''The Commander'' is a British

crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

, broadcast on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

, starring

Amanda Burton Amanda Burton (born 10 October 1956) is a Northern Irish actress. Her notable credits include Heather Haversham in the Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'' (1982–1986), Beth Glover in the ITV drama series ''Peak Practice'' (1993–1995), Sa ...

as the principal character, Commander Clare Blake. The series first broadcast on 16 February 2003, and a total of five series were produced over a five-year-period, with the last episode airing on 12 November 2008. The series focuses on Blake, the leader of an elite murder investigation squad in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Throughout the series, Blake has two main sidekicks. Matthew Marsh starred in the first four series as DCI Mike Hedges, and following his decision to quit the role, he was replaced by

Mark Lewis Jones Mark Lewis Jones (born 31 August 1964) is a Welsh actor, whose roles include that of a First Order Captain Moden Canady in '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'', a police inspector in BBC drama series '' 55 Degrees North'', a whaler in the film '' Mas ...

, who appears in the final two seasons as DCI Doug James. The series has been released on DVD in the UK via

Contender Entertainment Group Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series. The company began on June 1, 1973 ...

and

Acorn Media UK RLJE International Ltd, d/b/a Acorn Media, a British company that publishes and distributes DVDs, as well as selling home-video products and streaming videos with a particular focus on British television. History Launched in 1997, Acorn Media ...

. In the United States, all five series have been issued in two double DVD sets, again via Acorn Media.

Plot

''The Commander'' focuses on Clare Blake, leader of an elite murder investigative squad based in

, who allows her interpersonal relationships to cloud her judgement, and who, on several occasions, makes bad calls which are detrimental to an investigation. Midway through the series run,

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, internet, telecommunications and mail, postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-rang ...

and

received many complaints from viewers over Blake's willingness to sleep with suspects so that evidence can be gained from them – exemplified in her relationship with murderer James Lampton (

Hugh Bonneville Hugh Richard Bonniwell Williams (born 10 November 1963), known professionally as Hugh Bonneville, is an English actor. He is best known for portraying Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the ITV historical drama series ''Downton Abbey'' from ...

). Many viewers said that as much as the story was fictional, such action was so far out that it could not possibly be considered believable or true to life.Amanda Burton: A changed woman? - Telegraph
/ref>

Cast

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

Clare Blake * Matthew Marsh as D.C.I. Mike Hedges (Series 1–3) * Nicholas Jones as D.C.S. Les Branton (Series 1 & Series 4) *

Pip Torrens Philip D'Oyly TorrensThe Cambridge University List of Members up to 31 July 1998, University of Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1998, p. 793 (born 2 June 1960) is an English actor. Torrens portrayed courtier Tommy Lascelles in the Netfl ...

as D.C.S. Les Branton (Series 2) *

Christopher Robbie Christopher Robbie (born 30 May 1938) is a British actor, television announcer, theatre director and designer, playwright and photographer. He trained as an actor at RADA in London, and has had a distinguished theatrical career, playing the tit ...

as D.A.C. Edward Sumpter (Series 1) *

Anthony Valentine Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in '' Colditz'' (1972–74), the suave titular g ...

as D.A.C. Edward Sumpter (Series 2–5) *

Tristan Gemmill Tristan John Gemmill (born 6 June 1967) is a British actor from London, most notable for his roles as Dr Adam Trueman in ''Casualty'' and Robert Preston in ''Coronation Street''. Early life and education Son of Brasenose College, Oxford-educa ...

as D.I. Ken Miles (Series 1) * Thomas Lockyer as D.I. Ken Miles (Series 2) *

David O'Hara David Patrick O'Hara (born 9 July 1965) is a Scottish stage and character actor. A graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, he is best known to audiences for his numerous supporting roles in high-profile films, includ ...

as D.C.C. Stephen Blackton (Series 2) *

Robert Wilfort Robert Kenneth Wilfort (born 20 April 1977) is a Welsh actor from Porthcawl, who has made many appearances on British television and film. He is best known for his role as Jason West in BBC's ''Gavin & Stacey''. His other television appearance ...

