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The Whistleblower
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(Article taken from Scottish Daily Record and Sunday, 2001)
AMANDA BURTON and Neil Pearson are two of the best-known faces on British television, but they quickly found out what it is like to be completely anonymous in a tough new TV drama. The pair star in The Whistle Blower on BBC 1 on Saturday as a husband and wife who fall foul of evil drug barons. Amanda plays Laura Tracey, a woman who has worked at the City Bank for 15 years and discovers a major drugs smuggling operation. She decides to blow the whistle on the scam and her brave actions put her family in grave danger. Laura and her husband Dominic, played by Neil, are forced to flee their home with their two children - Sasha (Charlotte Salt) and Daniel (Liam Hess). They are given new identities and placed under a witness protection scheme in a bid to prevent drug bosses from dishing out their own brand of violent retribution. The thriller was written by Patrick Harbinson, who wrote and produced ER, the hit Channel Four medical drama. Amanda and Neil were given an insight into what real-life witnesses have to go through to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. "I had to dye my hair blonde for the part - so I finally got to discover whether blondes really do have more fun," said Amanda. "Although the drama is very realistic, it was fun to make and there are really dramatic, fast-moving scenes. "Laura is forced to run away from her life ... and she has to carry on running through the whole story. "In one scene, a lorry deliberately pushes Laura's family car into busy traffic. "It was meant to just nudge our vehicle, but the driver got carried away and hammered into the back of us. "Neil said: "I have no idea how I would cope with such a situation in reality. Hopefully I will never need to know. "I prefer it when I'm not recognised off screen, and I've had a pretty good ride by and large. "I'm also quite comfortable with my own company - but that's not the same as being stripped of your life halfway through it." In the drama, the Traceys reluctantly leave the comfort of their home andrelocate in the North of England for their safety. Two police officers - DI Neil Sleightholme (Bill Patterson) and his protection unit colleague Kathy Enfield (Emma Cunniffe) - are assigned to look after them. But as the story unfolds, Laura's own motives are called into question. Then, as the drug dealers close in, her marriage begins to fall apart. Amanda said: "It turns out Laura is a woman with a bit of a past. It made her very appealing to play because you can't pin her down. "She weaves her web through all the people she is connected with. Even her husband doesn't know her story. "I was quite shocked as the script unravelled, for she is not squeaky clean." Writer Partick Harbinson went to great lengths to ensure that his story isboth credible and highly realistic. During his research he attempted to infiltrate the world of Britain's real-life witness protection teams, but it proved fruitless. He also asked some friends who work in financial institutions in the City of London if such a massive crime was possible. Patrick said: "We did try to talk to the guys from the police protection unit, but they very politely stonewalled us. "However, I did get a couple of merchant bankers to read the script. They fully accepted that such a crime was possible. "Then, during the first read-through with Amanda, Neil and the rest of the cast, life imitated art. "I read a story in the Press about Russian criminals laundering money through the London offices of a big New York bank. "And I heard a US investigator complaining bitterly on the radio news that the City of London has become the money-laundering capital of the world. "So our drama seemed right on the mark." The role of Laura Tracey marks a change of TV direction for Amanda, who is still best known as a pathologist in Silent Witness. Recently, she completed a nature documentary for the BBC about bear cubs. She said: "I don't believe in doing the same thing over and over. It's nice to have a bit of a change."
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