Clink (TV series)

Clink is a British television drama series, created by Colin McKeown, which premiered on 5Star on 18 April 2019. The cast include Alicya Eyo, Katherine Rose Morley, Christine Tremarco, and Lu Corfield, and focuses on the lives of the staff and inmates of the fictional women's prison, BPS Bridewell. The series is produced by LA Productions, in association with Kew Media Group. McKeown serves as executive producer, while the writing team is headed by Sarah Deane.

Clink
Genre	Drama
Created by	Colin McKeown
Written by	Sarah Deane Karen Brown Tony Schumacher Vivienne Harvey Esther Wilson Rebecca Manley Helen Black
Directed by	Gary Williams Gillian Kearney Anya Camilleri Jodhi May
Starring	Alicya Eyo Katherine Rose Morley Christine Tremarco Florence Bell Louisa Hollway Lu Corfield
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Colin McKeown
Producer	Donna Molloy
Production locations	Huyton, Merseyside
Editor	Patrick Hall
Camera setup	Single-camera setup 4K UHD Digital
Running time	45 minutes
Production companies	LA Productions Kew Media Group
Distributor	Kew Media Distribution
Release
Original network	5Star
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Original release	18 April 2019 – present
External links
Website

The series went into development in late 2018, in which McKeown worked closely with the LA Productions team, in particular, Justine Potter and Donna Molloy, Head of Development and Head of Production, respectively. Filming took place from January to March 2019 in Huyton, Merseyside. Commissioned for a ten-episode first series, the show marks the first-ever original drama production commissioned for 5Star.

Premise

Set in the fictional BPS Bridewell women's prison, the series focuses on the emotional heart of a community of women who are thrown together and forced to confront their own realities and, in most cases, accept the consequences of the decisions which have brought them here. From the pregnant, scared Chloe and self-harmer, Laura, to the 'Prison Mother', Joyce, and self-styled queen of the block, Sherri, these girls are many things—drug users, robbers, some are killers, and most of them, survivors. Presiding over the women is new Governor Dominique Darby, herself thrust into a hidden world in tragic circumstances. It's her first governorship, but is she ready to cope with such a demanding job? With pressure mounting from above and below, Dominique will do battle not just with the board who appointed her, but the inmates she's charged with protecting.

Production

Development

In September 2018, it was announced that Channel 5 was moving forward with their plans to develop several scripted drama series. The project was initiated in request from Channel 5 Commissioning Executive Sebastian Cardwell followed by a ten-part series being commissioned for 5Star.[1]

Initially, KEW Media Group launched Clink in Cannes after signing a three-year drama co-production partnership deal with C5 in 2018.[2]

The series was designed to appeal to a younger audience, fitting the target demographic of 5Star rather than broadcasting it on the main channel. The series creator, Colin McKeown, producer at British indie company LA Productions, serves as executive producer of Clink.[3][4] The company is known for their BBC One drama series' including the long-running, Moving On, as well as their television films Reg and Care. Donna Molloy, Head of Production for LA Productions, serves as producer for the series.[4][5]

Head of Development, Justine Potter,[4] described that, being aided by charities, the people associated with the Liverpool-based drama were able to speak with former prisoner, ex-prison officers and governors, and managers of the mother-and-baby units prior to production to gather insight for character development within the series.[1]

Writing

The writing team is headed by showrunner and scriptwriter Sarah Deane of LA Productions,[4] while co-writers are predominantly women and include Karen Brown, Vivienne Harvey, Esther Wilson, Rebecca Manley and Helen Black.[6] British author and screenwriter, Tony Schumacher, the only male writer of the series, had written episode three.[7]

It was expected that the series would be compared to every other women's prison drama; however, it was never the intention to copy or imitated them.[8] Deane said that "we want to smash a few stereotypes".[8]

Filming

Pre-production of the series lasted ten months, and it took ten weeks to shoot the entire series from January to mid-March 2019.[1][9] The series was produced in-house and shot exclusively at 33 Signal Squadron Army Barracks in Huyton, Merseyside, using a Territorial Army barracks and nearby medical centre.[1][10]

