Jute City – Nostalgia Central

1 9 9 1 (UK)
3 x 60 minute episodes

Filmed in Dundee (the ‘Jute City’ of the title), this three-part BBC thriller, melding environmental conspiracies, local government corruption, freemasonry, black humour and impenetrable Scottish accents, opens dramatically with the violent kidnapping of a local MP, accidentally witnessed by an Eastern European sailor named Grigory (Ion Caramitru), who is out for a walk.

The story then cuts to Duncan Kerr (David O’Hara), returning to Dundee after a long time away for the wedding of his brother, Sammy (Douglas Henshall) – a freemason who is clearly well connected, with a hand in lots of secret business and property deals.

Duncan is the worst Best Man in the world, as he lets his brother drive off drunk after his stag night, where he meets with a nasty accident at the docks.

Sammy’s bride-to-be, Caroline (Joanna Roth), receives the bad news on the morning of her wedding day.

Duncan isn’t so sure that Sammy’s death was an accident and recruits an eccentric private investigator named McMurdo (John Sessions).

Fish (real name, Derek Dick) from Marillion plays a heavy named Ferguson, but the true villains of the piece are Lord and Lady Muircross (Alan Howard and Phyllis Calvert), the aristocratic masterminds behind the city’s corruption.

The sailor Grigory acts throughout as a loose thread that threatens to unravel the entire cover-up behind the devious dumping of toxic waste.

Everything gets a bit silly in the final episode, with all the conspirators turning up with very big guns, and shooting at our hero. Caroline – who has, over the three episodes, become Duncan’s lover – gets shot offscreen during this shoot-out, thus giving our hero additional motivation for the final act.

The excellent soundtrack from Dave Stewart of Eurythmics was released as a single and LP.

Duncan Kerr
David O’Hara
Caroline
Joanna Roth
Anderson
Clive Russell
Elliott
John McGlynn
McMurdo
John Sessions
Grigory
Ion Caramitru
Mallet
Peter Mullan
Sammy Kerr
Douglas Henshall
Lady Muircross
Phyllis Calvert
Deans
Billy Riddoch
Galbraith
Billy McElhaney
Lord Muircross
Alan Howard
Iain’s Wife
Julia Lane
Detective Greer
Stuart Hepburn
Tom
James Grant
Iain
Jimmy Chisholm
Niki
Isay Alvarez
Finetti
Vittorio Amandola
Captain
Lucian Iancu
Gabby
Jenny McCrindle
Ferguson
Fish (Derek Dick)
Tierney
Billy McColl