The Whistle-Blower (TV series)

The Whistle-Blower is a two-part British television drama series, created and written by playwright Patrick Harbinson, first broadcast on BBC1 on 14 April 2001.[1] Billed as the BBC's "Big Easter Drama",[2] the series, which stars Amanda Burton and Bill Patterson, follows Laura Tracey (Burton), a bank employee who places herself and her family in mortal danger after reporting irregularities in her firm's overseas accounts to the National Criminal Intelligence Service. When Laura learns that the transactions relate to a number of South American drug cartels, she and her family are immediately taken into the Witness Protection Programme and relocated.[3]

The Whistle-Blower
GenreCrime drama
Written byPatrick Harbinson
Directed byBen Bolt
Starring
Composer(s)Hal Lindes
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series1
No. of episodes2 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Pippa Harris
  • Jane Tranter
Producer(s)Jessica Pope
CinematographyPeter Middleton
Editor(s)Jerry Leon
Running time90 minutes
Production company(s)BBC Worldwide
Release
Original networkBBC1
Picture format16:9
Audio formatStereo
Original release14 April (2001-04-14) –
15 April 2001 (2001-04-15)

The series broadcast over two consecutive nights, with the concluding episode following on 15 April 2001.[1] The first episode drew 8.02 million viewers, while the second attracted 7.8 million.[4] The series was released on Region 2 DVD in (Germany) and the Netherlands on 19 June 2012, however both titles are now out of print.[5]

Reception

Mark Lawson of The Guardian said of the series; "There's a double irony in the fact that the theme of The Whistleblower is deep disguise. The first is that, in its plot essentials, the two-part drama sometimes feels as if it used to be called something else. Specifically, you feel that the idea was born as The Insider, the classy American movie in which Russell Crowe ratted on the tobacco business."[2]

The Daily Mail were slightly more positive, writing: "The best two-part thriller I've seen in a long time. Amanda Burton's humourless ice maiden thing is suddenly not as irritating as it can be in Silent Witness. It works perfectly when the plot involves having to work out what's going on in her head, because she is fantastically impenetrable. To show that she is really, really pissed off, as opposed to normal everyday Amanda Burton pissed off, the director resorts to making her stand in the rain without an umbrella."

Cast

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byAirdateUK viewers (million)
1"Episode 1"Ben BoltPatrick Harbinson14 April 2001 (2001-04-14)8.02[4]
A woman places her family in danger when she blows the whistle on a drugs operation in the bank where she works.[6]
2"Episode 2"Ben BoltPatrick Harbinson15 April 2001 (2001-04-15)7.80[4]
Sir Alistair files an appeal, claiming Laura was having an affair with Shearer.[7]

References
  1. "Whistle Blower, The (BBC-1 2001, Amanda Burton, Bill Paterson)". Memorable TV. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  2. "Perform or Act? – Mark Lawson". The Guardian. 8 April 2001. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  3. "The Whistle-Blower (TV Movie 2001)". IMDb. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  4. "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". BARB. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  5. "Whistle Blower [DVD]". JustWebShop.nl. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  6. "The Whistle-Blower, BBC One London, 14 April 2001". BBC Genome. 14 April 2001. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  7. "The Whistle-Blower, BBC One London, 15 April 2001". BBC Genome. 15 April 2001. Retrieved 15 November 2018.

The Whistle-Blower on IMDb

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