The Fall (TV series)

The Fall
The Fall title card
Genre	Crime drama Thriller
Written by	Allan Cubitt
Directed by	Allan Cubitt Jakob Verbruggen[1]
Starring	Gillian Anderson Jamie Dornan Colin Morgan Laura Donnelly Bronagh Waugh Niamh McGrady Michael McElhatton Ben Peel Frank McCusker John Lynch Ian McElhinney Archie Panjabi Stuart Graham Aisling Franciosi Valene Kane Emmett J. Scanlan Karen Hassan Jonjo O'Neill Brian Milligan Séainín Brennan Sean McGinley
Country of origin	Ireland & United Kingdom
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	11 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Allan Cubitt Patrick Irwin Justin Thomson-Glover Stephen Wright Gillian Anderson[2]
Producers	Gub Neal Julian Stevens
Production locations	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Running time	60 minutes
Production companies	Fables Limited Artists Studio BBC Northern Ireland
Original release
Network	BBC Two, RTÉ One HD
Release	13 May 2013 (2013-05-13) – present

The Fall is a British BBC and Irish (RTE) crime drama television series filmed and set in Northern Ireland. It is created, written and, in its second series, directed by Allan Cubitt, produced by Artists Studio and shown on RTÉ One in the Republic of Ireland, and BBC Two in the UK. The series, starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan, with Colin Morgan, John Lynch, and Archie Panjabi, premiered in the Republic of Ireland at 9.30pm on 12 May 2013, and in the UK on BBC Two at 9pm on 13 May 2013.^[3]

On 3 February 2012, BBC Two picked up The Fall series with a five episode order.^[4][5] The series was written by Allan Cubitt and produced for BBC Two by Artists Studio and BBC Northern Ireland, with funding from Northern Ireland Screen and the European Regional Development Fund.^[4][5] Gub Neal and Julian Stevens produced, with Allan Cubitt, Justin Thomson-Glover, Patrick Irwin and Stephen Wright serving as executive producers.^[4][5][6] Writer Allan Cubitt was inspired by guitar manufacturing companies when naming some of his characters; Stella Gibson (both Stella and Gibson are brands of guitar), Spector, Martin, Hagstrom, Eastwood, Stagg, Kay, Paul Reed Smith, Breedlove and Burns, Bacon & Day are all names of guitar manufacturers.^[7]

Casting announcements began in February 2012, with Gillian Anderson first to be cast in the series as Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson.^[4][5][8] Next to join the series was Jamie Dornan as serial killer Paul Spector and Gerard McCarthy as Kevin McSwain.^{[9][10][11][12][13]} Archie Panjabi, Emmett Scanlan and Karen Hassan were next to be cast, with Panjabi playing Reed Smith (originally known as Paula Reed Smith), Scanlan playing DC Glenn Martin and Hassan playing Annie Brawley.^[14][15] It was later announced that Niamh McGrady, Bronagh Waugh, John Lynch, Simon Delaney and Séainín Brennan had joined the series.^[14][16][17]

Metropolitan Police Superintendent Stella Gibson, a senior investigating officer tasked with the reviewing of investigations, is seconded to the Police Service of Northern Ireland in order to assess the progress of a murder investigation that has remained active for longer than 28 days. When it becomes apparent a serial killer is on the loose, local detectives must work with Stella to find and capture Paul Spector, who is attacking young professional women in the city of Belfast.

• Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson); a Metropolitan Police officer assigned to the PSNI on a 28-day review who later accepts a semi-permanent secondment to supervise Operation Musicman. She's an incredibly capable officer, and is extremely comfortable with her own sexuality.

• Peter Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan); a serial killer and bereavement counsellor. He has a wife and two children, who are both unaware of his other life. As he comes closer to being apprehended, he begins to develop an obsession with, and affinity for, Stella.

• Detective Inspector Rob Breedlove (Michael McElhatton); DS Olson's partner and a corrupt police officer moonlighting for a Belfast power broker. He crosses paths with Stella following Olson's death.

• PC Danielle Ferrington (Niamh McGrady); a patrol officer seconded to Operation Musicman at the behest of Stella. A homosexual, Ferrington speaks openly of her sexuality with Gibson, the two developing a bond: both professional and personal.

