Set against a backdrop of the miners' strike and the changing face of 1980s journalism, crime drama The Field Of Blood returns to BBC One for a second mini-series.
Paddy Meehan is played by Jayd Johnson, George McVie by Ford Kiernan, Maloney by Katherine Kelly, and Murray Devlin by David Morrissey, alongside Amy Manson, David Hayman and Michael Nardone.
Episode 1
Thursday 8 August 2013, 9pm
Glasgow, 1984 - Paddy Meehan now has her dream job as a news reporter working alongside George McVie. But all this changes with the arrival of new Editor-in-Chief, Maloney, a no-nonsense woman in a man’s world, determined to bring the newspaper into the modern age - against editor Murray Devlin’s wishes.
With Maloney and Devlin at loggerheads in the newsroom, an innocuous call about a disturbance in an affluent part of the city leads Paddy and McVie to uncover dirty tricks, police corruption, a government cover-up and cold blooded murder.
Initially told by the police it’s a domestic disturbance, Paddy’s interest is spiked when she recognises the female victim as a well-known human rights lawyer, Vhairi Burnett. And when, next morning, news breaks that Vhairi has been found murdered, Paddy spots an opportunity to report the news story of a lifetime.
But her investigation will bring conflict to the newsroom as well as putting herself and McVie in grave danger as powerful forces attempt to silence the truth.
Episode 2
Friday 9 August 2013, 9pm
As war breaks out in the newsroom, Paddy’s investigation uncovers a dirty tricks campaign against the miners' union, police corruption and a government cover-up – putting Paddy and her colleagues in danger.
Following his car-bomb ordeal, McVie recovers in hospital with a concerned Paddy by his side. But back at the newsroom there’s disharmony between Maloney and Devlin as they clash over reporting ethics and management interference.
Paddy confesses to Devlin that she took a bribe and knows her reporting career could now be at risk. McVie returns from hospital to help Paddy track down murdered lawyer Vhairi Burnett’s missing sister, Karen. With her help, they can verify their story but only if they can get to Karen before ruthless criminals Lafferty and Neilson find her.
Paddy and McVie visit union leader ‘Red Willie’ McDade, but he’s less than willing to cooperate with the press. However, he does reveal Vhairi had proof of a dirty tricks campaign against the NUM from the highest level – confirming Paddy and McVie’s suspicions of government and police corruption.
But, in spite of her sensational news story, Paddy faces surprising hostility from Maloney, who appears to have a news agenda of her own. And, as Paddy is about to discover, there are people in the security business who will stop at nothing to defeat the miners and crush the strike.
