Prime Suspect prequel Tennison to proceed

Acclaimed UK drama Prime Suspect is getting its prequel.

Tennison, to be written by Lynda La Plante, has been commissioned by ITV.

The new 6 part series portrays the young Jane Tennison, previously portrayed by Helen Mirren, beginning her career and reveals why she became such a complex and formidable character in the Metropolitan Police.

The drama series will broadcast in 2016 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first Prime Suspect series which ran for seven series from 1991. It will be based on a novel to be published in September.

“I have very much enjoyed writing the young Jane, creating her family background and the start of her career in the police force. I do hope my readers will enjoy meeting her in September and viewers in 2016,” said La Plante.

“I’m delighted Lynda has re-visited the iconic character of Jane Tennison,” said ITV by Director of Drama Steve November. “The scripts are brilliantly written and she perfectly captures the sights, sounds and mood of the 70s period.”

It’s Hackney in the 1970s, and women police constables are being uneasily ‘integrated’ into the force. We’re introduced to 22-year-old Jane, a probationary officer in a world where high-ranking police officers were notoriously chauvinistic, and the rules and regulations often bent.

Single-minded and ambitious, if a touch naïve, Jane’s dedicated and instinctive approach to her career is evident from the start. Starting as a WPC on the beat, she is thrown in at the deep end, drawn into a brutal murder enquiry, and experiences first hand London’s violent criminal ganglands. She works alongside senior investigating officer DCI Bradfield, and in her first murder case, sees the devastating effects violent crime has on the victim’s family, as well as experiencing tragic ramifications herself.

With a strong sense of style and a 70’s musical backdrop to the narrative, we’ll also meet Jane’s family and begin to understand the complexities of her ambition and personal life, that shape the character recognised by millions of viewers worldwide.