Behind the Scenes

(dramatic piano music) - Prime Suspect: Tennison is the origin story of Jane Tennison.

Protagonist from the series Prime Suspect.

- Prime Suspect is incredible.

And for its time was so groundbreaking.

- There is a love for those characters.

- Why wouldn't you want to see what made them the person that you love?

And are interested in?

- I thought the force could do with more posh sorts, sir.

- [Stefanie] Jane is in Hackney Police Station.

In her first kind of few months actually working in a police force and getting involved in a murder investigation.

- How was she killed?

- [Sergeant] WPC Tennison, you're testing my patience today.

- So 1973, that's when men and women police officers were doing the same job.

Before that they were different.

- While you were doin' all that I was outside tacklin' a suspect to the ground.

(laughing) - But then also the world of Tennison is very male-dominated.

- Two teas and biscuits at DI Bradfield's office.

- She can see around her the CID, who are doing all of the murder cases and can't help but want to get involved.

- So your first PM, already?

You're puttin' yourself out there.

- Am I?

- They find a dead body, a 17-year-old girl who got herself mixed up in drugs and prostitution.

- It follows the exploits of the detectives that are solving crimes at the time.

- Oi, lads!

You mates of Julie Ann's?

- [Joshua] And also the criminals that are involved in the crime.

- This job is the Bentley boys going big time.

- [Suspect] I haven't seen him since you last picked us up.

- Well, he's your mate.

Does he not drop by?

You get to see her struggles and battles and triumphs as she kind of, rises in the ranks and finds her feet.

- I'm sure I'll be able to handle it, sir.

- There are some shocking moments and revelations and I hope it will keep people on their toes.

Gov, you need to see this.

- She wants to be taken seriously and this is kind of exciting for her.

- There could be women and children, sir.

We need a plonk.

- Plonk's ready, sir.

She's really ambitious and she's very clever, as well as that, though, is also quite, inexperienced and is so far away still from the Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect.

I need to take a statement.

- Quite a nice ensemble cast in this.

- Yeah.

- Of really diverse, different kind of people.

- The set design is amazing because everything is right there in front of you.

- We didn't really have to adapt to, like I said, a way of acting it, because we're in the '70s.

Design and costume done such a great job anyway.

- I hope that everyone who watches Tennison gets gripped, not only in the story and the cases... - Not from 'round here, are ya'?

- (sigh) No.

But at the same time, follow Jane's journey through her family and her work and her relationships and also see how difficult it is for those three things to not clash, if you're an ambitious woman.

(dramatic music)