Real Men (British TV series)

Real Men is a two-part[1][2] British television crime drama series, written by playwright Frank Deasy and directed by Sallie Aphramain, that first broadcast on BBC Two on 12 and 13 March 2003. The series stars Ben Daniels as Detective Inspector Matthew Fenton, who after re-opening the cold case of a missing child, finds himself drawn to a local orphanage where he suspects the caretaker of sexual improprieties with the minors. The script for the series took writer Frank Deasy more than four years to write.[3]

Real Men
GenreCrime drama
Written byFrank Deasy
Directed bySallie Aprahamian
StarringBen Daniels
Charles Dale
Ewan Stewart
Zoe Telford
Christine Tremarco
Caroline Catz
Harry Eden
Steve John Shepherd
Stephen Lord
Emil Marwa
ComposerDaniel Pemberton
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes2 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersFrank Deasy
Victoria Evans
Barbara McKissack
ProducerDavid Snodin
CinematographyTim Palmer
EditorLuke Dunley
Running time90 minutes
Production companyBBC Scotland
Release
Original networkBBC Two
Original release12 March (2003-03-12) –
13 March 2003 (2003-03-13)

The series was considered so-hard hitting that the Radio Times published an article on the week of the programme's broadcast, entitled A fit subject for drama?. The series has never been repeated, nor released on DVD.

Production

Daniels commented on the role of Fenton; "Fenton is a deeply moral man, he's likable and kind. But, best of all for an actor, he really changes during the course of this piece. I love the fact that as the drama progresses, his veneer of perfection cracks. We gradually see that he's quite arrogant and emotionally stunted."

Producer David Snodin praised Deasy, writing "The moment I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. By exploring the links between the perpetrators of abuse and their victims, I believe that Real Men provides the deepest examination of this subject in a drama to date. This piece is drenched in truth, so it can't be exploitative. Frank's writing may be dangerous and close to the bone, but it's always truthful. You get drawn into the world of these characters - you don't approve of it, but Real Men just shows you how it is."[4]

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast
  • Jill Baker as Julie Ferguson
  • Nicola Cowper as Deborah Wade
  • Anthony Flanagan as James Mulgrew
  • Matthew Marsh as DCI Norton
  • Selva Rasalingam as Ron Dixon
  • Amanda Ryan as Greta Banham
  • Desmond Bayliss as Terence Sandals
  • Tom Charnock as Charley Meikle
  • Sally Walsh as Joanna Collins
  • Pauline Jefferson as Delores Fenton
  • Faye Cook as Samantha Fenton
  • Ben McGawley as Simon Fenton
  • Helen Kay as Angela Jackson

Episodes
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Part 1"Sallie AphramainFrank Deasy12 March 2003 (2003-03-12)
DI Matthew Fenton's determination to solve the three-year-old case of an abducted schoolboy leads him to uncover a web of systematic abuse that is threatening to destroy the lives of vulnerable children.[5]
22"Part 2"Sallie AphramainFrank Deasy13 March 2003 (2003-03-13)
The head of care at Meadowlands children's home is brought in for questioning. DI Fenton suspects that one of the boys in the home is being abused and has to win the boy's trust to obtain proof of the perpetrator's guilt.[6]

References
  1. "Real Men [Part One] (2003)". Archived from the original on 27 May 2018.
  2. "Real Men [Part Two] (2003)". Archived from the original on 26 May 2018.
  3. "Real Men: 'I don't want viewers to feel sorry for them'". Independent.co.uk. 9 March 2003.
  4. "BBC - Drama - Real Men".
  5. "BBC Programme Index".
  6. "BBC Programme Index".
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