Bancroft (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Episode #1.1 - full transcript

The formidable Det. Superintendent Elizabeth Bancroft is leading the charge against the violent Kamara gang. Meanwhile, DS Katherine Stevens is given a cold murder case.

♪ So you want

♪ To be free

♪ To live your life

♪ The way you wanna be

♪ Will you give

♪ If we cry... ♪

I've been worried sick. I've
been knocking and knocking.

You see, I had a parcel for Laura.

They delivered it to me because
she didn't answer the door.

OK, thank you.

- Yeah, it's 15.
- Guv.



Guv? Guv?

Bancroft has put Andy
Bevan on the Kamara Op.

When will I go proactive?
I'm always sat at my desk.

Do you know what Stalin said about how
he got to the top of the Communist party?

I mean, obviously he was a paranoid,
murdering tyrant, but it's good advice.

He said, "I took the minutes."

Never underestimate the power
of the desk job, Katherine.

I've got something for you. Cold Cases.

Commissioner wants us
to boost clear-up rates.

Solve a few of them, you'll fly
past Andy Bevan at the next review.

- They're yours to be getting on with.
- Thanks, guv.

- And Katherine?
- Yeah?

Calm down.

You see injustice where there isn't any.



What's going on? Athif
should be here by now.

Eyes up. We're on, guv.

Suspect in sight. Standby.

Andy, Athif's in the car
park. Stay on your toes.

♪ Everything is changing ♪

That's not him. That's not Athif.

- Who's that?
- It's his brother, Daanish.

So where's Athif?

Guv, they're not going to hang about.

- Go.
- Strike, strike, strike!

- Go, go, go!
- Armed police!

Stand still!

- Let me see your hands!
- Move it!

- Straight ahead!
- Let me see your hands!

- Keep moving! - Show me your
hands! Show me your hands!

Stand still! Stand fucking still!

- Down, now!
- Keep your hands above your head!

See you later, Becky!

- A girl's just gone out the fire exit.
- Yeah, well, stop her.

Stop!

Police! Stay where you are!

Keep your hands above your head!

- Get back! Get back now!
Get back, I said! - Help me!

- Idiot! - OK, George,
you're in charge in here.

- Put the gun down! Put it down!
- Stand still!

- Let the girl go!
- Get off! Get off me!

Take the shot when you have the chance.

- Move or I'll fucking shoot her!
- Put the gun down, Daanish.

Put it down. You don't want to hurt her.

- Come on.
- Please get off me!

- Please! - Wasn't even
your drop, was it? Eh?

- Please!
- It was Athif's.

Where is he?

You've been set up by your own brother.

- Drop the weapon!
- Get back!

- I said move back now!
- Now!

- DS Stevens?
- Yes?

I'm Anya Karim, Forensics.

- Super's got me on
the cold cases. - Oh.

- Is this one of them?
- Yeah.

- How long has she been dead?
- 27 years.

Good. Killers didn't think about
what they left behind back then.

Yeah, great. Take it away.

- How are you doing?
- What if you hadn't come?

Life's full of ifs. You're all
right. That's the main thing.

You had to do one thing -- watch the exit.

- Guv, I'm sorry.
- Just leave it.

- Does it hurt?
- What do you think?

I did you a favour. Kill her, you're
finished. Why isn't Athif here?

- Ask him.
- Yeah, I might just do that.

Hey.

You had a clear shot, or I
wouldn't have asked you to take it.

- Do you understand?
- I think so.

That's what happened.
Pull yourself together.

- There's no forensic odontologist
report. - For the bite?

Yeah. There should be.
And there's no DNA report.

- Did they test for DNA back then?
- They would have taken a saliva swab,

but it wouldn't have been DNA-rich
enough to get a marker in those days.

- So...?
- So, when the science improved,

it should have been reviewed.

This file is a mess.

- Let's start with another one.
- No, no. No.

We're gonna stick with this one.

Laura Fraser was young and she was pretty.

And she was murdered in her
own home by an intruder.

Now, that's a story.

Excuse me. Well?

How did it go? Did you get him?

No, but we got the brother.

Well, that's good.

Excuse me?

You been vetted to be in here?

- I work in the building.
- Haven't seen you around.

Er... We'll pick this up tomorrow.

- For God's sake, Andy.
- Athif Kamara's got eyes everywhere.

- You can't be too careful.
- She's a forensic scientist!

