Waking the Dead (TV Series) Pilot: Part 1 (2000) User Reviews

Solid, but very angry.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 16 June 2017]

It's been so long since I last saw this first episode, the first thing that strikes me, is just how angry the whole thing feels. One of my favourite series of all time, this first episode is a little out of sorts, it does somehow feel at odds with episodes that would follow, I suppose that's pretty standard with pilot episodes. I liked the story, liked the performances, Trevor Eve naturally stands out as the charismatic Boyd. It's a little flimsy, but it sets our the template for the superb series that follows.

1st Class Start for a First Class Show

[sexy_pisces_gal · 10/10 · 9 July 2006]

A newly formed detective team, The Cold Case Squad are assigned their first investigation, to reopen the case of murdered schoolgirl Alice Miller, a fifteen year old schoolgirl, abducted on her way home from her friends house and found murdered two weeks later on dump naked,handcuffed raped, and wrapped in roofing felt. But when another girl is abducted in identical circumstances by the same man Boyd(Trever Eve), Grace(Sue Johnston), Mel(Claire Goose), Frankie (Holy Aird), and Spence(Will Johnson) must pull their efforts to catch the man responsible and detect what he is really after

Correct Cast List for Waking the Dead Pilot

Adie Allen .... Jenny Boyd Tyler Butterworth .... Mr. Michael Whitemore Noel Clarke .... Harry Elaine Claxton .... Mrs. Sheila Whitemore Steven Elder .... Dr. Clive Pearson Sam Loggin .... Kelly Warner Finbar Lynch .... Jimmy Marshall Lachlan Ryan .... Matt Boyd David Sterne ....Harvey Roger Taylor ....DCI Connor John Vine .... Supt. Mavers Amelia Warner .... Jodie Whitemoor

Disappointing

[fisher-susannah · 4/10 · 21 January 2011]

As a big fan of British mystery series, I looked forward to getting into a series that I had missed. I loved Trevor Eve in Heat of the Sun, so I was expecting a lot from Waking the Dead. Pilots are usually somewhat rocky, with awkward moments to introduce the characters. Nevertheless, this was rather abysmal. The characters are pretty flat and I am not really interested in learning more about them. The drama between them is poorly founded, so it boils down to a lot of people yelling at each other for no reason. Even worse, I found myself wanting to shake Boyd for his poor decisions. I am a firm believer that a plot of a mystery should not rely on the detective making a series of stupid mistakes. Perhaps the other episodes improve, but this pilot doesn't really make me want to keep watching.

Rough

[Warin_West-El · 4/10 · 6 June 2023]

I was gravely disappointed with Touching Evil so I was hoping Waking the Dead would be better. This is the pilot so we can only hope this series will improve. As others have mentioned, the characters are pretty flat and uninteresting. The tension between them lacks foundation and so the audience is stuck watching a lot of people yelling at each other for no apparent reason.

Moreover, a true mystery does not rely on the detective making a series of stupid mistakes. And yet, that appears to be precisely what the Boyd character is doing. Perhaps the other episodes will improve. But based upon this episode, that's quite a leap of faith.