as D.I. Jeff Dunn (Series 1) *

as D.C.I. Doug James (Series 4–5) *

Paul Brightwell Paul Brightwell is an English actor and director. He has acted in many different plays, films and TV shows since the late 1980s. Theatre direction includes the British premieres of Heiner Muller's '' Hamletmachine'' at the Gate Notting Hill, and W ...

as D.S. Brian Hall *

Poppy Miller Poppy Miller (born 28 February 1969) is an English actress. She is known for her role as DC Carol Browning in the British detective series '' The Commander''. Biography In 1969, Miller was born in Norwich, England. She attended The Hewett Sch ...

as D.C./D.I. Carol Browning (Series 1–2) *

Monica Dolan Monica Margaret Dolan (born 15 March 1969) is an English actress. She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Rosemary West in ''Appropriate Adult'' (2011) and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting R ...

as D.C. Pamela Hayes (Series 3–4) * Nadine Marshall as D.C. Alison Goody (Series 4) *

Connie Hyde Connie Skov Hyde (born 15 November 1969) is an English actress. Hyde was born to an English father and Danish mother. She grew up in Haslingden in Rossendale, Lancashire. She is best known for playing PC Cathy Bradford in ''The Bill'' from ...

as D.C.I. Janet Chambers (Series 4) * Niall MacGregor as D.S. Matt Newton (Series 5) *

Sian Brooke Sian or Siyan may refer to: __NOTOC__ People *Siân, a Welsh girl's name; list of people with this name Places * Sian, Iran (disambiguation), various places in Iran, Iraq and Balochistan * Sian, Russia, a rural locality in Amur Oblast, Russia *Xi' ...

as D.C. Marion Randell (Series 5)

Notable Guest Appearances

Amanda Boxer Amanda Boxer (born 1948) is an English theatre, television, and film actress. She is perhaps best known for her role in the film ''Saving Private Ryan'' (1998). Early life Boxer was born in London, the daughter of English scholar C.R. Boxer a ...

as Margaret Tubbs (''Blackdog'', Series 2) * Nicholas Ball as John Dawson (''Blackdog'', Series 2) *

Doug Bradley Douglas William Bradley (born 7 September 1954) is an English actor best known for his role as the Cenobite leader Pinhead in the ''Hellraiser'' film series. Early life Douglas William Bradley was born in Liverpool on 7 September 1954. He ...

as Tim Gad (''Blackdog'', series 2) *

Brendan Coyle Brendan Coyle (born 2 December 1962) is a British-Irish actor. He won the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for '' The Weir'' in 1999. He also played Nicholas Higgins in the miniseries '' North & South'', Robert Timmins i ...

as Carl Dirkwood (''Blacklight'', Series 3) *

Pippa Haywood Philippa Jane Haywood (born 6 May 1961) is an English actress. She won the 2005 Rose d'Or Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for '' Green Wing'' (2004–2006). Her other television credits include '' The Brittas Empire'' (1991–1997), ...

as Helen Dirkwood (''Blacklight'', Series 3) *

Matt Day Matthew Day (born 28 September 1971) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. Early life Day was born in Melbourne, Victoria. When he was 11 years old, he went to live in the United States with his father, a newspaper correspondent, where he b ...

as Eric Thornton (''The Devil You Know'', Series 4) *

Celia Imrie Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is a British actress and author. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' film series, '' Calendar Girls'' (2003), '' Nanny McPhee'' (2005), '' The Best Exotic Marigold ...

as Mrs. Thornton (''The Devil You Know'', Series 4) * Simon Williams as John Thornton (''The Devil You Know'', Series 4) *

Blake Ritson Blake Adam Ritson (born 14 January 1978) is an English actor. Early life Ritson was born on 14 January 1978 in London and attended the Dolphin School in Reading, Berkshire until 1993, before going to St Paul's School in West London on an aca ...

as John Littlewood (''The Devil You Know'', Series 4) *

Abigail Cruttenden Abigail Lucy Cruttenden (born 23 March 1968) is an English actress. After beginning her career as a child actress, she went on to play opposite Sean Bean as his character Richard Sharpe's wife Jane in several episodes of the TV series '' Sharp ...

as Judy Thornton (''The Devil You Know'', Series 4) * Adam James as Tony Lattice (''The Devil You Know'', Series 4) *

