Winter (2026) s01e01 Episode Script

1
I am happy ♪
I can't just turn around ♪
Leave the world upside down ♪
I'll never forget my truth ♪
It's crazy how ♪
I am happy ♪
Lately ♪
I am happy ♪
Lately ♪
HE GRUNTS
BREATHES HEAVILY
MAN SCREAMS
Believe me ♪
My thoughts are creepy ♪
But I let them all ♪
Come through ♪
Yeah, it shakes me ♪
Believe me ♪
My thoughts are creepy ♪
I let them all ♪
Come through ♪
For you
For you. ♪
KEYS CLINK
Surprise.
What are you doing here?
Still leaving gruesome photos
of dead bodies laying around.
It's my job.
Are you not pleased to see me?
I mean, you turn up out of the blue
and expect me to roll out
the red carpet.
No need to be touchy.
I'm back, aren't I?
I can't live like this, Simone.
It's exhausting.
DISTANT SIREN WAILS
Of course I'm pleased to see you.
But are you staying?
Come here.
HE EXHALES
ALARM RINGS
Hi.
MAN ON PHONE: 'All right?
It's Daldry. We've found a body.
'Quite unusual, this one.
We could do with your help.'
Yep, I'm on my way.
Julie Knight, 23, from Reading.
Works at a women's refuge.
Sister said she was travelling
to Bristol three days ago
and she never arrived.
Who found her?
A truck driver
when he was unloading a delivery.
No idea how long she's been in here,
but he picked up the load
four days ago.
Still haven't met
your new inspector.
You said she was a bit frosty.
I I never said that, boss.
I misunderstood.
He was obviously talking
about the victim.
Dr Ethan Winter.
Detective Inspector Bell.
Shall we?
So, the body is completely frozen.
No sign of trauma or asphyxiation.
No foaming at the nose and mouth.
No unusual colouring.
Any sign of sexual assault or?
I can't examine her
cos she's frozen.
Can you not at least determine
time of death?
Not yet, but come to the lab later.
I'm afraid we'll have to wait
until she's thawed out a bit.
Sorry.
Well, thanks for your help.
Any time, Inspector.
He's annoying.
What are we looking at?
Victim was murdered and then dumped
in the nearest lorry afterwards?
Yeah, quite possibly.
The driver a suspect?
What kind of killer
would phone the police
with the victim in the back
of his truck at the warehouse?
Yeah, OK. Let's get a team together
and start a detailed search
of the area.
HE SIGHS
Hey. They found a girl's body
frozen in a lorry.
Dr Winter's in there now Oi!
doing his chat to the dead.
Oh, no cause of death? No.
Total mystery. Could be anything.
LIGHTS THUD
You can blame me ♪
Try to shame me ♪
And still, I'll care for you ♪
Hello, Julie.
You can run around ♪
I'm Dr Winter.
Even put me down ♪
Case number B279,
primary assessment.
Julie Knight, female, 23.
5'9". Weight 11 stone.
Body frozen solid. The world
May think I'm foolish ♪
Kidney transplant.
They can't see you ♪
You're quite young
to have had one of those.
Like I can ♪
WOMAN GASPS
Oh, but anyone. ♪
Bilateral linear pressure marks
over the shoulders
consistent with a rucksack.
Makes sense if you were travelling
to visit your sister.
Blisters on left heel
and right fifth toe.
Your shoes didn't fit properly,
did they?
Finger marks.
That must have hurt.
WOMAN SCREAMS: Let go of me!
Did you scratch your attacker?
MAN SCREAMS
Let's see if we can ID them.
Fly eggs.
So you must have been dead before
they put you in the freezer lorry.
Hair length, 9.57 inches.
Wood anemone.
So you were in woodland.
WOMAN ON RECORDING: 'Hey, Cynth.
'I've got a couple of rides
from that app,
'so I'll be in Bristol by four-ish.
'I'll call you when I get there.
Bye!'
But she never arrived.
The app your sister mentioned
Car sharing.
She didn't own a car.
Very environmentally minded.
I worried about her.
Her health wasn't great.
But she was so
free-spirited.
She told me I was too cynical,
that she would be fine.
