Code of a Killer is a historical drama in two parts which premiered on British television (ITV) in 2015.
Here is some basic information about it:
** Director: James Strong
** Writer: Michael Crompton
** Released on DVD in 2015
** Run time: 2 x 65 minutes = 130 minutes
This drama is based on a true story: on events which took place in Leicestershire, England, between 1983 and 1987.
The characters that we see here are real persons, and some of them are still alive today, more than thirty years later.
The main characters are:
** DCS David Baker, a police officer, played by David Threlfall
** Dr Alec Jeffreys, a scientist, played by John Simm
** Sue Jeffreys, the wife of Alec, played by Anna Madely
** DI Alan Madden, a police officer, played by Lorcan Cranitch
Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. Therefore, I feel free to mention some of them in this review.
If you do not want to know anything before you start watching, I suggest you stop reading now.
THE PLOT
Here is how the story begins:
In 1983, a 15-year-old girl Lynda Mann is raped and murdered in Narborough, a small village not far from Leicester.
The police investigation is headed by DCS Baker, who has ample resources and lots of manpower at his disposal. Even so, he is unable to solve the case.
Around the same time, Dr Jeffreys, who works at the University of Leicester, is doing research in genetics, hoping to find a way to show a person’s DNA profile, something nobody has ever done before.
On 10 September 1984 he is successful. He can finally say the magic word:
Eureka!
His discovery is reported in the media and before long a lawyer contacts him, asking if he can help with a case that is before British Immigration.
An African woman and a boy are in trouble. The woman claims she is the mother of the boy, but the authorities do not believe her. They claim she is lying and threaten to deport the boy.
The lawyer wants to know: can Jeffreys help? Can his method prove the biological connection between the woman and the boy?
Jeffreys is willing to try. Using his method, he can prove these two persons are related, that the woman is in fact the mother of the boy. Next question: will the court accept this evidence? Nobody has ever used this method before. The answer is yes. The evidence is accepted and the boy can stay.
In 1986, another young girl Dawn Ashworth is raped and murdered in the same village near Leicester. Her body is found not far from the place where the first murder took place in 1983.
DCS Baker is on the case, and this time there is a lead: a young man is arrested and after a while he confesses to the second murder, while insisting that he had nothing to do with the first one.
Several detectives are happy. Finally, a breakthrough in the case, but the DCS is skeptical. Is the confession reliable?
Having read some reports about Jeffreys in the papers, Baker contacts him, asking for help. Is the suspect responsible for the second murder? Was he responsible for the first murder as well?
The policeman and the scientist join forces. Using his method, Jeffreys can prove that the suspect had nothing to do with either murder. Furthermore, he can state that the same person was responsible for both murders. But who is this person? Can they identify him? And can they catch him?
REVIEWS AND RATINGS
The Telegraph is not too fond of this drama. The Guardian and The Independent feel the same way.
The Times, however, is more positive, giving it four out of five stars, and The Daily Mail is very positive, giving it five out of five stars (all reviews are published on the same day: 6 June 2015).
On IMDb it has a rating of 76 percent which corresponds to a rating of 3.8 stars on Amazon.
On Amazon UK there are at the moment more than 380 ratings of this product, more than 140 with reviews.
The average rating is 4.7 stars which corresponds to a rating of 94 percent.
I understand the numerous positive reviews and I agree with them. Code of a Killer is a fascinating drama.
(1) The script is well-written.
(2) The actors play their roles very well
(3) The series was developed and written with the assistance of David Baker, who retired from the police force in 1995, and Alec Jeffreys, who retired from the university in 2012.
This is British television at its best. There is no shooting, there is no car chase. We do not see any violence here; we do not even see the victims; we merely see the faces of the policemen as they are looking at the victims. This is enough.
CONCLUSION
This case was a pivotal moment - a milestone - in the history of police investigations.
Using DNA profiles to show who is responsible for a crime was something that had never been done before.
Not since the introduction of finger prints around the year 1900 had there been such a technological breakthrough in the methods used by the police.
Today we all know about DNA. It has become a common concept along with computers, the internet, smartphones, and Wi-Fi. But the first time it was used in a criminal case was in Leicestershire, England, in the 1980s.
Because of his groundbreaking work, Dr Jeffreys was offered a professorship at his university, and later he was offered a knighthood. This drama shows us how it all began.
It is highly recommended.
REFERENCE
Nicky Morris
“The true story behind ITV drama Code of a Killer”
Hello! Magazine
18 October 2021
*****
Code of a Killer
A historical drama in two parts
(ITV) (2015)
*****
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