Penny Downie Penny Downie is an Australian actress known for her stage and television appearances in the United Kingdom. From 2017 until 2021 she played Ellen in the British TV sitcom ''Back''. She plays the US ambassador’s house manager Frances Munning ...

as Jane Griffith (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) *

Oliver Cotton Oliver Charles Cotton (born 20 June 1944) is an English actor and playwright, known for his prolific work on stage, TV and film. He remains best known for his role as Cesare Borgia in the BBC's 1981 drama series '' The Borgias''. Early life Cott ...

as Donald Griffith (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) *

Greg Wise Matthew Gregory Wise (born 15 May 1966) is an English actor and producer. He has appeared in several British television programmes and feature films. He played the role of John Willoughby in ''Sense and Sensibility'', which also starred Emma Th ...

as Mark Davy (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) *

Adrian Scarborough Adrian Philip Scarborough is an English actor. He has appeared in films including '' The Madness of King George'' (1994), '' Gosford Park'' (2001), '' Vera Drake'' (2004), '' The History Boys'' (2006), '' The King's Speech'' (2010), '' Les Misé ...

as Clive Seway (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) * Priyanga Burford as Miranda Kent (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) *

Ayesha Dharker Ayesha Dharker (born 16 March 1978) is a British actress, known for her appearance as Queen Jamillia, the Queen of Naboo, in '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,'' and for her stage performances. Her other film roles include ...

as Grace Kandola (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) *

Elisabeth Dermot Walsh Elisabeth Dermot Walsh (born 15 September 1974) is an English actress, known for her role as Zara Carmichael in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors''. In 2015, she won the award for Best Female Acting Performance at the RTS Midlands Awards for her por ...

as Thelma Field (''The Fraudster'', Series 4) *

Gerard Kearns Gerard Kearns (born 4 October 1984) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Ian Gallagher in the British version of the comedy-drama series ''Shameless (British TV series), Shameless''. Career Kearns starred in the film ''The Mark ...

as Terry Donnolly (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

Gary Stretch Gary Stretch (born 4 November 1965) is a British boxer, actor, model, producer, and screenwriter. During his boxing career, Stretch won 29 of his 31 fights, 20 of those by KO. He became the WBC International Super Welterweight Champion. In his ...

as Jack Bannerman (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

Toby Kebbell Tobias Alistair Patrick Kebbell''Births, Marriages & Deaths: Toby is married to Arielle Wyatt. They got married in 2020 and they have one child together. Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 9 July 1982) is an English ...

as Jimmy Bannerman (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

Sara Stockbridge Sara Stockbridge (born Sarah Jane Stockbridge; 14 November 1965) is an English model, actress and author. In the second half of the 1980s, she was the muse of fashion designer Vivenne Westwood. Early life Stockbridge was born in Woking, Su ...

as Lisa Bannerman (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

David Sterne David Sterne (born 1946) is an English actor. He has appeared in more than 90 films since 1973. Career After leaving the British Army, Sterne trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Compa ...

as Father Thomas Martin (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

Christopher Fulford Christopher Fulford (born 1955) is a British actor who is best known for his supporting roles in many British TV shows, one of the earliest being punk Alex in the short lived sitcom '' Sorry, I'm a Stranger Here Myself'' (1981–82). Career Ful ...

as Denny Wade (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

Valerie Lilley Valerie Lilley (born 14 April 1939) is a Northern Irish actress who has played many television roles on dramas such as ''Doctors'' and ''Grange Hill''. Lilley most recently appeared in BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast ...

as Brenda O'Hare (''Windows of the Soul'', Series 4) *

James D'Arcy James D'Arcy (born Simon Richard D'Arcy; 24 August 1975) is an English actor and film director. He is known for his portrayals of Howard Stark's butler, Edwin Jarvis, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series '' Agent Carter'' and th ...

as Jerry (''Abduction'', Series 5) *

Claire Skinner Claire Skinner (born 1965) is an English actress, known in the United Kingdom for her television career, particularly playing Sue Brockman from the BBC television series '' Outnumbered''. She is also known for her collaboration with director M ...

