Instinct (TV serial)
| Instinct | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime drama, thriller |
| Written by | Lizzie Mickery |
| Directed by | Terry McDonough |
| Starring |
Anthony Flanagan Tom Ward Christine Bottomley Jaye Griffiths Fiona Glascott Paul Ritter |
| Theme music composer | Tim Phillips |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 2 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Lizzie Mickery Hilary Bevan-Jones Paul Abbott |
| Producer(s) | Paul Frift |
| Location(s) | Rossendale Valley, Lancashire Pennines |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Tightrope Pictures |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV, STV, UTV |
| Original release | 26 February – 27 February 2007 |
Instinct is a two-part drama serial which premièred on ITV on 26 February 2007. It was created and written by Lizzie Mickery, and produced by Tightrope Pictures for ITV. The serial follows Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Flynn, played by Anthony Flanagan, as he hunts a serial killer in the Lancashire Pennines, while dealing with a troubled personal life.
Mickery, who had previously written the first three series of the similarly themed Messiah, described Instinct as a character-driven whodunit, which placed the emotional lives of the characters at the forefront of the drama. In creating the lead character of Thomas Flynn, she wanted to explore "why sometimes somebody who is a good detective is fallible as a man." Flynn is a thirtysomething, contemporary character who is not "the usual middle-aged detective, disillusioned and world weary with a broken marriage and a love of scotch." Flynn's defining characteristics are that he relishes his work, is emotionally detached and has acute powers of observation.
Flanagan described the case investigated by Flynn as a rites of passage. He said: "Events in his personal life - he discovers he has a half-sister and that throws him totally - begin to impinge on the investigation. That makes it far more interesting than any of the stuff concerned with the procedural side of police work." Mickery considered Flynn's relationship with his half-sister, Milly, to be central to his development as a character. She cited their reunion as a chance for him to reconnect with his emotions, reassess his past, and also as a "sexual awakening".
Mickery and Flanagan both expressed hopes that Instinct would return, with Flanagan stating that the end of the second episode felt like a beginning for his character. ITV did not recommission it, and no further episodes were made.
Mickery opted to set Instinct away from the anonymity of a large city, choosing the Lancashire Pennines to provide an atmospheric backdrop to the plot. She described the Pennines as "an extraordinary place. It has that sense of humanity clinging on to nature ... it's beautiful but daunting."
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