REBUS

13 September, 2006 by The_Boss

ITV1 Friday 15th September 2006 9:00pm to 10:30pm

Question Of Blood

This time around Claire Price says her character DS Siobhan Clarke in REBUS is ‘more coloured in.’

“I think we see a lot more of Siobhan’s private life in this series. We see her at home, we see her pet cat and we even watch her having a relationship, albeit a fleeting one.

“When I was originally researching the role in Rankin’s novels I remember reading about Siobhan at home when she was eating ice cream straight out of the box. It seemed such a trashy image to me compared to the incredibly professional, composed woman she is at work.

“We see Siobhan going home after work, drinking every night and falling asleep on the sofa. This is a very different woman to me but I think we all have a certain persona out there in the world but at home we’re a bit of a mess.”

Claire believes this insight into her character makes things easier to understand.
“She starts to work on screen on different levels. I think Rebus is much more able to bring his chaotic, emotional world into his work environment – the two things fuse together. It’s part of who he is as a cop, that kind of shambolic mess. But Siobhan feels she’s got to make it look like it’s all going smoothly. This is a woman who after being up all night processing prostitutes from a raid at a brothel, goes home to shower and change her clothes so she appears completely in control. The fact that she’s had no sleep is irrelevant.”

However when a criminal starts harassing Siobhan she discovers she isn’t always in control.

Claire explains: “It’s that weird mixture of being a policewoman, so being able to use a gun and defend yourself at work but still, in the privacy of your own flat, being too scared to open the door because there could be someone frightening outside.

“It’s a pride thing for Siobhan. That and having to be a woman in a man’s world where women have to appear more competent than their male counterparts.”

In this episode of REBUS Detective Inspector John Rebus (Ken Stott) and his sidekick, DS Siobhan Clarke, are called to investigate a shooting at Stoneymount College. In the college common room the spattered blood and bullet holes that litter the room tell a tale of a frantic shooting. As the polythene sheets are pulled back off the bodies, the corpses of two dead schoolboys, Derek Renshaw and Anthony Jarvies, and a sports supervisor, Lee Hartman, are revealed. At first glance this could be a simple case – the murderer finds his victims, shoots them, then turns the gun on himself…….but is it?

The murder weapon catches Rebus’ eye. The converted air pistol is of a similar build to a cartridge found in the car of Jez ‘Peacock’ Johnson (Andrew Barr). A member of Edinburgh’s criminal fraternity, Peacock escaped a High Court conviction earlier that day to Rebus’ outrage.

A survivor from the massacre; student James Bell (Cairon Kelly), son of local crime reporter Jack Bell, is in intensive care. And to complicate matters further, victim Derek Renshaw is the son of Rebus’ cousin, Alan (Frank Gallagher).

That night, fuelled by drink and angry at losing one of his own blood, Rebus spots Peacock and friends, including Stoneymount student Terri Cotter (Karen Gillan), celebrating his narrow escape from prison. In true Rebus style he crashes the group’s evening. Cross words are spoken and Rebus storms out having caused a scene.

On his way home Rebus hunts out a lock-in at an old haunt where he happens upon Peacock’s right-hand man, Marty Fairstone (James Cunningham), whom he knows is harrassing DS Clarke. Rebus accepts the offer of a nightcap back at Marty’s not realising Peacock has them under surveillance.

But Rebus’ career is on the line after Fairstone dies the same night in a house fire and the police station rumour mill kicks off an investigation into one of its own.

After visiting James Bell in hospital, Rebus and Clarke discover a connection between the sole survivor and the suspected gunman Hartman. James’ father paid Hartman to teach his son sailing during the summer holidays.

When Hartman’s fingerprints are discovered on the murder weapon and it transpires he is ex-army special forces, the investigative team is ready to close the case. But Rebus is convinced the elusive schoolgirl, Terri, holds the key and is determined to track her down to prove a connection between Peacock and the schoolboy killings.

But before Rebus can delve deeper, DCI Gill Templar (Jennifer Black) forces him to hand over the case because of his personal involvement.

Never one to follow orders, while at his cousin’s house paying his respects, Rebus finds a photo of Terri on Derek’s laptop, the same girl he saw celebrating with Peacock in the restaurant.

As the investigation picks up, Rebus gets a tip off regarding an old SAS friend of Hartman, Robert Niles. Convicted of murdering his wife, Niles is now sectioned in a psychiatric unit. Will a meeting with Niles shed any light on Hartman’s character? Why does the mysterious T Wolf (Mark McDonell) keep cropping up whenever Rebus follows a new line of inquiry? Does he hold a clue to these frenzied killings? And will Rebus’ name be cleared in time for him to solve the murders?