Editing Edge of Darkness (section)

{{Short description|British television drama serial}}
{{about|the television drama|the remake|Edge of Darkness (2010 film)|other uses|Edge of Darkness (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox television
| image          = Edge of Darkness.png
| genre          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Drama]]
* [[Political thriller]]
* [[Science fiction]]
}}
| director       = [[Martin Campbell]]
| writer         = [[Troy Kennedy Martin]]
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Bob Peck]]
* [[Joanne Whalley]]
* [[Joe Don Baker]]
* [[Charles Kay]]
* [[Ian McNeice]]
}}
| composer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Michael Kamen]]
* [[Eric Clapton]]
}}
| country        = United Kingdom
| language       = English
| num_episodes   = 6
| producer       = [[Michael Wearing]]
| cinematography = Andrew Dunn
| camera         = [[Single camera setup|Single-camera]]
| runtime        = c. 50-minute episodes
| network        = [[BBC Two|BBC2]]
| first_aired    = {{Start date|1985|11|4|df=yes}}
| last_aired     = {{End date|1985|12|9|df=yes}}
}}
'''''Edge of Darkness''''' is a [[British television]] [[drama]] [[Serial (radio and television)|serial]] produced by [[BBC Television]] in association with Lionheart Television International and originally broadcast in six 50 to 55-minute episodes in late 1985.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090424/|title = Edge of Darkness|website = [[IMDb]]|date = 4 August 1986}}</ref> A mixture of [[crime fiction|crime drama]] and [[political drama|political]] [[Thriller (genre)|thriller]], it revolves around the efforts of widowed policeman Ronald Craven (played by [[Bob Peck]]) to unravel the truth behind the murder of his daughter Emma (played by [[Joanne Whalley]]). Craven's investigations soon lead him into a murky world of government and corporate cover-ups and nuclear espionage, pitting him against dark forces that threaten the future of life on Earth.

Writer [[Troy Kennedy Martin]] was greatly influenced by the political climate of the time, dominated by the [[Premiership of Margaret Thatcher|Thatcher government]], and the aura of secrecy surrounding the [[nuclear power|nuclear industry]] – and by the implications of the [[Gaia hypothesis]] of environmentalist [[James Lovelock]]; these combined to him writing a thriller that mingled real world concerns with mythic and mystical elements. Kennedy Martin's original ending was more fantastic than that eventually used in the finished serial: he had proposed that Craven would turn into a tree but this was vetoed by members of the cast and crew.

First broadcast on [[BBC Two|BBC2]], ''Edge of Darkness'' was met with such widespread critical acclaim that within days it had earned a repeat on [[BBC One|BBC1]]. Winner of several prestigious awards, it remains highly regarded, often cited as [[BFI TV 100|one of the best]] and most influential pieces of British television drama. The series' director, [[Martin Campbell]], filmed a [[Edge of Darkness (2010 film)|remake]], released in January 2010, starring [[Mel Gibson]] and set in the United States.