Well Schooled In Murder

Cast
Nathaniel Parker .... Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley
Sharon Small .... Detective Sgt. Barbara Havers
John Sessions .... John Corntel
Lise Stevenson .... Patsy Whateley
Curtis Woodruff .... Matthew Whateley
Paul Herzberg .... Barry Summers
Glyn Grimstead .... Mr. Whateley
June Watson .... Mrs. Havers
Anthony Mark Barrow .... Uniformed Officer
Alex Giannini .... Mike Canerone
Henry Cavill .... Chas Quilter
Bill Nighy .... Lockwood
Martin Jarvis .... Cowfrey Pitt
Samuel Barnett .... Brian Byrne
William Mannering .... Clive Pritchard
Joe Sowerbutts .... Harry Morant
Jonathan Timmins .... Arlens
Ben Inigo Jones .... Andrews
Alex McIntosh .... Uniformed Sergeant
Yvonne Riley .... Jeannie Bonnamy
Frederick Treves .... Colonel Bonnamy
Jennie Goossens .... Receptionist
Hilary Gish .... Emilia Bond
Helen Lymbery .... Lab Assistant
Jo Cameron Brown .... Matron
Daniel Singer .... Lab Technician

Directed by Robert Young
Written by Simon Block, based on a novel by Elizabeth George
First Broadcast on BBC One April 6, 2002

Plot

When the body of schoolboy Matthew Whateley is found in a churchyard Lynley and Havers go to Matthew's boarding school - Bredgar Hall - to investigate. The school is peopled with suspicious characters, both staff and pupils alike. One of the suspects is an friend from Lynley's own schooldays, housemaster John Corntell, who is a homosexual. The school bursar, Stephen Calfrey-Pitt, mysteriously has paid for the working class Matthew to attend the prestigious school, whilst two prefects Charles Quilter (the head boy) and Clive Pritchard (senior house prefect) are disarmingly smooth and helpful toward the investigation.

Bredgar Hall is a typical public school in that it has a rigidly defined system of hierarchy, together with the duty and loyalty that this engenders. Breaking into such a system in order to extract the truth is the biggest challenge that Lynley and Havers must face.

Eventually a web of bullying, blackmail, intimidation, and serious drug abuse soon emerges. When young pupil Harry Morant goes missing Lynley and Havers have little time to find the culprit before another boy could be murdered.

This is Lynley and Havers first assignment together since the pilot episode. The fact the investigation takes place amongst the cloistered and privileged atmosphere of a boys public school does allow for Barbara to make a few barbed comments and choice observations, however the class based tension between the pair is not especially predominant in this episode as it could have been.