The Sins

Summary

The Sins is a BBC television series that aired from 24 October 2000 until 5 December 2000.[1] The series centres on Len Green (Pete Postlethwaite), a former bank robber and getaway driver, who has retired from the criminal life and joined the undertakers run by his uncle (Frank Finlay). However, his resolve to stay out of the criminal world is tested by temptations based on the seven deadly sins. The series was directed by David Yates, Sallie Aprahamian and Simon Curtis, and was written solely by William Ivory. The complete series was released on DVD on 28 March 2011.[2]

The Sins
GenreCrime drama
Written by
Directed by
  • David Yates
  • Sallie Aphramain
  • Simon Curtis
Starring
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
Original language
  • English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes7 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer
  • Jane Tranter
ProducerLiza Marshall
Production location
  • United Kingdom
Running time50 minutes
Production companyBBC Productions
Original release
Network
Release24 October (2000-10-24) –
5 December 2000 (2000-12-05)

Plot edit

Len Green (Pete Postlethwaite) is a bank robber. During his long career as a getaway driver, he has served many sentences and spent a fair proportion of his life behind bars. Now middle-aged, with a very expensive house, bought with the proceeds of the robberies, and an attractive wife, Gloria (Geraldine James) and five daughters, four of whom are grown up – Faith (Claire Rushbrook), Hope (Kaye Wragg), Chastity (Laura Rogers), Charity (Caroline Hayes) and Dolores (Billie Cook) (the only one who is still a child) – to whom he is devoted, he resolves to change his lifestyle and "go straight". But having joined his Uncle Irwin (Frank Finlay) in the family firm of undertakers, he is faced with many temptations, in the form of the seven deadly sins, which test his resolve to stay out of trouble. Len's friends ask him to help out with one last robbery. His wife, who can't accept that she will no longer have a steady income, steals a priceless necklace, which Len vows to return. And after so many years in prison, Len asks himself the questions: does his wife still love him? And can he still satisfy her in bed?[3]

Awards edit

Producer Liza Marshall won a Royal Television Society Award for Best Newcomer in 2001, and Ivory an Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Miniseries in 2002.[4] In the 2001 BAFTAs, the series was nominated for Best Actor (Postlethwaite), Best Actress (James)[5] and Best Drama Series (Marshall and Ivory), but won none of these categories.

Cast edit

Episodes edit

No.TitleDirected byWritten byBritish air dateUK viewers
(million)[6]
1"Pride"Simon CurtisWilliam Ivory24 October 2000 (2000-10-24)7.10m
Len Green is released from prison, determined to change his life around and go straight.
2"Covetousness"Sallie AphramainWilliam Ivory31 October 2000 (2000-10-31)N/A
Len sets his eye on a rival's hearse, and is forced to fight temptation to steal it.
3"Lust"David YatesWilliam Ivory7 November 2000 (2000-11-07)N/A
Len begins to feel as if he has been emasculated.
4"Envy"David YatesWilliam Ivory14 November 2000 (2000-11-14)N/A
Charity becomes jealous of Len's relationship with Carl.
5"Greed"David YatesWilliam Ivory21 November 2000 (2000-11-21)N/A
Len's improvements at the funeral parlour begin to spiral out of control.
6"Anger"Sallie AphramainWilliam Ivory28 November 2000 (2000-11-28)N/A
Len is furious after discovering that Gloria had a one-night stand with Mickey.
7"Sloth"Sallie AphramainWilliam Ivory5 December 2000 (2000-12-05)N/A
Len receives an unexpected shock which forces him to take urgent action.

References edit

  1. ^ "The Sins (TV Mini Series 2000) - IMDb". IMDb.
  2. ^ "The Sins". Amazon UK. 28 March 2011.
  3. ^ "BBC One - the Sins - Episode guide".
  4. ^ "EDGAR ALLAN POE AWARD BEST TV FEATURE OR MINISERIES | Cozy Mystery List".
  5. ^ "BAFTA Awards Search | BAFTA Awards".
  6. ^ "Broadcasters Audience Research Board". BARB. Retrieved 3 May 2022.

External links edit