Robson Green stars in this powerful, complex and emotional one-hour film for BBC Daytime about love struggling for survival in a climate of fear and violence, exploring the issues of power, control and jealousy in a Newcastle family.

At the heart of this love story is Michael, a docker. A hard man in a hard world, Michael has a secret. Haunted by a tormented past and childhood betrayal, when violence erupts in his home the whole family fights to stop their world from crumbling. Michael goes on the run with Jamie, his young son, and his wife, Stephanie, finds her own painful childhood history repeating itself.

The story charts the next 48 hours as Stephanie struggles to reunite her family and – like many of today's working mothers – keep several other balls in the air, not least her high-powered job and demanding boss. Michael – adrift without a plan – gravitates back to his widowed mother's house. Here, he finds himself in the same arena in which an important episode from his childhood was played out. In flashback, Beaten journeys back to those days and witnesses some of the terrible forces that eventually shaped the adult.

The family are reunited in an emotional conflagration that reveals both the power of a child's love and the clarity of his vision.

 

 
Main Cast

Robson Green - Michael
Saira Todd - Stephanie
Corey J Smith - Jamie
Judith Barker - Nancy
Helen Kirkby - Carol
Glyn Grain - Peter
Amy Searles - Lisa
Craig Rogan - Blackie
Roger Morlidge - Fred
Ken Bradshaw - Col
Henry Miller - Buzz

Writer - Alison Hume  ::  Director of Photography - Dominic Clemence  ::  Director - Jon East  ::  Executive Producer - Sandra Jobling and Jon East.

Beaten is a one-off production by Coastal Productions for BBC Daytime and was filmed on location in Newcastle upon Tyne. If you, or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this drama, you may find the BBC's Relationships website a good starting point for information, help and support relating to domestic violence.

2.2 million viewers, 36% of the audience, watched this drama on its UK debut transmission on Monday 14 March 2005 at 2:05pm, making it the leader for its time slot. On it's prime-time showing, 2.8 million viewers tuned in on Wednesday 25 May 2005 at 9:00pm, although the biggest rating winner that night was the Champion League finals which saw Liverpool emerge victorious and ITV taking viewers from all channels that night!

 

13 May 2005

The BBC have decided to give Beaten a primetime showing when it repeats the one-off drama on BBC ONE in the UK on Wednesday 25th May at 9pm. This will give the drama a much wider audience by giving those who missed the original daytime slot back in February 2005 a chance to view it.

 

22 February 2005

Robson Green will shock his fans with a change of image when he plays a man who appears to be a wife-beater in a new TV drama. “I've just finished a show called Beaten, which is about a violent relationship as seen through the eyes of a boy,” he reveals.

But everything may not be as it seems in the BBC1 Daytime story, due be screened next month. “It's certainly the most controversial film I will have made.” He plays Michael, an ex-boxer and Newcastle docker who seems to be using his battered wife as a punchball. “It appears that I'm violent and she's got a black and blue face – you think I'm hitting her.

“I think it's an important groundbreaking piece because it deals with things that are not spoken about. And it's written by a woman.”

It's a rare BBC appearance for Robson, a man who likes to get things done. “It's a lot to do with the BBC, the way they work and the amount of stuff you have to go through. They take an eternity to decide what to do. I ain't got time. Let's get on with it – let's get going! There's so many things in development hell at the BBC. You have to go through so many departments. So many people are obsessed with title, rather than writers. It's just ridiculous.”

But first he's back on screen in a new series of award-winning Wire In The Blood (ITV1, tonight, 9pm), four new films based on characters created by Stockport author Val McDermid. Robson returns as clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill, working alongside Det Chief Insp Carol Jordan (Hermione Norris), to solve some scary and disturbing crimes.

“I think Wire In The Blood does what it says on the tin,” he maintains. “There is a dark side to human nature and we try and investigate that. This is not a sitcom. It's shown in 28 countries now – we're even the top show in Australia, beating The Bill!”

