Pressroom

MASTERPIECE CONTEMPORARY
“COLLISION”
NOVEMBER 15 AT 9 PM
EIGHT/KAET-TV

– Fate Entangles the Lives of 10 Strangers in a Multi-Vehicle Crash –

At 5:57 on a Friday afternoon, a car suddenly swerves on a superhighway leading into London. In the resulting pileup, fate entangles the lives of a remarkable group of strangers whose loves, intrigues, crimes and secrets test the skill of a dedicated team of police investigators. Masterpiece Contemporary presents a tense and suspenseful story about the hidden drama that lurks inside a random group of vehicles in “Collision.” The two-part drama airs Sundays,
Nov. 15 and 22, 2009 at 9 p.m. on Eight/KAET. David Tennant hosts.

Smuggling, murder and international conspiracy are just some of the pieces in the jigsaw puzzle that emerges from the wreckage — along with injustice, betrayal and dashed hopes, plus a surprising twist that shows how a trivial incident can snowball into disaster.

Written by Anthony Horowitz, creator of Masterpiece’s acclaimed “Foyle’s War,” “Collision” stars Douglas Henshall (“Primeval”) as Detective Inspector John Tolin, who’s called in to make sense of what happened in a six-vehicle collision that leaves two dead, others severely injured and one driver mysteriously missing. Tolin’s obsession with the case is fueled by a personal tragedy: the death of his wife and the crippling of his daughter in a road accident a year earlier.

Coincidentally, Tolin is paired with his estranged former lover, Senior Investigating Officer Ann Stallwood (Kate Ashfield, “Poirot”). The two must overcome their troubled love affair and get to the bottom of what happened on England’s A12 expressway and why. Above all, they must confront allegations that police misconduct led to the smash-up.

Taking mere seconds, the accident starts when Sidney Norris (David Bamber, Valkyrie) inexplicably veers into the adjacent lane, causing Karen Donnelly (Claire Rushbrook, “Doctor Who”) to crash into him. Norris is a piano teacher with a secret fetish that he hides from all except a close friend. Donnelly is on her way to a rendezvous with a journalist to deliver a purloined corporate document that contains explosive implications.

Immediately behind, a furniture van driven by Danny Rampton (Dean Lennox Kelly, “Cranford”) brakes and skids into the two cars, leaving the ground and vaulting into the oncoming lanes. Having just picked up a mysterious contraband cargo in Holland, Rampton flees the scene as soon as he comes to, before emergency responders can interview him.

Meanwhile, a chauffeur-driven car carrying wealthy property developer Richard Reeves (Paul McGann, “Our Mutual Friend”) plows into Norris’ and Donnelly’s cars, followed by Brian Edwards (Phil Davis, “Bleak House”) in a station wagon, with his mother-in-law (Sylvia Syms, The Queen) in the passenger seat.

On the other side of the road, Gareth Clay (Anwar Lynch) is speeding at 83 mph with his fiancée, Alice Jackson (Lenora Crichlow), when he notices a pursuing police car in the rear-view mirror. Distracted, he misses the unfolding accident ahead and smashes into Danny’s upended van. The police car screeches to a halt, barely avoiding the mayhem.

With blood and adrenaline flowing, the action has only just begun. The search for Rampton will turn up a horrific scheme. Donnelly will find herself trapped in a nightmare of intrigue. Reeves will pursue an ill-advised romance with one of his rescuers. Edwards will be investigated for murder. Clay will face scrutiny over his actions in the split second before the crash. And Tolin and Stallwood will have their wits — and relationship — tested in ways they never could have imagined.

About Eight/KAET-TV
Eight, Arizona PBS specializes in the education of children, in-depth news and public affairs, lifelong learning, and the celebration of arts and culture — utilizing the power of noncommercial television, the Internet, educational outreach services, and community-based initiatives. The PBS station began broadcasting from the campus of Arizona State University on January 30, 1961. Now more than 80 percent of Arizonans receive the signal through a network of translators, cable and satellite systems. With more than 1.3 million viewers each week, Eight consistently ranks among the most-viewed public television stations per capita in the country. Arizonans provide more than 60 percent of the station’s annual budget. For more information, visit www.azpbs.org.

Eight is a member-supported service of Arizona State University.