It was shot on 4K using three Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro cameras, while a skycam was used for overhead shots.[9][11] The series was directed by Gary Williams, actresses Gillian Kearney[5] and Jodhi May, and Anya Camilleri, while Tim Pollard served as director of photography. Williams said that "I used to be a DP myself for many years, and I've always been impressed by the look and skin tones that you get out of the URSA Mini Pro. I find it responds very well to light. I've used it before on numerous documentary projects and felt it translated well to drama." And that "Its latitude came into its own shooting with Blackmagic RAW. It meant much more freedom on a shoot that involved a lot of confined spaces that were especially difficult to light. Knowing that all of that detail was in the frame, to begin with, meant we could lift that information out from the blacks or the highlights and put it back during post." Each episode took up to seven days to film and the post production process was overseen by Patrick Hall of LA Productions[4] and was edited at DaVinci Resolve Studio, while the visual effects were carried out at Fusion Studio.[12]

Casting

Alicya Eyo, having previously appeared in the ITV prison drama Bad Girls from 1999 to 2003 as prisoner Denny Blood, was cast in the leading role of deputy governor Dominique Darby.[13] Having worked with LA production in the past, Eyo has described it as a "very different" series with having similarities to Bad Girls. Of the series, she commented that "The fact that it's a new prison drama jumped out at me," adding that "It has a very different soul and stands alone as a show." The cast include Katherine Rose Morley of the BBC miniseries Thirteen, Lu Corfield, notable for her role in the Netflix series Sex Education, Christine Tremarco and Paul Broughton.[11][14]

Cast

Main

• Alicya Eyo as Acting wing Governor Dominique Darby
• Katherine Rose Morley as Chloe Anderson
• Christine Tremarco as Governing Governor Sinead Kovac
• Florence Bell as Laura McDermott
• Louisa Hollway as Sherri Simms
• Lu Corfield as Joyce Edevan
• Alexandra D'Sa as Amira Khan
• Paul Broughton as P.O. Brian Trent

Recurring

• Theo Graham as P.O. Caleb Williams
• Jane Hazlegrove as P.O. Janine Dolan
• Raffie Julien as Heather O'Reardon
• Trudie Goodwin as Wing Governor Alison Hayes
• Suzanne Packer as Dame Stella Regan
• Kerry Peers as Dr. Trish Wendell
• Dinita Gohli as Sami Gilani
• Natasha Jonas as Corinne Nelson
• Laura Morgan as Becky
• Lynn Kennedy as Kelso
• Teri Ann Bobb-Baxter as Idara Adoti
• Liz Hume-Daswson as Nanny Mags
• Caitlin Drabble as Inmate Jess
• Lindzi Germain as Inmate Bella
• Andrew Ellis as Lee McDermott
• Tina Malone as Elaine McDermott
• Kelli Hollis as Maggie Simms
• Liam Ainsworth as Paul Cheam
• Zora Bishop as Tanaz Barani
• Emma Bispham as Mary
• Pauline Jefferson as Theresa Trent

Guest

• Suzanne Collins as Mrs. Tranter
• Miles LaFrench as Jake Morton
• Mike Neary as Tony Watson
• Merrill Potts as Tania Moodie
• Neil Ashton as P.O. Hill
• Julia Haworth as Midwife Carla
• Emma Rydal as Sophie Matthews
• Sharon Byatt as Letitia May
• Steve Bell as P.O. Hughes
• Marie Crutchley as Caroline Walters
• Nicole Keri as Kesha Lascelles
• Eve Steele as Romi Martin
• Reanne Farley as Louise Cremorne
• John McArdle as Shark
• Zeb as Zeb The Dog
• Joyce Branagh as Leisa
• Simone Saunders as D.C. Thompson
• Mark Stobbart as Julian Flynn
• Shuna Snow as Judge Brinton
• Simone Sales as Niamh McGrady
• Jennifer Hennessy as P.O. Victoria Adams
• Neil Fitzmaurice as Baldwin Flowers
• Eleanor Cooke as Journalist

Broadcast

The series was broadcast on Thursday nights from April 2019[15] on 5Star at 9:00pm. It was available for VOD streaming on My5.

Despite being shot on 4K resolution,[9] the series is not available to view in that format, nor is it broadcast in 1080i HDTV. The series is screened in standard definition as a HD service is not yet available from 5Star.