- Doesn't look like one.
- All right!

That's enough.

Take these to the store.

- What's up with him?
- He nearly blew the whole op.

- Get back or I'll
shoot right now! - No!

- Sorry, guv. I didn't realise
you were in here. - It's OK.

Sorry. Sorry. I'm OK.

- Sit down. Ma'am, sit down.
- Stupid.

Just breathe. Just take deep breaths.

How stupid am I? I'm OK.

Let me clean you up.

- Sorry.
- It's OK.

Right.

(Sorry.)

You're actually in the presence
of the CID First Aid Rep.

Although I have to warn you,
you are my first patient.

- Sounds like today was exciting.
- Yeah, thrill a minute.

Sorry, you are...?

Er... Stevens. I'm Katherine Stevens.

Yeah, of course. Sorry.

I came in at the same level as Andy Bevan.

Right.

And you're wondering why he's
on this op and you're not?

Yes, guv, I am.

If Bevan messes up, he
can fade into a crowd.

But you...

You stick out.

Female CID with a pretty face.

Perfect target practice.

You have to be better
than them every time.

When you know you are,

that's when you stick your
head above the parapet.

I'll see you waving, I promise.

Thank you.

Anyway, you can't be at that much of a loose end
if you're still here at ten o'clock at night.

Well, Superintendent Walker
has put me on cold cases.

Cold cases?

Oh, I didn't know about that.

It's about clear-up rates.
You know Walker and his stats.

Yes. Yeah, I do.

Erm... Listen, my son Joe is
waiting for me out in Reception.

I just need five minutes. Talk
to him? I'll be out in a minute.

- Yeah.
- Thanks.

Romeo-Golf-One-Five-Six.

Copy, Romeo-One-Five-Six.
Go ahead, Bancroft.

I need assistance and an ambulance.

Roger that. They're on their way.

- Joe?
- Yeah?

- Your mum, she's on her way down.
- Is she...?

Don't worry. She's just got
a few cuts and bruises.

(Yeah.)

... report tonight. I better get started.

Well done, guv. That could
have been the biggest balls-up.

Why did Athif send his baby brother?

Maybe it was always gonna be him
and your informant's playing us.

I don't think so.

My informant's sound.

I mean, the times I've been
sat at home, stressing,

and then she gets in at, like,
two in the morning and...

You know, I know...

I know that she's good at her job,
but sometimes I wish she didn't do it.

- You never considered it?
- Do I look like a police officer?

No, you don't. Thank God.

That was heartfelt.

Oh, no, it's just nice to talk
to someone who doesn't work here.

- We're so in each other's pockets.
- Yeah, tell me about it.

My dad, he was a police officer,

and when him and Mum split,

he had to move to a different force.

You know, the gossip.

Right. I'm sure that can happen.

So, if erm... If men in uniform
aren't your type, what is?

Good question.

I'll have to get back to you on that one.

Joe.

Come here.

- Let's go home. Good night, Stevens.
- Night, Ma'am.

I still don't understand why you
had to get in the middle of it.

I thought the point of being a senior was so
that you didn't end up in the line of fire.

Mum?

Mum? You need to sleep.

- I'm all right.
- Come on, let's get you to bed.

It wasn't my fault.

There should have been
two of us inside that pub.

But the guv won't listen.

She's frozen me out. She does that.

I'm sorry it didn't work out for
you, but it's late and I'm tired.

Ginny doesn't understand.

She listens for two minutes, and then
something with the kids and she's gone.

You get it.

No. No.

This isn't me.

OK?

You're a colleague and... you're married.

- It's shit, the whole thing.
- Go with how you feel.

No.

Katherine!

Let me in.

Katherine!

Police shot and injured
an armed man last night

as they intervened in a potentially
deadly hostage situation.

The injured man is currently being
treated at a local hospital,

but his injuries are not
thought to be life-threatening.

The kitchen window was smashed.

The handbag was rifled through
and jewellery was stolen.

- Murder weapon?
- Knife, not found at the scene.

She was stabbed 18 times.

She had punctured lungs, kidney, stomach.

Her baby didn't stand a chance.

She was pregnant?

Four months.

- We need to find out who did this to them.
- Turn it up, will you?

This operation er... we have
known about for a period of time.

To ensure the safety of our
officers and our community,

we have apprehended several
of the gang members.

They are now in custody.

Ahem. Sorry about last night.

