Frontiers (1996 TV series)

Frontiers is an ITV television crime drama series was produced by Carlton Television, broadcast between 7 May and 25 June 1996.[1] The series, created by acclaimed writer Stephen Poliakoff, focuses on the rivalry between two rival police chiefs of the Special Crime Squad and their respective teams of officers.[2] Co-written with Sam Donovan and Sandy Welch, only a single series of six episodes was broadcast, as despite a high-profile cast, including Kevin McNally, Clare Holman, Hywel Bennett and Philip Glenister,[3] the series failed to impact audiences and was quickly axed.[4] Amelia Bullmore, Fay Ripley and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor also appeared in the series.[5]

Frontiers
GenreCrime drama
Created byStephen Poliakoff
Written bySam Donovan
Sandy Welch
Directed byMichael Whyte
Andrew Piddington
StarringKevin McNally
Peter Howitt
Simon Kunz
Clare Holman
Hywel Bennett
David Sibley
Philip Glenister
Amelia Bullmore
Fay Ripley
ComposerSteve Parr
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerTherese Pickard
ProducerStewart Richards
EditorGraham Walker
Camera setupGary Parnham
Running time50 minutes
Production companyCarlton Television
Original release
NetworkITV
Release7 May (1996-05-07) –
25 June 1996 (1996-06-25)

Thomas Sutcliffe of The Independent said of the series; "Stephen Poliakoff is noted as a Special Adviser to Frontiers. Stephen Poliakoff, the respected playwright, that is. This is inexplicable, unless they have simply ignored his advice, because Frontiers is the apotheosis of the Angry Shouting Copper show, a mail-order catalogue for every exhausted cliché of the genre – from the lazily rotating extractor fan which casts such a gothic light, to the stand-up rows in gloomy corridors. "Screw up on my territory again, and I'll make sure you're not in charge of a whelk stall before I'm finished with you."[6]

Cast

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Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byBritish air date
1"Two Teenagers Kidnapped"Andrew PiddingtonSandy Welch & Stephen Poliakoff[7]7 May 1996 (1996-05-07)
2"Casual Bank Robbers"Andrew PiddingtonSandy Welch & Stephen Poliakoff14 May 1996 (1996-05-14)
3"Overseas Politicians"Michael WhyteSandy Welch & Stephen Poliakoff21 May 1996 (1996-05-21)
4"Date Rape"Michael WhyteSandy Welch & Stephen Poliakoff28 May 1996 (1996-05-28)
5"Cheerleader Murder"Michael WhyteSandy Welch & Stephen Poliakoff4 June 1996 (1996-06-04)
6"Palmer is Found Murdered"Michael WhyteSandy Welch & Stephen Poliakoff25 June 1996 (1996-06-25)

References

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  1. ^ "Itvstudios".
  2. ^ "ITV Announces New Programme Schedule".
  3. ^ "PHILIP GLENISTER - the official site". www.philipglenister.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014.
  4. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Poliakoff, Stephen (1952-) Credits".
  5. ^ Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Spinning Plates: Music, Men, Motherhood and Me (London: Coronet, 2021), 24.
  6. ^ "Television review". Independent.co.uk. 14 May 1996.
  7. ^ "Sandy Welch".
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