafficking? And is the apparent suicide of one of the survivors suspicious?
Desperate people resort to desperate measures. Using flashbacks to the days
before the Collision, the tangled lives, secrets and the tragedies of
the accident victims and their families are slowly revealed along with the impact
the accident has on all around them. Could the accident have been prevented?
As the dreadful task of investigating the cause of the carnage goes on, a series
of revelations emerge — from Government cover-ups and human trafficking
to disturbing secrets and even murder. Collision is a riveting drama
that unravels piece by piece as it takes you into the diverse lives and dark
secrets of real-world characters.
Art Director is Sam Stokes; Original Music by Daniel Giorgetti; Director of
Photography is Christopher Ross; Written by acclaimed author and screenwriter
Anthony Horowitz (Foyle's War) and Michael A Walker (Does God Play
Football); Created by Anthony Horowitz; Produced by Jill Green and Eve Gutierrez;
Directed by Marc Evans (My Little Eye; Snow Cake), who is marking his
return to television direction for the first time in five years. Also featured
are: Pip Torrens as Deputy commissioner Fraser; Frank Harper as Derek; Nimmy
March as Carol Jackson; Nick Moss as Jake; Pano Masti as Ozan; Gido Schimanski
as German Exectuive; Caroline Trowbridge as Mrs Parker; Darius Caple as William
Rampton; Nick Ford as James Taylor; Nick Moss as Jake; Nia Roberts as Linda
Canwell and Christopher Fulford as DCI Stephen Maitland.
• Collision is released on DVD on Monday,
16 November (2009), courtesy of 4DVD. Certificate: 15 | RRP: £19.99 | Running
Time: 221 Minutes Approx | Catalogue Number: C4DVD10266.
"Collision is a riveting drama that unravels piece by piece as it takes
you into the diverse lives and dark secrets of real-world characters" —
Maggie Woods, MotorBar
“The
compulsive drama Collision