- I was just...
- Oh, it's all right.

You were after Athif Kamara and didn't
get him. No wonder you were pissed off.

- I didn't catch your name.
- I'm Dr Anya Karim.

- What are you two up to?
- Just tidying up cases for the Super.

Nothing important.

- Well, enjoy yourselves.
- Thanks.

You said this case was going
to make us household names.

I did. There's no point telling him that.

- Have a seat.
- Thank you.

And thank you for supporting
me out there, sir.

You were very good.

I should put you out in front
of the cameras more often.

Especially if you're going
to apply to be my successor.

You're retiring?

30 years of service. I'm done.

Well, you'll be missed, sir.

It's a different force
to the one I joined.

All these regulations.

Chaps like Kamara thinking
they can run rings round us.

Needs someone like you
to cut through the crap.

Elizabeth, you're quite something.

That girl could have died.

Or you could have.

There was an element of risk,
but I had it under control.

Wind this up before I leave.

Get me Athif Kamara, and don't hang about.

Yes, sir.

Ma'am.

Nice-looking kid. Was that him and your wife?
You're not seeing them for a while, are you?

I've got nothing to say to you.

Carrying a firearm, possession
with intent to supply.

You're looking at, what... 12 years?

I'll do five, then I'm out.

You don't have to do any. I can
get you a suspended sentence.

The most you can do is put
a word in with the judge.

Hm.

Judges listen to me.

Oh, come on.

Got to be asking yourself,
"Did Athif know?"

He puts you on this job and
we're sat there, waiting?

What, have you pissed him off, is that it?

I don't know. Maybe he just doesn't like you.
I mean, you're the smart one, with the brains?

- You don't know what you're on about.
- OK, you tell me this.

Was it you who decided to carry a
firearm, or did Athif tell you to?

Well...

.. I admire your loyalty, Daanish.

I really do. But it's misplaced.

This girl..... lives next
door to your brother.

She was raped two weeks ago.
Athif and two of his mates.

She's too scared to bring
charges. This lad...

.. Athif assaulted him to get the week's takings
from his dad's shop. He won't talk, either.

Athif.

No good to anyone, really, is he?

But you...

.. you could run Highwater
under the radar.

Without any of this...

.. psychotic shit.

We wouldn't bother you and
you wouldn't bother us.

It's your brother I want.

Help me get him.

Yeah.

Just keep your head down. If you're
worried about anything, get out.

Do you understand? Great.
Give us a call any time.

That your informant?

I'm not telling you who it is,
Andy, so wind your neck in.

- Did Daanish talk to you?
- We need to keep the pressure up

and drive Athif out of his hole.

- That's Charlie.
- Thank you.

Sir. I'm DS Stevens.

I rang your wife and left
a message on your mobile.

Oh, yes, the cold case.
Sounds interesting. Sit down.

Thank you.

- I don't want to keep you from your game.
- Oh, you're not keeping me.

I'm sorry. I... I didn't realise erm...

Spine's buggered. Arthritis.

But I've had a good run.

35 years on the force. Loved every minute.

- Your case, was I on it?
- Yeah, you were, sir.

Call me Charlie. When did it happen?

1990.

Laura Fraser.

Do you remember her?

Yes, I do.

I'm sorry about the op.

If you'd stopped that girl in
the pub, there'd be no shooting,

Daanish would be in the nick and
I wouldn't be getting near him.

- I thought it all through.
- Don't push it, Andy.

Now, talk me through DS Stevens.

She's on fast track, isn't she?

- You're not thinking of putting
her on this op? - Well, I might be.

Why? What are her
strengths? Is she any good?

She's clever, goes the extra mile.

- I can tell there's a "but".
- She's not experienced.

The Super has her doing admin, cold cases.

- Has she got Forensics back-up?
- Yeah.

Dr Anya Karim.

What case are they investigating?

Late '80s, early '90s by
the looks of the photos.

A young woman.

Is it hard to forget unsolved ones?

Not many of those on
my record, fortunately.

Crackhead did for her.

It was hard to catch those bastards.

- They were often one-off offenders.
- I didn't realise it was a drug-related assault.

Well, I couldn't prove anything, but
people lost their minds to the stuff.

Violent burglary went through the roof.

But that violent? She was stabbed
18 times and she was bitten.

- Did you consider any other line of enquiry?
- Burglary stood up.