SOBBING: But she was wrong.
The world is an awful place.
My little sister.
Chilly. 12 degrees.
We have to defrost her slowly.
Police are on their way.
Which one of you two
is doing the postmortem?
I am.
DI BELL: I've heard
this is quite the place.
We call it The Pool.
Well, it used to be a swimming pool.
Shame it's now full of dead people.
Oh, that reminds me eucalyptus?
For the smell.
Does it not bother you?
Not really.
Oh! Oh, damn it. Oh, damn it.
Sorry.
HE BLOWS NOSE
Sorry it's so cold in here.
We had to defrost at a constant
temperature to avoid decomposition.
The smell can be quite bad.
You're not squeamish
with blood or anything,
are you, like our friend Ellis here?
What? I'm fine with it.
I've been to a postmortem before.
Good.
So, postmortem report
on Julie Knight, 23.
Body has been defrosted
at a constant 12 degrees.
The water's been retained
for further examination.
Er, what about cause of death?
We will get to the cause of death
when we've done the postmortem.
So, now that she's defrosted,
Jamila, over to you.
JAMILA: Organs appear normal.
No trauma or damage.
Heart?
Normal anatomic configuration.
Pulmonary oedema
with haemorrhagic spots.
Eddie, can you prepare a vial
for the gastric fluids, please?
Opening the stomach now.
What's that smell?
Has that always been there?
No, it was after defrosting.
What do you think?
Describe it to me.
SHAKILY: Erm
It's, er, like
bitter almond.
Cyanide.
SHOUTS: Everybody, out. Out now!
EDDIE: Out now, please.
Inspector, out now, please.
JAMILA PANTS
JAMILA GASPING
You're all right.
Just breathe. It's OK.
Yeah. Look at me.
You're gonna be OK. There you go.
So, I'm going to need to keep you
under observation for a few hours.
And then come back to work?
No, Jamila.
Then you go home
and you watch TV for two days.
Two days?! What? Minimum.
Do you understand
what your body's just been through?
Don't worry.
Eddie'll take care of you.
You both OK?
Was it cyanide that killed Julie?
Yep.
She had a fatal dose
of potassium cyanide inside her.
Mixed with gastric acid,
it was like a chemical weapon.
That's what Jamila just inhaled.
How was it administered?
I'd say orally.
That quantity would kill you
in ten to 15 minutes.
Can't even begin to imagine the
suffering she would've gone through.
When?
There were no signs of digestion,
and from the larvae present,
I'd say she was dead for between 12
and 24 hours before she was frozen.
But she disappeared three days ago.
Wait.
So, let me get this straight.
A woman is attacked
but not sexually assaulted,
missing for three days,
poisoned with cyanide
and dumped in a freezer lorry
for no apparent reason?
I better get back upstairs.
MACHINE BEEPS
HE EXHALES
I think that's as far
as we can go for now, Julie.
Unless there's anything else
you want to tell me?
Oh.
Well, that's not yours, is it?
This is Dr Winter.
I need a DNA extraction
from a hair with a bulb.
WOMAN ON SPEAKER: 'Yes, no problem.'
Thank you.
KNOCKING
We've got a match for the blood
from under her nails.
He's got quite the record.
Thanks, Eddie,
I'll inform the police.
My saviour, the one ♪
That I've always wanted. ♪
Sorry, took ages.
He was insisting I pay
on my bloody phone.
How old is that, Ellis?
Are you even able to pay with it?
Oh, God, no.
Wouldn't have a clue how to do that.
Luckily, I still carry cash.
Cheers. Yeah, cheers.
Anyway, it's only taken me
about a month
to get you out for a drink,
but here we are.
Better late than never.
You, er, came down from the Met,
is that right?
What prompted the move from London?
Long story.
Er, didn't get on with the super.
This job came up.
And the shadow of my dad is long
at the Met.
He was
Chief Inspector Gordon Bell.
Scourge of organised crime.
A proper legend.
I guess I can't hide from him
wherever I am.
You know, I really wanted to keep
my surname when I got married,
but it has its downsides.
Well, I think it's pretty clear
you're doing your own thing.
