Harm Done
- Episode 23 / An Inspector Wexford Special
- First transmitted in one part in 2000
- Adapted from the novel by Christopher Russell
- Directed by Bruce MacDonald
- A Blue Heaven Production for United Productions, Meridian Broadcasting
- DVD | Watch now
The story is really about abuse, not only the abuse of children but also the abuse of a wife by her husband and the hurt caused to children and families. It also addresses the prejudice caused by misunderstanding the nature of an abuser. It’s a very cleverly interwoven plot, and I believe Ruth Rendell is making something of a political statement. She’s bringing up something that should be addressed by society as a whole, even though some people might prefer to push it under the carpet.
Wexford is investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl when she suddenly turns up unharmed. Meanwhile, news that a convicted paedophile is being released into the community causes unrest among the residents of Kingsmarkham. Then when the three-year-old daughter of a local businessman vanishes, the crowd takes matters into its own hands.
As tension mounts, Wexford’s long-held views about family loyalties and the nature of abuse are challenged, and he finds himself—for the first time—questioning the law that he is bound to uphold. 1
Credits
- DCI Wexford
- George Baker
- DI Burden
- Christopher Ravenscroft
- Dora Wexford
- Louie Ramsay
- Jenny Burden
- Diane Keen
- Colin Crowne
- Russell Mabey 2
- Debbie Crowne
- Annette Bentley
- Stephen Devenish
- Simon Shepherd
- Fay Devenish
- Clare Holman
- Sanchia Devenish
- Scarlett Jenkins
- Edward Devenish
- Nick Robinson
- Robert Devenish
- Elliot Henderson-Boyle
- DS Vine
- Matthew Mills
- Lizzie Crowne
- Stacey Hart
- Sylvia
- Charon Bourke
- Brenda Boswell
- Eve Bland
- Carl Meeks
- Raymond Trickett
- Trevor Ferry
- Ian Bartholomew
- Gillian Ferry
- Susie Baxter
- Suzanne Smith
- Carol Harvey
- DS Malahyde
- Sasha Mitchell
- Thomas Smith
- Bryan Pringle 3
- Moira Wingrave
- Sarah Badel
- Vicky
- Ruth Mitchell
- Jerry
- Keith Newby
- Jane Andrews
- Sian Webber
- Tracey Miller
- Rebecca Manley
- Pathologist
- Bee Jaye
- Casting Director
- Doreen Jones 4
- Casting Assistant
- Helen Benger
- Associate Producer
- Graeme MacArthur
- Script Supervisor
- Marissa Cowell
- 1st AD
- Paul Judges
- Location Manager
- Peter Chadwick
- Art Directors
- Paul Cowell, Victoria Nelson
- Set Designer
- Paul Crips
- Production Buyer
- Graham Curtis
- Camera Operator
- John Hembrough
- Focus Puller
- Ian Clark
- Key Grip
- Doug Newton
- Gaffer Electrician
- John Donoghue
- Sound Recordist
- Rudi Buckle
- Boom Operator
- John Cassali
- Dubbing Editors
- Mark Lawes, Jamie Capel
- Dubbing Mixer
- Billy Mahoney
- Costume Designer
- Jan Collins
- Makeup Designers
- Toni Holmes, Debbie McKinlay
- Stunt Co-ordinator
- Nick Powell
- Production Designer
- Christine Ruscoe
- Director of Photography
- Alan Trow
- Film Editor
- Christopher Wentzell
- Executive Producer
- Graham Benson
- Producer
- Neil Zeiger
Notes
Karen Malahyde is really quite dogged and ambitious. She is determined to have her own style and be different. It’s important to her politically as a feminist to remain a person in her own right. She always wants Wexford’s approval, and she reads voraciously, so she’s able to make literary connections and have a decent conversation with him. She and Burden will never hit it off as they don’t understand each other.
—Sasha MitchellHarm Done was shot on location in April 2000 in Bray Studios, Berkshire, and RAF Northolt in South Ruislip. 5
The producers enlisted the help of the Hampshire Constabulary, who ensured that the police incident room and press conference looked as realistic as possible. 6
The final scene of Harm Done was filmed on Bagshot High Street in Surrey.
Three months after filming, riots took place in Paulsgrove in Hampshire, following the News of the World campaign to “name and shame” local paedophiles. 7
Footnotes
Wexford Returns, Meridian Broadcasting Ltd, 1 October 2000. ↩︎
Bryan Pringle 1935-2002: obituary by Eric Shorter, The Guardian. ↩︎
Doreen Jones 1940-2017: obituary by Derek Granger, The Guardian. ↩︎
Press release, Meridian Broadcasting Ltd, 3 March 2000. ↩︎
Wexford to hang up his trilby?, Frontline, 1 October 2000. ↩︎
Families flee paedophile protests, BBC, 9 August 2000. ↩︎