Sometimes things just are as simple
as they seem. You'll learn that.

- Did you have anyone in the frame for it?
- I would have arrested them.

- You've been talking to Len Dorman?
- Laura's father? No, I haven't. Why?

The man complained about us all the
bloody time. He was a pain in the arse.

- His daughter had just been murdered.
- Does your governor know you're doing this?

Yes. The whole initiative
is Superintendent Walker's.

Not him.

The man's a woodentop.

This case is what it says it is.

Leave it alone.

Thank you.

Make sure you bring your wallet this
time. I'm not paying for you to get home.

(Tight git.)

We're going down to the
pub. Want to come down?

- No, thanks. I've got to get on with this.
- You're overworking yourself.

You should have a bit of fun.

- Why are you in such a good mood?
- I'm back in Bancroft's good books.

Andy?

If a murder victim was bitten,
what would that suggest to you?

- Motive's sexual, isn't it?
- Yeah, you would think so.

But my victim wasn't sexually assaulted.

Er... I don't know, then.

Anger is a motivation,
apparently. Listen to this.

"The cannibalistic biter
bites to satisfy ego,

consuming the antagonist's life essence."

Bloody hell. Don't want
you getting any ideas.

- What are you playing at?
- What?

Katherine Stevens.

- We're just having a bit of fun.
- She's on her own up here.

No family, no friends.

Don't screw her about.

Hello, Mr Dorman. My name is
DS Katherine Stevens. Erm...

I wanted to talk to you about your daughter
Laura's case, which we're reviewing.

Stevens!

You're not working late again,
are you? Have you eaten?

- No, I haven't.
- Get in. You're coming to supper at mine.

Come on.

Come on in.

- You're early.
- Ah. Joe, Katherine. Katherine, Joe.

Oh, no. Of course, you've
already met, haven't you?

What do you think you're playing at, Mum?

She's a really nice girl.

- OK. That's for me to decide.
- You need to get to know her better.

- I'm not a child. I can do my own dating.
- Really? Cos I hadn't noticed.

Well aired?

- Yeah, that's fine.
- Are you sure?

- When I was your age...
- Here we go.

Hey, you, stop it.

When I was your age, as a woman in the
force, you had to have a serious constitution.

Not too much. I'm on the
early shift tomorrow.

Come on! You're too nice,
that's your problem.

They put him first and last on
the rota. He never complains.

I don't mind working late. It
seems to bother you more than me.

What do you do, Joe?

I'm a physio, up at the hospital.

But Mum thinks I should go private.

Well, everybody else does.

And then they get you to cover for them.
That's what I mean, you're too nice.

- Can I help?
- Don't even ask.

My mother likes to be in
control of the kitchen.

So, what about you, Katherine?

Are you skivvying for Superintendent
Walker because you want to,

or because you feel you have to?

What I'm doing isn't exactly skivvying.

Well, you'll put in all the hard work, he'll
take all the glory. I can tell you that.

Come across anything interesting?

I've only just started on my first one.

- Oh, yeah? What is it?
- Do we have to talk shop?

It happened years ago, in 1990.

The thing is, there's
something odd about it.

- Odd? - Yeah, it just...
It doesn't feel right.

Why not?

Well, it was a burglary...
and it was vicious.

Hm. Burglars can kill.

If they get disturbed, or
if something goes wrong.

She was bitten.

That's what I don't get. There was
no sexual assault, but she was bitten.

Why would anyone do that?

Smother it! Joe, get those curtains.

Elizabeth, please!

Elizabeth!

Guv? Guv?

Hello?

Hello?

- OK, so what have we found?
- We've got a footprint under the window.

The bastards have chucked
in a petrol bomb.

Are you all right, guv?

Guv?

Heard about last night.
Must have been the Kamaras.

Bastards think they can get
away with anything. I hate that.

How are we doing with the
Laura Fraser forensics?

Badly. Everything examined should
have been put in the storage facility.

I've rung through and there's
nothing under "Fraser, 1990".

- Who was the copper running this?
- DI Haverstock. I met him yesterday.

He reckons it was a drug-related burglary.

Makes sense.

Yeah, but he was really defensive about it,
and then he tried to get me to drop the case.

OK, it's not worth ruffling feathers.
Maybe we should move on, start another one.

No.

Laura Fraser died.

I'm having a go at solving this
one, and if you don't want to
help me, I'll find someone who can.

