Top Telly - BBC's Messiah five series

Messiah was produced by BBC Ireland although it was set in England. This crime series concerns the investigations carried out by DCI Redfern (Red) Metcalfe played by Ken Stott who seems to have to deal with the most gruesome of murders. He is assisted by DS Kate Beauchamp played Frances Grey and DI Duncan Warren played by Neil Dudgeon.

DCI Metcalfe’s wife Susan is deaf; she and her husband communicate using British Sign Language. This required Ken Stott and Michelle Forbes to learn the signs for their frequent conversations on screen.

In the last serial, Metcalfe retires and the story features DCI Joseph Walker played by Marc Warren.

There were five stories each split into two parts totalling two and a half hours or three hours:

Messiah - a serial killer sets out to kill twelve men with the same names as the Apostles in the same way that the original men were killed according to tradition. The murderer believes that he is the second Messiah and is immortal.

Messiah II: Vengeance Is Mine - A serial killer murders all those implicated in the wrongful imprisonment of his father.

Messiah III: The Promise - DCI Kate Beauchamp is caught up in a prison riot and nearly killed. She survives and is hospital for treatment alongside others injured in the riot. Over a period of time, everyone who threatened or harmer her is killed.

Messiah IV: The Harrowing - The team investigate a serial killer who murders his victims based on The Divine Comedy by Dante.

Messiah V: The Rapture - Metcalf has retired and this time DCI Joseph Walker investigates a crack den massacre, an acid attack and a murder victim with his heart removed.

The first serial was based on the novel by Boris Starling but subsequent stories were written for television. Starling “starred” as a corpse in the first story.

The first story was broadcast over the bank holiday weekend from May 26th 2001. The next three stories in each subsequent year with the fifth in 2008.

Messiah starring Ken Stott, Frances Grey and Neil Dudgeon

Red Metcalfe is on the trail of serial killers

Starring Ken Stott, Frances Grey, Neil Dudgeon and Michelle Forbes