YORKSHIRE IN THE FRAME AS FIVE DAYS RETURNS TO BBC ONE (25/02/2010)
A second series of award winning drama Five Days returns to BBC One next week, screening from Monday 1st to Friday 5th March at 9pm. Suranne Jones and David Morrissey head an impressive cast in the gripping mystery drama, written by Yorkshire based writer Gwyneth Hughes (Miss Austen Regrets, Cherished). Screen Yorkshire provided locations and crewing support on the production, which filmed at locations across the region in summer 2009.
A tiny newborn baby is abandoned in the toilets of a Yorkshire hospital. At the same time, the Trans-Pennine commuter train is halted by a suicidal jumper - are they connected? From this moment on, the lives of those on board the train and in the hospital will be changed irrevocably, not least for DC Laurie Franklin (Suranne Jones), off-duty that day but travelling on the train with her mum, Jen (Anne Reid), who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Who is the baby's mother? And who is the jumper? And was it a suicide - or was it really a murder? As Laurie is drawn deeper into the mystery, she realises this might not be a simple case at all, but something much darker. 
Writer Gwyneth Hughes says: "The inspiration for the second series of Five Days came from lots of ideas I was having about our national identity in modern Britain. I wanted to write about Yorkshire because that's where I live and it's the community I know and love. A lot of Muslims live here and I wanted to write about their lives, too.''
"I wanted Muslim characters living richer, fuller lives with issues and concerns that we all face - for example my couple unable to have children. Though I didn't want to avoid the problem of violent extremism, I did want to see it from inside their family experience."
Five Days is an atmospheric ensemble drama; a mystery which unfolds over the five most significant days of the police investigation into these two mysteries. It is set in the heart of urban Yorkshire - a melting pot of tensions and relationships within a multicultural landscape. The first series of Five Days received BAFTA, RTS and Golden Globe nominations.
The cast features: Suranne Jones as PC Laurie Franklin; David Morrissey as DI Mal Craig, Anne Reid as Jen, Laurie's mum; Bernard Hill as Gerard Hopkirk; Hugo Speer as Superintendent Jim Carpenter; Derek Riddell as Nick Durden; Nina Sosanya as Colly Trent; Steve Evets as Pat Dowling; Ashley Walters as Jamal Matthews; Shaun Dooley as SGT Don Parker; Matthew McNulty as Danny Preston; Navin Chowdhry as DC Bilal Choudry; Shivani Ghai as Nusrat Preston; Sacha Dhawan as Khalil Akram; Cornell John as Didi Mputu; Aaron Neil as Ibra Akram; Philip Arditti as Dr Adel Haydar; Kerry Condon as Sister Siobhan Doole; and Chris Fountain as PC Paul Tait.
Yorkshire locations used in the filming of Five Days series 2 include: Kirkgate Station and Ridings Centre in Wakefield; Burley, Leeds University, Leeds Metropolitan University and Seacroft and Cookridge hospitals in Leeds; Dewsbury town hall and market; Batley; Pontefract town square; Harrogate (Farnley) and Scarborough Beach.
Andy Morgan, location manager on Five Days, talks about his experience filming in the region: ''The joy of filming in Yorkshire is the sheer wealth of locations available to you. With Leeds, Bradford & Wakefield so close in proximity you have a wealth of urban locations, yet on your doorstep you also have some of the most beautiful countryside in England.''
''Screen Yorkshire played a huge part in the production, particularly the locations team. Their approach to creating a film-friendly region is second to none and even when we suggested the most random and bizarre location, they somehow managed to find a contact and get us in. The local authorities and services (Police, Council & Highways) were incredibly supportive and we felt like the red carpet had been laid out for us wherever we filmed.''
A BBC Drama Production for BBC One, Five Days is written by Gwyneth Hughes and produced by Caroline Skinner. The serial is directed by Toby Haynes (Being Human, Spooks Code 9) and Peter Hoar (Mistresses, Spooks). The executive producer is Hilary Salmon (Desperate Romantics, Criminal Justice, Moses Jones, House Of Saddam).
Five Days was commissioned by Jay Hunt, Controller, BBC One, and Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning.
Five Days is broadcast on BBC One at 9.00pm from Monday 1 to Friday 5 March 2010. Visit the programme website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00r97n9