Series

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (thousands)
1	1	"Home"[16]	Gary Williams	Sarah Deane	18 April 2019	301,000[17]
When the governor of BPS Bridewell suddenly suffers an aneurysm, deputy governor Dominique Darby, is offered the position, but is she ready to deal with such a demanding job? A naive new prisoner, the heavily pregnant, Chloe Anderson finds herself behind bars and struggles to cope with her new surroundings until she is taken under the wing of recidivist prisoner, Laura.
2	2	"Parole"[18]	Gary Williams	Karen Brown	25 April 2019	236,000[17]
Joyce becomes distraught as the thought of her impending parole hearing nears and to make matters worse, Idara is removed and placed in segragation. Dominique fails in her attempt to help Sherri with family issues. Laura's plans to have drugs smuggled into the prison go awry. Chloe comforts Laura at a difficult time.
3	3	"Cuts"[19]	Gary Williams	Tony Schumacher	2 May 2019	244,000[17]
Dominique makes another attempt at visiting Alison at the hospital. Sinead questions Dominique on an argument she had with Alison just before her accident. Amira reveals that she has been receiving letters from the mother of the woman she killed requesting to visit her. Caleb finishes his probation and is given some advice from an angry Brian on how to be a professional officer. Sherri continues to threaten Laura to have money and drugs smuggled in, while a desperate Laura is on the brink and searches for a way out.
4	4	"Cribs"[20]	Gillian Kearney	Vivienne Harvey	9 May 2019	217,000[17]
Following Laura's death, Dominique finds herself under fire from the department, while Laura's distraught brother, Lee, has a few unpleasant words for Dominique. Video footage disparaging the prison is leaked online. A new deaf prisoner, Heather O'Reardon, arrives. Chloe goes into labour and gives birth to a baby girl, whom she names Laura; her happiness is short-lived when social services come calling. Dominique's life is placed in danger when Lee makes a reckless decision.
5	5	"Contrition"[21]	Gillian Kearney	Esther Wilson	16 May 2019	260,000[17]
Dominique manages to talk Lee around and offers her support at a tragic time. Chloe returns to prison and holds Dominique responsible for her daughter being taken into care; on top of this, she provokes Sherri into an argument. Amira makes an unexpected revelation when the mother of the woman she killed comes to visit her. Brian is forced to attend to a family matter. Laura's mother, Elaine, reveals a few home truths to Dominique. A heartfelt memorial service is held in honour of Laura.
6	6	"Reform"[22]	Anya Camilleri	Sarah Deane	23 May 2019	217,000[17]
Alison awakes from her coma and Dominique finds herself under suspicion from both Sinead and Brian when Alison tries to remember what happened. Sherri finds a convenient way of dealing a lethal drug within the prison. Amira tries to convince Dominique that she could be innocent of her crime. Chloe frets at the possibility of her violent and recently bailed boyfriend, Paul, gaining custody of Baby Laura and insists the help of Lee to gather information from the outside. Sherri receives a long-awaited visit from her estranged sister, Maggie. Two ex-offenders return to Bridewell to teach the women how to go straight on the outside. Dominique comes up with a positive strategy by organising a boxing match to help the woman, which ultimately causes a severe backlash.
7	7	"Therapy"[23]	Anya Camilleri	Rebecca Manley & Sarah Deane	30 May 2019	149,000[17]
Sherri is diagnosed with possible PTSD due to past trauma and is given the opportunity to undergo Dog Therapy in order to improve her chances for parole; her sister, Maggie, is less than impressed, as she hopes for Sherri to remain inside. Chloe becomes distressed as the possibility of Paul gaining custody of Baby Laura grows closer. Dominique is no closer to revealing who the secret vlogger is. Heather is granted permission to give sign language classes. Sinead tries to get to the bottom of Brian's secretive behaviour. Dominique offers Sinead something she can't refuse. Dominique finally confronts Alison and advises her to tell the truth about what really happened on the night of the accident.
8	8	"Judgement"[24]	Jodhi May	Helen Black	6 June 2019	208,000[17]
Sinead is frustrated as Dominique and Alison hide the truth from her. A depressed Sherri receives another visit from Maggie. Amira delves deeper into any shed of evidence that could prove that she is innocent. Joyce is overwhelmed when she receives an unexpected message from Idara. Brian continues to have personal problems, however, when he is questioned over Laura's death during an investigation, his problems begin to escalate. Chloe's trial is a success and she is released; having nowhere to go, she is forced to return to her life with Paul. Things eventually take a devastating turn for Chloe.
9	9	"Changes"[25]	Jodhi May	Esther Wilson	13 June 2019	199,000[17]
Chloe faces the consequences following Paul's murder and finds herself sharing a cell with a sympathetic Sherri when she is re-admitted to Bridewell. Alison's memory returns and she tells Sinead that she is suffering from Huntington's disease and that Dominique did not attack her. Elaine feigns sympathy for Chloe as a means to have drugs smuggled into the prison. Sherri tells Maggie that she wants nothing more to with her, while Dominique confronts Maggie about her drug connections with the prison and issues her with a warning; however, Maggie reveals that Sherri was Dominique's sister's dealer, which subsequently caused her death. Brian receives word that his mother has died.
10	10	"Endgame"[26]	Gary Williams	Sarah Deane	20 June 2019	163,000[17]
Following the death of his mother, Brian quickly descends down a self-destructive path. Dominique frets during a sudden prison inspection. Chloe receives support from those around her, including Elaine McDermott, while Caleb gives her special permission to visit her friends at McKeown House; Sherri desperately tries to protect Chloe from the drug pushers on the wing. Has the secret vlogger been exposed? Alison flees the hospital and returns to Bridewell. Dominique tries to talk a desperate Brian down from the roof, but has his actions proven fatal for both of them?

