The show ran for seven seasons from 1991 to 2006 with Dame Helen Mirren as the DS Jane Tennison. Prime Suspect took its cue from the novels by Lynda La Plante with the character of Tennison based on real-life Metropolitan Police detective Jackie Malton. The ITV crime drama saw Tennison rise through the rank of the police force as she had to battle sexism and prove herself.
In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, former Met Police detective Malton opened up about Dame Helen’s portrayal and whether she’d be happy to see another actress take on the role in a rebooted series.
ITV tried to revive the franchise with a prequel called Prime Suspect 1973 with a younger incarnation of Tennison played by rising star Stephanie Martini.
Sadly, the 2017 series failed to break new ground and later that year it was announced Prime Suspect 1973 wouldn’t be returning.
“I mean, they did return it, didn’t they? They did return it,” she said.
Malton continued: “No, I wouldn’t really. Because I think Prime Suspect was relevant to its day. I think it had a massive impact in its day.
“I think it has altered the history of TV and police drama but I think there’s also an appropriate time to say, ‘Thank you, we’ll leave it where it is’.”
She hailed the Hollywood A-lister for her portrayal and the “amazing amount” of research she’d done for the role.
The former police officer admitted that others had noticed the “characteristic similarities” between her and Dame Helen’s portrayal.
She explained: “The main thing is what the actor brings to it themselves – that’s the most important thing.
“Personally, I don’t think there would have been another actress better than Helen Mirren but that contributed to the character of Tennison.
“I think she was brilliant and I’ll be forever grateful to Lynda La Plante for giving me an opportunity to tell my story.”
She added: “The thing is, it’s a game-changer. It changed my life and opened up so many opportunities for me and that I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you at this stage in my life if it wasn’t for Prime Suspect.”
Malton is now fronting brand new true-crime series The Real Prime Suspect for channel CBS Reality, which premiered last night (September 3).
The 10-part show sees Malton going through some of the most infamous cases in British crime history including The Plumstead Ripper Robert Napper, The Anagram Serial Killer Peter Tobin and The Railway Killers John Duffy & David Mulcahy.
She will be revisiting the cases with the police officers, detectives and others who worked them firsthand.
Documentary series The Real Prime Suspect will see Malton looking at the case from catching the perpetrator to getting closure.
So how did she feel about become a TV present? “My initial reaction was, ‘Oh no, I’m far too old!’ Retired detective. I’m not too sure, etc, etc. But then they swayed me and said I had something to offer the process.
“I think, I’m in my late 60s and who gets an offer like this to do a tremendous look at 10 murders?
“I’m fascinated and although you leave the police, you always remain passionate about police investigations and it never leaves you.”
The Real Prime Suspect airs on Tuesdays at 10pm on CBS Reality (Freeview 66/Freesat 135/Sky Channel 146/Virgin 148)