Robson Green goes stateside for a special episode of the acclaimed and hard-hitting drama Wire In The Blood, made in America for ITV1 by Coastal Productions.The feature-length thriller, filmed in and around Austin, Texas, takes talented but eccentric clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill (Robson Green) away from the familiar streets of Bradfield and pits him against the might of the US legal system, sweltering heat, and rattlesnakes.
Prayer of the Bone, written by acclaimed scriptwriter Patrick Harbinson (ER, Red Cap, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) comes ahead of a sixth, eight-part series of Wire In The Blood.
The action begins as Tony Hill is invited to Luther in Texas as an expert witness in the case of an American man accused of brutally slaughtering his wife and young son and daughter.
Iraq combat veteran Darius Grady (Brad Hawkins) has confessed to the crimes but his defence team claim his traumatic experiences in war have left him with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and that he killed his family while hallucinating – a mitigating factor that could spare him the death penalty.
The prosecution want Tony to help them prove that Darius’s supposed PTSD is a fraud. But alone in a strange country without his usual team in support, surrounded by hostile lawyers and police, Tony finds himself at the centre of a maelstrom of competing legal and political interests. He’s insulted, threatened, framed and physically attacked.
Meanwhile his doubts grow about the case. Nobody is quite what they seem and everyone has a vested interest in Darius. Everyone, that is, except Darius himself – who seems peculiarly determined to die.
As the trial proceeds, Tony’s illicit investigation uncovers drugs scams and infidelity in the small town of Luther. But only when Tony questions all of his own assumptions does he start to uncover the tragic truth behind what really happened to Darius’ family.
Wire In The Blood is based originally on the books by top crime writer Val McDermid. As well as sales to more than 30 countries around the world, including America and Australia, it has picked up several international awards.
Prayer of the Bone is written by Patrick Harbinson, directed by Declan O’Dwyer and produced by Bill Boyes. The executive producers are Sandra Jobling and Philip Leach. A Coastal and BBC America Co-production for ITV1.