Now 14 years old,"Waking the dead" continues to reign supreme in what has become a very overcrowded field - the TV forensic/cop show. It has always had a terrific ensemble cast and despite losing actors of the quality of Miss Claire Goose and Miss Holly Aird around the halfway mark it has maintained its momentum in a way few long - running TV series have managed. It benefits greatly from a superb double- act from the leads,Miss Sue Johnston and Mr Trevor Eve as the forensic psychologist and the boss cop,ostensibly a chalk and cheese combination,but one in which each one complements the other although they often violently disagree. As Peter Boyd Mr Eve is passionate and eager to pursue justice sometimes careless of the rules of evidence and procedure in doing so. As Grace Foley,Miss Johnston is more analytical,takes a step back to see the bigger picture and reins Boyd in when he threatens to get out of control. We know nothing of Dr Foley's personal life,but Boyd's is,predictably, disastrous with a son who goes missing from home and,as the series develops,begins to play a big part in his father's professional life,causing him to have more sympathy with disaffected young people than he might otherwise have had. Over the seasons many fine and well - known performers have appeared to much advantage,but the core of the programme remains Boyd's squad of sometimes disparate but always intuitive and dedicated people. The only caveat I have is that sometimes the camera dwells with lipsmacking relish a little too long at the bodies of Boyd's clients,particularly in the later episodes.Apart from that,"Waking the dead" is ,for me,a completely positive experience and still the one to beat for the many similar shows that have followed it.
Review of Waking the Dead