Former Manchester journalist Val is still closely involved in the productions. Robson's company Coastal Productions is also working on a two-hour TV adaptation of another of her books – Place Of Execution – as well as a fourth series of Wire In The Blood.

Robson, who turned 40 in December, is on a roll. His Manchester and Lancashire filmed ITV1 festive drama Christmas Lights – soon to be made into a series called Northern Lights – was watched by over 10 million viewers, and last month's thriller Like Father Like Son gained an audience of eight million. Although he's always re-invested his earnings in creating work and jobs for the Tyneside company he founded ten years ago with former bank manager Sandra Jobling, Robson still has money to burn. “Fireworks have always been a hobby of mine. I find them very emotive.”

He holds a category 4 licence, which qualifies him to work with large professional display fireworks, and doesn't have to worry about the neighbours. “I've not got many. It's big, my house,” he laughs.

Wife Vanya dragged him along to the “wrap” party at the end of filming for this series of Wire In The Blood. “I don't like them,” he explains. But all was revealed when Robson discovered it was a surprise 40th birthday celebration for him, complete with a fireworks display over St James's Park, home of his beloved Newcastle United. “Everybody I'd worked with over the last 20 years was there.”

His future plans include an ambition for Coastal to move into feature films. Two scripts are in development, telling the north east stories of Harry Hotspur, a Geordie hero killed in a rebellion against Henry IV, and Jenny Muckle, who fought for the freedom of eight imprisoned miners in 1926. “We've got the scripts but we've got to gain the trust of people who are going to invest.”

And when not creating fireworks on and off screen, Robson retires to his garden to tend his melons. “I've been trying to grow them for the last ten years and eventually, last year, I conquered it. My cantaloupe melons came up – tons of them!”

© Ian Wylie - Manchester Online

 

17 February 2005  Exclusive & Official

Beaten will be broadcast on BBC ONE in the UK on Monday 14 March 2005 at 2.05pm. This information has been added to the Community Calendar and RG Forum members you can request an email reminder of this date to ensure they don't miss it!

 

12 January 2005  Exclusive & Official

Filming for Beaten will take place in Newcastle upon Tyne next week. Produced by Coastal Productions for BBC Daytime, the one-hour drama will take approximately 11 days to shoot.

 

1 December 2004

BBC Winter 2005 Release

Robson Green stars in a powerful film for BBC Daytime about love struggling for survival in a climate of fear and violence.

Michael is a Newcastle docker, and a man haunted by a tormented past and childhood betrayal. When violence erupts in his home, Michael's whole family fights to stop their world from crumbling. Michael goes on the run with Jamie, his young son, and his wife, Stephanie, finds her own painful childhood history repeating itself. The family are reunited in an emotional conflagration that reveals both the power of a child's love and the clarity of his vision.

 

7 September 2004

BBC Press Release

Alison Sharman, Controller, BBC Daytime, has commissioned North East England production company Coastal Productions to make a one-off drama for 2005 starring Robson Green.

Beaten, made by Robson's own production company, will focus on the issue of domestic violence in the home of a Newcastle docker and will go out on BBC ONE next year. It will be directed by Jon East and written by Alison Hume. The Executive Producer is Sandra Jobling. Alison Sharman says: "Beaten will be a thought provoking and powerful drama for the BBC Daytime audience, and we're thrilled to be collaborating with Robson again."

Robson Green says: "This commission from Alison Sharman is fantastic news for Coastal and it's great to be working with the BBC again. Beaten will raise many important issues and I'm really excited to be working with Jon East and Alison Hume."

Coastal Productions was set up by Robson Green and Sandra Jobling eight years ago. It has co-production credits for Grafters, Rhinoceros and Touching Evil III, as well as Wire In The Blood and Take Me as independent productions. Beaten is Coastal's first BBC commission. In 2003 Robson Green starred in Venus and Mars, one of the successful series of Afternoon Plays on BBC Daytime.

 

 

All images © Copyright 2005 - BBC
 

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