Road Rage
1998: Adapted by George Baker from the Ruth Rendell novel.
Environmental activists and Kingsmarkham residents unite to fight the development of a new bypass road that is being constructed through Framhurst Great Wood. Excavations for the bypass unearth the badly decomposed body of a German student. A local cab driver is suspected of her murder but Inspector Burden can find no firm evidence. Then five people - including Dora Wexford - are kidnapped by Sacred Globe, a terrorist group committed to "saving the world"… Continue reading →
Background: Blue Heaven Productions moved the fictional town of Kingsmarkham to Petersfield in East Hampshire after deciding that the closure of Romsey town centre for the protest march scenes would cause too much disruption for local residents. The drama reflects the climate of anger that surrounded the construction of new British roads such as the notorious Newbury bypass in the 1990's.
George Baker: “Road Rage was very difficult to adapt. It’s a very long novel… an awful lot of colour comes from Ruth's characters and we just couldn’t fit them all in.“
Audio Clip: “I know you did it Trotter”
Audio Clip: “I know you did it Trotter”
Next episode: Harm Done »
Cast and Crew
- DCI Wexford
- GEORGE BAKER
- DI Burden
- CHRISTOPHER RAVENSCROFT
- Dora Wexford
- LOUIE RAMSAY
- Jenny Burden
- DIANE KEEN
- Sheila Wexford
- DEBORAH POPLETT
- Sylvia Fairfax
- CHARON BOURKE
- Ryan Barker
- TIMOTHY EVANS
- Owen Struther
- NIGEL PREGRAM
- Kitty Struther
- PATRICIA GARWOOD
- Roxanne Johnson
- NATASHA ESTELLE WILLIAMS
- Herr Ranke
- LEX van DELDEN
- Paul Curzon
- OWEN SCOTT
- Timothy Jordan
- ROBERT MORGAN
- Newsreader
- DEBBIE MIDDLETON
- Myrna
- FIONA WELBURN
- Conrad Tarling
- JACK KLAFF
- Frenchie Collins
- JUDITH SHARP
- DI Weaver
- JUDITH SCOTT
- DS Malahyde
- ISOBEL MIDDLETON
- Andrew Struther
- DANIEL DE LA FELAISE
- DS Slesar
- JAMES ALLEN
- DS Vine
- ROBIN KERMODE
- Daisy Panick
- PATSY BYRNE
- Robert Panick
- DAVID FOXXE
- Audrey Barker
- JOANNA SCANLON
- Mrs Peabody
- MARYANN TURNER
- Colum Tarling
- RUSSELL MABEY
- Chief Const Ryder
- NEIL McCAUL
- Stanley Trotter
- IAN BARTHOLOMEW
- Tanya Paine
- NATALIE WALTER
- Mr Mavrikiev
- ROBIN LERMITTE
- Clare Cox
- AMANDA BOXER
- Pamela Tarling
- IRIS RUSSELL
- Charles Tarling
- PETER HOWELL
- Pub Landlord
- JOHN FORGEHAM
- Pub Landlady
- JEAN WARREN
- Jefrey Godwin
- TREVOR BOWEN
- Newspaper Editor
- TREVOR RAY
- Desk Sergeant
- ROBIN FREEMAN
- Casting
- SUZIE BRUFFIN
LIZ VINCENT-FERNIE - Music
- BRIAN BENNETT
- Additional music
- RED ZEBRA
- Associate Producer
- PETER HIDER
- 1st Assitant Director
- DAVID MacDONALD
- Location Manager
- STEPHEN LAWRENCE
- Continuity
- ALISON BLACK
- Production Co-ordinator
- DAWN MORTIMER
- Production Accountant
- PETER HARVEY
- Costume Designer
- RITA ANGELL
- Make-Up
- TONI LEE
- Production Buyer
- GRAHAM CURTIS
- Art Director
- PAUL COWELL
- Camera Grip
- ALAN IMESON
- Gaffer
- JOHN DONOGHUE
- Sound Recordist
- MAURICE HILLIER
- Graphic Design
- JOHN HAMON
- Colourist
- WARREN EAGLES
- Dubbing Editor
- HOWARD EAVES
- Dubbing Mixer
- DAVE FALLON
- Camera Operator
- JOHN HARCOURT
- Production Designer
- CHRISTINE RUSCOE
- Film Editor
- CHRISTOPHER WENTZELL
- Director of Photography
- MARK PARTRIDGE
- Executive Producer
- GRAHAM BENSON
- Producer
- NEIL ZEIGER
- Directed by
- BRUCE MacDONALD
- A Blue Heaven Production for United Productions
- MERIDIAN BROADCASTING
Principle Characters
Road Rage
Stanley Trotter (Ian Bartholomew) - a sleazy local cab driver - is suspected of abducting and murdering a missing German student. When Trotter’s firm - Contemporary Cars - is ransacked by masked men on the same day Dora Wexford and four other people disappear, Inspector Burden becomes convinced that Trotter may be involved in a wider conspiracy.
Reg and Dora Wexford (Louie Ramsay) are celebrating the birth of their daughter Sheila’s first child. Dora sets out to visit her new granddaughter but never arrives at her destination. Wexford is horrified to discover that his wife has been kidnapped and is being held by Sacred Globe, a terrorist group opposed to the Kingsmarkham bypass.
Dora’s character soon shines through and she is able to hold the small band of captives together: Roxanne Johnson (Natasha Estelle Williams), a claustrophobic would-be model; Ryan Barker (Timothy Evans), an impressionable teenager, and the Struthers (Patricia Garwood and Nigel Pregram), a self-important couple.
The self-styled King of the Wood (Jack Klaff) is the imposing leader of an environmental protest group called Species. Wexford and Burden both question the King but are unable to discover his true identity or if he has any links to Sacred Globe. Wexford asks Detective Sergeant Damon Slesar (James Allen), an experienced undercover officer, to infiltrate Species. Slesar is able to uncover the King of the Wood’s identity but there are concerns that the detective has become too deeply involved with the environmental activists.
Background notes | Cast & crew »
Next Episode » Harm Done »