Wire in The Blood - Characters

Characters

• Dr. Anthony "Tony" Hill (Robson Green) (Series 1 - 6)

Dr Tony Hill is a clinical psychologist whose expertise has proved invaluable to the police. Intelligent and endearing, if somewhat eccentric, he is driven by a tangible sense of right and wrong and his understanding of human behaviour enables him to empathise strongly with both victim and killer. Tony formed a close bond with DCI Carol Jordan, between them putting many serial killers behind bars. So he was devastated to find out she had left Bradfield to work in South Africa. Despite his often bizarre behaviour, Tony’s ability to get results when evidence is scarce has won him the support of DI Alex Fielding, who eventually trusts him as part of her team. But Tony’s involvement with the police often affects him deeply as he finds it difficult to distance himself from disturbing cases.

The plastic "blue bag" that Tony Hill is often seen with was gleaned from Robson Green's research for Wire in the Blood, which involved spending time with revered criminal psychologist Julian Boon, who Green describes in part as an "extraordinary, intelligent, nice guy who carried his life in a blue bag and travelled on a double-decker bus. No-one looked at him twice."

• D.C.I. Carol Jordan (Hermione Norris) (Series 1 - 3)

A hardworking officer and head of the Major Incident Team (MIT) of Bradfield Metropolitan Police's CID, who formed a close relationship with Tony Hill, successfully working with him to secure the arrest of several killers. In series two, Carol is promoted from Detective Inspector to Detective Chief Inspector. Although the two soon grow closer they never achieve the romantic relationship that Carol desires with Tony and in the end Carol left Bradfield to take another position in South Africa. Speaking of Hermione Norris’ portrayal of Carol Jordan, Val McDermid said that she “brings real intelligence and insight to her role, demonstrating that there's a lot more to her skills than we got to see in Cold Feet.”

• D.I. Alex Fielding (Simone Lahbib) (Series 4 - 6)

DI Alex Fielding is a senior detective at Bradfield CID and is a dedicated professional, always willing to put in the hours to get the case solved. Her warmth and down-to-earth style have gained her the respect of her police colleagues and Dr Tony Hill. She has learned to trust that Tony’s intuition can sometimes mean the key to cracking a case when physical evidence is hard to come by. But the pressure of working on murder investigations sometimes causes a strain at home where she is a single mum to young Ben. When the stresses of life take their toll, she finds it difficult to ask for help.

• D.S. Kevin Geoffries (Mark Letheren) (Series 1 - 6)

DS Kevin Geoffries has proved himself a worthy member of the team, despite a few mistakes in the past. He respects Tony and believes he can offer an extra dimension to the investigations. Kevin works closely with DC Paula McIntyre and their professional bond has made them good friends.

• D.C. Paula McIntyre (Emma Handy) (Series 2 - 6)

A lively and feisty young detective, Paula doesn’t get fazed easily. She is keen to take on more responsibility and pleased to have strong role-models in Carol and later, Alex. Paula also has a deep respect for Dr Tony Hill after he saved her life during an investigation. She’ll do what it takes to catch a killer.

• A.C.C. John Brandon (Tom Chadbon) (Series 1 - 2)

An excellent and experienced senior officer, but one who is shown to be more concerned with ends rather than means. Brandon is shown to expect quick results from the MIT and from Carol in particular. In the episode, Sharp Compassion, Brandon suffers from a heart attack. Although his character continues to appear in the novels, Brandon was replaced in the show in Redemption, by ACC Paul Eden.

• A.C.C. Paul Eden (Pete Sullivan) (Series 3 - 4)

Alex's boss Assistant Chief Constable Eden is college-educated, fast-tracked and confident. Focused, tailored and practical, he demands results and is suspicious of Tony. He secretly hopes Alex will not become as close to Tony as Carol did.

• D.S. Don Merrick (Alan Stocks) (Series 1 - 2)

A persistent and perseverant officer with the Major Incident Team (MIT) of Bradfield Metropolitan Police's CID. In the final episode of Series 2, Sharp Compassion, Merrick assaults D.S. Kevin Geoffries after he compromises one of Merrick's closest informants. It is assumed that this leads to his demotion or relocation; as he does not appear in any later episodes.

Other recurring characters include:

• D.S. Annie Reiss (Reiss only appears in Series 1, after which she is replaced by McIntyre)
• Dr. Ashley Vernon (the police medical examiner, replaced by Dr. Liam Kerwin in Series 6)
• Ben Fielding (Alex's son),
• Tim Eccles (the police's resident IT expert)
• Maggie Thomas (an institutionalized serial killer whom Tony obsesses with)
• Dr Kate Lloyd (a senior lecturer at Bradfield University and Tony's immediate superior)
• Angelica Bain (the serial killer from the pilot episode, whom Tony obsesses with for the duration of Series 1)
• The serial killer known as 'Michael', the main antagonist throughout Series 6
• The murderous solicitor, Geoffrey Markham, who appears in several episodes of Series 2.