Reception

Critical reception

The series has received mixed reviews from critics and viewers alike. In an unfavourable review for Auto Straddle, a website exclusively aimed at lesbian and bisexual women, it was stated that "Clink hopes to step into the women's prison drama gap left by Wentworth and OITNB". It went on to mention that "Whether Clink can make it that long is another matter though, with dialogue that's 95% cliché and exposition that's clunkier than a lock in a sock to the head." "Sadly, though, Clink's first episode lacks any distinction of its own, yet neither does it have the operatic melodrama of Wentworth, the campiness of Bad Girls or the nuance and quality of OITNB".[27] In a positive review for the Liverpool Echo, Pete Price said that "City-made TV prison drama is ex-CELL-ent!" of creator and executive producer, Colin McKeown, Price mentioned that "he's [McKeown] created a series which bears all the hallmarks of an LA production—rawness, energy, humanity and truth." [10]

Ratings

No.	Title	Air date	Weekly ratings		Consolidated ratings		Total viewers	Ref(s)
			Viewers	Rank[15]	Viewers	Rank[15]
1	"Home"	18 April 2019	265,000	6	36,000	6	301,000	[17]
2	"Patrol"	25 April 2019	197,000	6	39,000	6	236,000	[17]
3	"Cuts"	2 May 2019	232,000	8	12,000	8	244,000	[17]
4	"Cribs"	9 May 2019	197,000	12	20,000	11	217,000	[17]
5	"Contrition"	16 May 2019	236,000	7	24,000	7	260,000	[17]
6	"Reform"	23 May 2019	185,000	7	32,000	7	217,000	[17]
7	"Therapy"	30 May 2019	144,000	12	5,000	11	149,000	[17]
8	"Judgement"	6 June 1019	195,000	8	13,000	8	208,000	[17]
9	"Changes"	13 June 2019	188,000	10	11,000	10	199,000	[17]
10	"Endgame"	20 June 2019	158,000	9	6,000	9	163,000	[17]

Promotional media

Influential, a public relations and digital marketing agency launched a social media campaign to promote the series through its ten-week broadcast on 5Star in efforts to encourage viewers to watch the series live or on catch-up. Influential worked alongside 5Star's PR team by arranging exclusive interviews with cast and crew, and their key media targets which included national and trade journalists, and a feature on Radio City Talk.[28] The focus was to target local media as the series was filmed in Liverpool and chats were also conducted with production members, script writers and other members of the LA Productions' team, which their campaign stretched to Liverpool City Council and local transport. Their reporting post-campaign for PR highlights an estimated half a million people were reached by our press relations team, including coverage in the Express, the Daily Star and Digital Spy among others.