Oh, really?
And what do our team make of me?
Well, they they think you're
fair-minded, diligent. Bit frosty.
SIGHS I swear I never said that.
I I actually said
you were pretty cool.
All right,
he was just winding you up.
Have you known him long?
Define "known".
'I mean, I only met him
when he became head of the unit.
'We've worked together a few years,
'and he's by far the best
pathologist I've ever worked with.
'He can read a body
like other people read a book.'
But I can't say I know anything
about his private life, though.
Never even seen him outside of work.
'But he can be very charming.'
Is that right?
It'd be good for him to work with
someone who's immune to his charms.
HE CHUCKLES
Sorry, am I late?
No, you're good.
Haven't served up yet.
You would have been proud of me.
I went to the pub with a colleague.
Oh.
Got invited to a poker game.
Should have gone.
You'd fleece them blind.
SHE SCOFFS
Don't be silly.
You've been in Bristol over a month,
and you've done zero socialising.
You need to make some friends.
These yours?
No. Where are they from?
That hotel you stayed at
last week in Cheltenham.
There's a note here saying
they found them in the room.
Must be a mistake.
SHE SIGHS
Hi. Hi.
Cheers. Cheers.
GLASSES CLINK
INDISTINCT SHOUTING, SHE SIGHS
OVERLAPPING SHOUTING
What is going on? Stop it!
She took my charger again.
I was borrowing it, you baby.
Ruby.
RUBY SIGHS
Hey, how was school?
DOOR SLAMS
I hate it. As if you care.
'Connor will find friends in time.'
They didn't wanna move here -
neither did you.
I'm fine. I like it.
It's your workload I worry about.
What am I supposed to do,
not do my job properly?
You always say it was the job
that killed your dad in the end.
PHONE CHIMES
What is this, guilt-trip Tuesday?
Hey.
I need to have a night in London
on Thursday.
Don't mind holding the fort? No.
Working away a lot.
Half wondering
if I've married a spy.
It's a conference
on intergovernmental AI.
I'm just a boring old civil servant.
That's just what a spy would say.
HE SCOFFS
You all right?
Yeah. I'm just tired.
Night. Night.
DISTANT SIRENS WAIL
So, Mr Talbot, that's quite
the chequered history you have -
aggravated assault,
sexual assault, attempted rape.
Classic escalation
of a violent misogynist.
Did you go a bit further this time?
I don't know what you're on about.
How did you do that?
I tripped on a step. Mm.
For the record, the suspect is being
shown a picture of Julie Knight.
You knew this young woman?
No. Why should I?
Because you arranged to give her
a lift on this ride-sharing app.
It's so easy online, isn't it?
An app allows
a convicted sex offender
to carshare with total strangers.
So, where did you do it?
Do what?
Assault her, keep her prisoner,
poison her with cyanide and
dump her body in a freezer lorry.
What are you talking about?
We found your blood under her nails.
You can't show me that stuff.
Oh, what, cos you're too sensitive?
Give me a break.
You're sick.
She fought back.
She fought back, didn't she?
PHONE BUZZES
And you didn't like it,
and I guess that made you mad,
and you killed her. No.
You're making this up.
Then how do you explain your DNA
under her fingernails?
OK.
I did pick her up.
Mm. We got on well.
And we stopped for a piss
in a quiet spot, and I
You what?
She wanted to as much as I did.
And yet, her body was covered
in bruises from fighting back.
That wasn't me. CHUCKLING: Oh.
She suddenly freaked out,
and, yes, she scratched me.
And then she ran away.
I swear, the last time I saw her,
she was alive.
KNOCKING ON DOOR
DOOR OPENS
We will look into your version
of events.
So I can go?
You are in custody
as a potential murder suspect
until we say otherwise.
I am in the middle
of interviewing a potential suspect.
You have no right
I found a hair
on Julie Knight's body.
It's not Julie's,
but it is not your suspect either.
It's Poppy Carter, five years old,
presumed murdered two months ago.
Except now we know she was alive
48 hours ago,
and she was with Julie
just before she died.
'So, Poppy Carter.'