• Sally Ann Spector (Bronagh Waugh); the wife of Paul Spector and a neonatal nurse. She's the mother to his two children and is unaware of his dark side. Incredibly devoted to Paul, she flees Ireland with him, without knowing why.

• Assistant Chief Constable Jim Burns (John Lynch); Stella's supervising officer and senior PSNI official. He's married, although he previously had an affair with Gibson, and still appears to be infatuated with her.

• Professor Reed Smith (Archie Panjabi); is an esteemed pathologist who, whilst assigned to Operation Musicman, develops a friendship with Stella. She's extremely professional during work hours, but can become personally connected to cases.

• Sarah Kay (Laura Donnelly); a young solicitor who fits the victim profile for Spector's crimes. Following a home invasion, she is murdered. It is her death that allows Stella to link the previous murders together.

• Detective Sergeant James Olson (Ben Peel); a young, married detective who partakes in an affair with Gibson. He's later linked to part of a wider corruption scandal within the PSNI.

• Detective Chief Inspector Garrett Brink (Frank McCusker); the head of the Belfast M.I.T. who serves as Gibson's deputy during Musicman. He's a dedicated professional, but initially seems unwilling, or unable, to link the cases together.

• Morgan Monroe (Ian McElhinney); the father-in-law of one of Spector's victims and the chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Executive. His motives within the investigation are questionable, as is his professional demeanour.

• Detective Chief Inspector Matt Eastwood (Stuart Graham); a Discipline and Complaints officer assigned to investigate corruption allegations within the PSNI. His and Stella's investigations often overlap.

The first series was made available in full in the United States via Netflix's "Watch Instantly" service starting 28 May 2013,^[23] and airs on Bravo and Netflix in Canada. The series also aired across Latin America during September 2013 for subscribers of the TV satellite provider DirecTV. The Fall was aired in the exclusive channel OnDIRECTV in high definition.^[24] HBO Europe has picked up the series to air on their Cinemax channels in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania.^[25] Estonian National Broadcasting started to run the series in Estonia on channel ETV (Eesti Televisioon) on 7 December 2014.^[26] Hot (Israel) started screening the series on its video on demand service in February 2014. Reruns have aired on M3 in Canada since June 2014.^[27] In Australia, the first series was shown on UKTV (Foxtel) in April/May 2014. The series began airing on SBS One starting 23 October 2014. In New Zealand, the series began airing on the Sky channel SoHo on Thursday 29 August 2013. In Italy the first series was shown on SkyAtlantic.

BBC Two renewed the show for a second series on 27 May 2013.^[2] On 21 October 2013, it was announced that Jakob Verbruggen would not be returning to direct The Fall's second series. Instead series creator Allan Cubitt would direct, with production due to begin in February 2014.^[28] Production of series 2 ended in June 2014.^[29] Series 2 began in the Republic of Ireland on Sunday, 9 November on RTÉ One HD at 10.30pm and in the United Kingdom on BBC One Thursday, 13 November 2014.

Aisling Franciosci, Emmett Scanlan, Karen Hassan, Nick Lee, Valene Kane, Brian Milligan, and Séainín Brennan, all of whom recurred in series one, joined the main cast, alongside newcomers Bronágh Taggart, who joined the cast as Detective Gail McNally, and Irish actor Colin Morgan, as Sergeant Tom Anderson. Also joining the main cast were Sean McGinley and Jonjo O'Neill. Kelly Gough, as PC Hagstrom, was cast in an extended arc. Series one main cast members Ian McElhinney (in episode 1) and Ben Peel (in episode 2) returned for guest appearances.

As Paul returns to Ireland, under threat of another 28-day review, Stella's team work tirelessly to build a case, but they are met with complications both inside and outside the PSNI. Paul, concurrently, works to build a relationship with Katie, to unknown ends. As Spector's world comes crashing down, both literally and figuratively, it may turn out to be his professional, and not his personal, decisions that cause the killer to face a fate he did not expect.

• Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson); a Metropolitan Police officer seconded to the PSNI. With her investigation stalled, Gibson is forced to get results under the threat of a new 28-day review into Operation Musicman. As Stella's personal past comes back to haunt her, her professional present becomes further tangled in it.

