| "Skeletons" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | UK, Episode 4.06 | → |
| Production number: First aired (US): 8 December 2010 First aired (UK): 11 April 2011 First aired (CAN): 9 December 2010 | ||
 | ||
| Written By Catherine Tregenna Directed By Andy Goddard | ||
Summary[]
DS Devlin and DS Brooks investigate the murder of a 13 year-old boy, Sean Monroe, the son of a fellow police officer, who was killed and put down a storm drain. A note found on the body points to the work of Andrew Dillon, who was sentenced for an earlier racial murder and is serving his sentence. The racial motivation for the killing seems confirmed when a second boy, Dev Desai, is found strangled with the same note in his pocket. However, their investigation leads to a security guard, Marcus Wright, who admits to having encounters with both boys at the shops where he works. He says the boys deaths were God's will and he was simply doing God's work. If Wright is to be believed, it means that Dillon was wrongfully convicted. The case becomes personal when James Steel is accused of having purposely buried a witness statement that would have likely exonerated Dillon. He finds himself in dock but the judge allows him to conduct his own defense. Although Steel is eventually acquitted, he decides to step down from his role at the CPS as a result of the charges.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Bradley Walsh as Detective Sergeant Ronnie Brooks
- Jamie Bamber as Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin
- Harriet Walter as Detective Inspector Natalie Chandler
- Ben Daniels as Senior Crown Prosecutor James Steel
- Freema Agyeman as Junior Crown Prosecutor Alesha Phillips
- Bill Paterson as Crown Prosecution Service Director George Castle
Recurring Cast[]
- Crispin Redman as Judge Rory Richards
- Jessica Gunning as Angela
- Alexander Perkins as S.O.C.O. Pete
- Pete Noakes as Court Usher (uncredited)
Guest Cast[]
- Tobias Menzies as Samuel Cain
- Genevieve O'Reilly as Claudia Martin
- Jude Akuwudike as Marcus Wright
- Terence Maynard as Mick Monroe
- Jon Foster as Kyle Matthews
- Peter McNamara as Andrew Dillon
- Rochelle Neil as Sally-Anne Hope
- Mark Dexter as Carl Hareton
- Tom Stuart as Darren Powell
- Jack O'Connor as Justin Bale
- Mohammed Mansaray as Dena Amadal
- Jade Anouka as Carla
- Lewis Pempereur-Palmer as Ollie
- James Groom as Male Reporter
- Cate Debenham-Taylor as Female Reporter
Background information and notes[]
- Adaptation of the Law & Order episode "Trophy". Unlike "Skeletons", Steel's US counterpart in "Trophy" (Jack McCoy) faced only administrative proceedings. Although both McCoy and Steel were ultimately cleared in their respective episodes, there was less focus on the process of doing so in "Trophy" than on "Skeletons". Also unlike "Skeletons", the focus of criminal proceedings in "Trophy" was on McCoy's former partner (in "Skeletons", Steel's former partner was not explicitly prosecuted for her role).
- Samuel Cain brings up a few cases featured in past episodes including:
- This episode features the final appearance of Ben Daniels and Bill Patterson as regular cast members.
| Previous episode: "Shaken" |
"Skeletons" Law & Order: UK Season 4 |
Next episode: "The Wrong Man" |