New Beginnings

I get the feeling there's more to the title of this episode than meets the eye. Some cracking dialogue and nice to see more Woodentop action.

THE BILL
New Beginnings: Episode 028
Thursday 28 January 2010, 21.00 to 22.00, ITV1
Repeated on ITV3 on Monday 1 February at 23:00
*Guest starring Gabrielle Glaister as Jenny Marton*

During her first shift as a Sergeant, Jo Masters (Sally Rogers) and P.C. Leon Taylor Dominic Power) are called to an aggravated burglary where the homeowner John Baker has been violently killed.

Jo questions his wife, Tanisha (Nisha Nayar) who is too stunned to speak, but her son Ian (Misha Crosby) explains that an intruder broke into the house and attacked John before fleeing.

Back at the station, D.S. Max Carter (Christopher Fox) and D.C. Grace Dasari (Amita Dhiri) investigate the case and discover that Tanisha has been on a missing persons list for twenty years because she refused to tell her parents her whereabouts.

Tanisha eventually opens up to Grace and reveals that her parents didn’t approve of her relationship with John because of their cultural differences, so she ran away to marry him.

Back at the scene of the crime, C.S.E. Eddie Olosunje (Jason Barnett) walks D.I. Neil Manson (Andrew Lancel), Max, Grace and Jo through his findings. He explains that the murder weapon is still missing and that whoever killed John would be covered in blood, just as Tanisha and Ian both were...

As the investigation continues, the officers discover that John had been having an affair with Jenny Marton (Gabrielle Glaister). During an interview with Jo and Grace, Jenny admits that a few nights before Johns murder, he left Tanisha to move in with her.

However, the night he was killed, Jenny and John had a huge row and he returned home, telling Jenny their relationship was over. Grace and Max later interview Ian who admits he had just found out about his father’s affair and confesses that his mother was terrified of John and his drunken, violent rages.

When John returned home from Jenny’s house, Ian feared for his mother and murdered John. In CID, Grace and Max come to blows over his apparent prejudices and Grace admits she thinks Tanisha was involved in the murder.

She tries to explain that if Tanisha walked out on her family and culture for John, she would feel overwhelming shame that the relationship had gone horribly wrong, but Max is just anxious to get Ian charged.

However, when Tanisha later confesses that it was her that killed John and not her son, it’s up to Grace to uncover the truth...

THE BILL is a talkbackTHAMES production and a direct commission by ITV. This episode was written by Tom Needham, directed by Reza Moradi and produced by Sylvie Boden.