Their digital team mapped out a social media strategy, including live coverage of the launch event, video interviews and other pre-promotional content, episode teasers, GIFs, 'behind-the-scenes content' and follow-up posts to coincide with the end of each episode, to drive further engagement and conversation from fans and cast alike. The campaign content gained 600,000 impressions on social media, and 30,000 engagements on the LA Productions social channels. They set up social listening feeds to monitor for conversations around the series, posting responses and further content to connect fans of the show to the LA Productions social media channels. By using the popularity of the series they were able to increase brand awareness and build their online audience organically. This saw us gain an extra 1,000 new followers for the LA Productions social channels during the course of the show's campaign.[29]

Home media

Clink: Series One appeared for pre-order in April 2019, and was intended for DVD release via Spirit Entertainment on 2 September 2019, as listed on Amazon.co.uk. The proposed set was then pushed back until 14 October 2019; however, it has since been removed from the service, and it is unknown if or when it will become available through Amazon.[30][31] it has also been removed from HMV's website,[32] as well as eBay, and all other online stores where it had been listed for pre-order.

Streaming

In November 2019, Clink was made available to stream in the United Kingdom as part of Amazon Prime Video; however, it has since expired on the service due to licensing rights.[33]

See also

Women's prison drama series' with a similar premise:

• Within These Walls (1974−1978)
• Prisoner (Prisoner: Cell Block H; 1979–1986)
• Bad Girls (1999−2006)
• Wentworth (2013–present)
• Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019)

References

1. Solazzo, Carole (12 April 2019). "RTS North West celebrate new 5Star drama with an RTS screening". Rts.org.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
2. "Hot Picks: Clink". Broadcastnow.co.uk. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
3. Munn, Patrick (19 September 2018). "Channel 5 Continues Drama Push With 'Clink', '15 Days' & Feature-Length Murder Mystery". tvwise.co.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
4. "Our Team". LA Productions. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
5. "LA Productions new drama Clink set for April airdate". Entirely Northwest. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
6. "Helen Black episode of 5Star series CLINK will TX Thursday 6th June at 9pm". Rochelle Stevens & Co. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
7. "Clink Screening and Q&A". rts.org.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
8. Mitchell, Molli (19 April 2019). "Clink on Channel 5: What is Clink about? Is Clink based on a true story?". Daily Express. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
9. "LA PRODUCTIONS' NEW DRAMA 'CLINK' SET FOR APRIL AIRDATE". The Guide Liverpool. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
10. Pete, Price (2 May 2019). "City-made TV prison drama is ex-CELL-ent!". Prolific North. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
11. Stephen, Chapman (11 April 2019). "LA Productions behind new prison drama on 5STAR". Prolific North. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
12. "News: Blackmagic RAW Format Used on New Channel 5 Drama "Clink"". Creativecow.net. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
13. Lindsay, Duncan (10 April 2019). "Denny from Bad Girls is going to be in the UK's new gritty prison drama". Metro. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
14. Jeffery, Morgan (18 April 2019). "Bad Girls star Alicya Eyo says her new prison drama Clink is different, but just as groundbreaking". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
15. "LA Productions toasts 'incredible' 2019". theguideliverpool.com. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
16. "Series 1 – Episode 1 Home". Radio Times. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
17. "Four-sceeen dashboard". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
18. "Series 1 – Episode 2 Parole". Radio Times. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
19. "Series 1 – Episode 3 Cuts". Radio Times. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
20. "Series 1 – Episode 4 Cribs". Radio Times. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
21. "Series 1 – Episode 5 Contrition". Radio Times. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
22. "Series 1 – Episode 6 Reform". Radio Times. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
23. "Series 1 – Episode 7 Therapy". Radio Times. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
24. "Series 1 – Episode 8 Judgement". Radio Times. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
25. "Series 1 – Episode 9 Changes". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
26. "Series 1 – Episode 10 Endgame". Radio Times. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
27. ""Clink" Hopes to Step Into the Women's Prison Drama Gap Left by "Wentworth" and "OITNB"". Auto Straddle. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
28. "LA Productions Discuss New TV Drama 'Clink'". Youtube.com. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
29. "Influential reaches 1m people with campaign for Channel 5 drama CLINK". thisisinfluential.com. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
30. "Clink: Series 1 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
31. "Clink: Series One DVD". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
32. "Clink: Series One: DVD". Store.hmv.com. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
33. "Clink (Season 1)". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Clink at IMDb
• Clink on Twitter
• Clink on Facebook