as Fiona (''Abduction'', Series 5) *

Caroline Blakiston Caroline Georgiana Blakiston (born 13 February 1933) is an English actress. She is best known for her role in the British television comedy series ''Brass (TV series), Brass'' and to international audiences as Mon Mothma in the ''Star Wars'' fil ...

as Mary Henson (''Abduction'', Series 5) *

Kerrie Hayes Kerrie Hayes (born 13 March 1987)Profiles – Kerrie Hayes – hellom ...

as Sharon Davis (''Abduction'', Series 5) *

Ella Kenion Ella Jane Kenion (born 23 November 1968) is an English actress known for her appearances in comedy shows such as '' The Catherine Tate Show'', '' The Green Green Grass'', Five's sketch shows ''We Know Where You Live'' and ''Swinging.'' Addi ...

as Helen Gordon (''Abduction'', Series 5) *

Dilys Laye Dilys Laye (born Dilys Lay; 11 March 1934 – 13 February 2009) was an English actress and singer, best known for her comedy roles, in which she was seen in the West End and on Broadway for more than fifty years, beginning in 1951. Althou ...

as Edna Sutton (''Abduction'', Series 5) *

Al Murray Alastair James Hay Murray (born 10 May 1968) is an English comedian. After graduating from the University of Oxford, Murray's comedy career began by working with Harry Hill for BBC Radio 4. He regularly performed at the Edinburgh Festival Frin ...

as Betting Shop Boss (''Abduction'', Series 5)

Episode list

Series 1 (2003)

The series began with a one-off feature-length story broadcast in two parts in February 2003. Only known as ''The Commander'' for television broadcast, it did not carry an official title until the joint DVD release of series one and two in 2005. The episode gained enough viewers for two more stories to be commissioned. The other investigating officers in this episode are DCI Mike Hedges ( Matthew Marsh), DCS Les Branton ( Nicholas Jones), DAC Edward Sumpter (

), DI Ken Miles (

), DS Brian Hall (

) and DC Carol Browning (

Series 2 (2005)

The second series of ''The Commander'' was first broadcast in 2005. The series was released on a joint DVD in 2005 with the first series. The same roster of characters appear in the second series as the first, with slight changes to the cast. Thomas Lockyer takes over the role of DI Ken Miles,

takes over the role of DCS Les Branton,

Ron Donachie Ronald Eaglesham Porter (born 26 April 1956), known professionally as Ron Donachie, is a Scottish character actor. He has appeared in supporting roles in films ''The Jungle Book'' (1994), ''Titanic'' and television series ''Game of Thrones'', in ...

takes over the role of George Hart, and

takes over the role of DAC Edward Sumpter. Carol Browning (

) is also promoted to DI.

Series 3 (2006)

The third installment of the series was first broadcast in 2006, again in the form of one feature length story, split into two parts. Series three has never been released on DVD in the United Kingdom, having been broadcast between the release of the first DVD set released by Contender, and the second released by

who only acquired the rights in 2007.

joins the cast as DC Pamela Hayes, following the departure of DI Carol Browning. DCS Les Branton does not appear in the series.

Series 4 (2007)

The fourth series of ''The Commander'' was first broadcast in 2007, in the form of three separate stories each broadcast in two parts. The entire series was released on DVD in 2007 by

, becoming the last series to be released on DVD in the United Kingdom. This series introduces two new characters to the cast: DCI Doug James (

), and DC Alison Goody (Nadine Marshall), leaving Amanda Burton, Anthony Valentine and Paul Brightwell as the only remaining original cast members. Les Branton also makes a return to the series, this time, however, played by the original actor, Nicholas Jones.

Series 5 (2008)

The fifth and final installment of the series was first broadcast in 2008, in the form of three separate episodes comprising one story. ''Abduction'' becomes the second series of ''The Commander'' not released on DVD in the United Kingdom. The series also introduces a further new cast: DS Matt Newton (Niall MacGregor) and DC Marion Randell (

), who join Amanda Burton, Anthony Valentine, Mark Lewis Jones and Paul Brightwell, whose character DS Brian Hall has been suspended from the force.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Commander, The 2003 British television series debuts 2008 British television series endings 2000s British drama television series British detective television series British English-language television shows ITV television dramas Television shows set in London