George, get Forensics out to this car and
send the jacket off to the lab, will you?

Cool.

Sir.

- Bloody hell, Elizabeth.
- Morning, Cliff. Sorry to bring you down here.

As I'm living in the middle of a crime
scene, I thought I might as well run it.

Look just give me a minute.
Coffee's on the side.

Andy, sort Superintendent
Walker out, will you?

- Hello?
- Liz, it's me.

There's some jumped-up detective
snooping around the Fraser case.

Look, now is not a good time.

Come and see me. You'd better.

Everything all right?

Come and have a look at this.

Right.

They followed me from the hospital to the
police station, and then back to here.

We found the car. It's burnt
out, registered as stolen.

- They're taking it to the
lab for examination. - Hm.

Well, if there's anything I can do...

I'd er... I'd like to bring
Katherine Stevens onto this team.

- Stevens is working on something for me.
- Andy, can you go back down to the station?

Go through all the CCTV again and see
if we can ID any faces in that car.

- OK, guv.
- Thank you.

Look, Cliff, do me a favour. I
really need a woman on this team.

The lads are really stirred up. It would
help to have Katherine Stevens in the mix.

I'm sorry. I would if I could,
but as I said, she's busy.

Working on cold cases?

Yes, as it happens.

The chief is always on at
us to keep things tight.

Cold cases is just money down
the drain. You know that.

I talked to him about it yesterday.
He thought it was a good idea.

You spoke to Alan yesterday?

I presume he's asked you to apply
to be Detective Chief Super, too?

He likes to keep his
options open, doesn't he?

Good luck with the clear-up.

Who are you?

Er... I'm... I'm the police.

I've tried to contact you,
Mr Dorman. You don't answer.

- What do you want? - We're
re-investigating your daughter's case.

I don't hear from you lot for
years... and now you appear.

How long have you been in CID? A week?

- Ten months.
- Well, then, we're off to the races.

It must have been awful for you
that that case didn't get solved.

I don't know how I would live with that.

I am so sorry.

27 years and nobody...

.. not one of you has ever said sorry.

It's just me here now. The wife died last
autumn. Rest of the place is closed off.

I don't need the rooms. Just this one.

Is this Laura?

She's our only child.

Maybe that made it worse. I don't know.

Please.

Thank you.

It's like... she's holding me.

She won't let me go.

Not till we find out who killed her.

- Can I?
- Yeah.

I was never sure if it was a break-in.

I brought Laura up to be smart.

If she'd have walked in that house

and seen that window broken,
she'd have got the hell out.

And if it was a burglar...

.. why would he kill her?

Bite her? I mean, why would
anyone do that to her?

Did you tell DI Haverstock
what you thought?

He chose not to hear.

What do you mean?

He was all right at first. He
couldn't have been more helpful.

Then he found out I was
a miner and he changed.

I was the enemy.

He didn't investigate the case properly?

He stopped caring! They all did.

Apart from one.

A policewoman.

- She tried.
- What was her name?

She was on the news. Some drug thing
in town, a couple of days back.

- Bancroft?
- Yes, Bancroft.

Oi!

I thought you were Julie.

She's on at me about these.

How are you doing, Charlie?

I'm proud of my record, Elizabeth,

but that case, the Fraser case,

I shut it down too soon.

You didn't say that to Stevens
when she came talking to you?

- Of course not.
- Then what did you say?

- I told her it was burglary went wrong.
- Which is what it was, so just leave it at that.

Bloody Len Dorman,

expecting us to work around the clock,
bitching us up at the same time.

- Oh, well, he was trouble, wasn't he?
- His girl wasn't much better.

You said she was a piece
of work, and you knew her.

Well, you did everything you could.

When you told me they were mining trash...

.. clouded my judgment.

Well, that's what they were.

But you still did a thorough
investigation. We... We both did.

18 stab wounds, bitten.

Your DS is right. Why
would a burglar do that?

Look, there's no point
in raking over this.

Please, just...

Just leave it and I'll get it closed down.

Trust me.

My back isn't arthritic.

It's spine cancer.

Oh, Charlie.

I'm so sorry.

When you know your days are numbered, you
start to think about the things you did wrong.

I didn't give Laura Fraser a fair shot.

I'm gonna help DS Stevens.

Put the work in now I never did back then.

Miner's daughter or not,
someone killed that girl.

I'm gonna find out who.

OK.