Merseybeat (TV series)
| Merseybeat | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Jonathan Kerrigan |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 38 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | BBC Birmingham |
| Running time | 60 mins |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Picture format | 576i |
| Original release | 16 July 2001 – 19 January 2004 |
| External links | |
| Merseybeat at the BBC | |
Merseybeat was a British police procedural television series shown on BBC One, with a total of four series broadcast between 2001 and 2004. The programme follows the personal and professional lives of one shift of police officers from the fictional Newton Park police station in Merseyside, England.
In 2001, prior the launch of the series, Merseybeat attracted controversy due to alleged similarities between its pilot episode and the murder of James Bulger, though the BBC defended the series, saying "there are no associations with the tragic case of James Bulger".
In July and August 2002, Merseybeat faced heavy criticism upon its return for a second series. The broadcasting standards commission criticised the quality of the series and ratings fell sharply. In June 2002, ratings fell below 5 million viewers for the first time in the programme's history and, in August of the same year, The Guardian reported that the number of viewers had dropped by one million compared to the first episode of the second series.
In late 2003, when Merseybeat commenced its fourth series, it underwent a major revamp, including the scrapping of the title sequence and theme tune, which was replaced with a record from Liverpudlian band Cast. A more "gritty" approach to the drama was also part of the revamp, with the introduction of the station's CID and Mark Womack, formerly of Liverpool 1 as DI Hammond.
For the first three series, filming took place mainly in the Cheshire towns of Widnes and Runcorn (both within the Borough of Halton), including other locations within Merseyside - making heavy use of local landmarks such as the Silver Jubilee Bridge and Fiddlers Ferry power station. The police station itself was a disused Golden Wonder factory, which is located in Widnes. For the fourth and final series, filming moved wholly to Liverpool; with some locations used in St. Helens, Merseyside. The programme is notable for having never been repeated since broadcast; and despite strong interest from fans, it has never been released on DVD.
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