• Peter Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan); a serial killer and bereavement counsellor. Returning to Ireland, Spector's lust to kill is now stronger than ever, but so is his affinity for Stella. As he gets closer to her, he finds help in the form of a school-girl.

• Detective Sergeant Tom Anderson (Colin Morgan); the Senior Investigating Officer of a death that could be linked to Stella's investigation. Impressed with both his professional attitude and looks, Stella invites him to join her team.

• PC Danielle Ferrington (Niamh McGrady); a patrol officer eager to get back to the streets following a secondment to Musicman. With her newly found investigative knowledge, Ferrington proves herself to be even more useful on the ground than in the control centre.

• Katerina Benedetto (Aisling Franciosci); a 15-year-old schoolgirl who is in love with Paul. A gifted musician, Katie uses online videos to express her feelings. She suspects Paul is a serial killer, and does not appear to care.

• DC Glen Martin (Emmett Scanlan); an officer assigned to the investigation. Perhaps less professional in manner than Stella would like, he is none-the-less a skilled investigator.

• DC Gail McNally (Bronágh Taggart); a veteran detective and new recruit to the Musicman investigation. She's tough, eager, and skilled. McNally is often seen partnered with Martin.

• Sally Ann Spector (Bronagh Waugh); the wife of Paul Spector and a neonatal nurse. She's tangled in Paul's web of lies but doesn't know the extreme of his crimes. Pregnant with a third child, Sally Ann is struggling to balance her personal and professional lives.

• Liz Tyler (Séainín Brennan); a grieving mother who was counselled by Spector. On the run from her husband, Liz finds refuge in a home for battered women, but her safety is short lived, and she leads Spector to his fall.

• Assistant Chief Constable Jim Burns (John Lynch); Stella's supervising officer and senior PSNI official. A recovering alcoholic, Burns' lust for Stella may prove to be more destructive than even he could of imagined.

• James Tyler (Brian Milligan); a gangster who's son died as a child. Tyler is a wife-beater who has professional connections with Spector, and it's these connections that cause jeopardise both Stella and Paul.

• Professor Reed Smith (Archie Panjabi); is an esteemed pathologist. She's assigned to Musicman and, whilst working with Stella, becomes more open to her own sexuality. She's personally connected to the kidnapping of Rose Stagg.

• Detective Chief Inspector Matt Eastwood (Stuart Graham); a former Discipline and Complaints Commission Officer who is seconded as deputy SIO of Gibson's investigation.

• Rose Stagg (Valene Kane); a woman who knew Paul when he was in university. The two had a romantic past, and when Gibson realises this, it inspires Paul's obsession for revenge.

• Tom Stagg (Jonjo O'Neill); Rose Stagg's husband and a close friend of Dr. Reed Smith. He's unaware of her past relationship with Paul, and is at first ignorant to her involvement in the current case.

• Peter Jensen (Sean McGinley); a priest who was jailed after molesting numerous young boys: including Paul Spector. The PSNI believe he holds the key to the case, but he is not so sure.

• Ned Callan (Nick Lee); a journalist with a keen interest in Gibson's investigation. He's intrepid, but does not always understand the boundaries placed upon him by the law.

Like the first series, the second series was broadcast on Netflix's "Watch Instantly" service, starting in January 2015, in the United States. It was also broadcast on Netflix in Canada.^[32] In Latin America, Netflix began broadcasting the season on January 16, 2015, at 12:01am.^[33] In Australia, Series 2 was shown on BBC First in November/December 2014, within 48 hours of the first broadcasts in the UK.

In March 2015, it was announced that The Fall will return for a third series.^[34]

In March 2015, both Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan's returns were announced.^[34]

• Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson); a Metropolitan Police officer in charge of Operation Musicman. Stunned by the shooting of Spector, Gibson is more determined than ever to seek justice for the dead.

• Peter Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan); a serial killer who, shortly after being arrested, was shot by James Tyler.

• The Fall at BBC Online
• The Fall on Netflix
• – RTÉ The Fall Website
• The Fall at IMDb
• The Fall Trailer at ZDF Enterprises
• The Fall on Twitter