Two months ago,
her father, Victor Carter,
mother, Donna, a nurse,
and their two kids go missing,
Poppy and her sister, Sam.
Their home was covered
in Donna Carter's blood.
No bodies have been found,
but the working theory
is he killed them all
and has been on the run ever since.
Three weeks before,
Donna had reported Victor
to the police for this.
'Bastard.'
'Also, lots of rumours
in the neighbourhood
'about his abusive behaviour,
but no action was taken, apparently.
'Disgraceful.'
But we now know
at least Poppy's alive,
which means he's been on the run
with the kids for two months.
Wait a minute.
"Large quantities
of potassium cyanide"
"were reported missing from his
workplace at a metalwork factory."
Could Victor have killed Julie too
and dumped her in the lorry?
Well, we could triangulate
the truck's movements.
We have to pin this down.
They have to be in the area.
We need to go
and see Victor's parents.
This is no longer
just a murder case.
We have two vulnerable children
to save.
You're saying that Victor
and the kids might be alive?
We can't be certain,
but it is a possibility.
How would you describe
your relationship with your son?
He's not our son.
Not after what he did.
We asked ourselves so many times,
"How did we create such a monster?"
We now think
he may have killed again -
a young woman,
to stop her from talking.
So I need to know,
have you had any contact
with your son or your grandchildren
in the last three weeks?
No, of course not.
We thought they were dead.
I've, erm I've tracked the lorry
and picked up this CCTV
from a truck park on the M5.
So, black car arrives
in the lorry park.
Parks up next to the truck,
but the driver said he stopped there
for a coffee,
so he wasn't in the lorry.
Can we zoom in?
I mean, could that be Victor Carter?
It's impossible to say from that.
Rohan, wind the tape back.
ROHAN SNIGGERS "Tape"?
Or whatever it is you call it
these days.
Stop. The registration
might just be visible there. Mm-hm.
Bingo.
There we go.
Philip Carter.
The grandfather?
What's he doing there?
Mr Carter, we know
that you didn't kill Julie,
because you were at home
when she was poisoned.
But have you been covering
for your son?
Don't be ridiculous. HE COUGHS
So you didn't help him escape
after he killed his wife?
No.
And he didn't call you up again
after he'd poisoned Julie Knight
to help him get rid of the body?
How did he contact you, Mr Carter?
Was it a burner phone?
Cos we have no calls logged
on your mobile.
You know that
if you turn your mobile off,
we can still find out exactly
where you were at that time?
Is this near
to where you picked up the body?
You've got this all wrong.
Is that your car, Mr Carter?
And is that you unloading
the body
HE COUGHS
where we logged
your last movement?
Poor old Julie Knight
had already fled one attacker.
Then she encountered your son,
and her luck really ran out.
Where did he kill her, Mr Carter?
Your son is dangerous.
He beats your grandchildren.
Poppy and Sam, isn't it?
You have to tell us where they are
before it's too late.
HE COUGHS
I'm sorry, but I can't.
You'll understand one day.
Philip Carter, I'm arresting you
on suspicion of aiding
and abetting the murders
of Donna Carter and Julie Knight.
You do not have to say anything,
but it may harm your defence
if you do not mention
when questioned
something which you later rely
on in court.
FADING: Anything you do say
may be given
PHILIP COUGHING
Histoplasma capsulatum.
That's very unusual.
DOORBELL SHRILLS
Hi, Dr Winter. Is Inspector Bell in?
It's four o'clock in the morning.
Yeah.
So, is she in?
SHE GROANS SOFTLY
Well, your husband seems nice.
Do you know what time it is?
Yeah, 4am. He said.
Actually, I don't suppose you've got
a snack, have you? I forgot to eat.
What the hell are you doing here?
Inspector, you are surely familiar
with Locard's exchange principle?
Remind me. Edmond Locard.
He was
a pioneering forensic scientist.
What is that? Overnight oats.
Anyway, Locard determined that when
two bodies come in close contact,
an exchange takes place.
Thanks to that principle,
I have cracked the case.
I know where they're hiding.
Where?
I examined the suspect,
Philip Carter What?
took some samples. I Why?
The test results show symptoms
of a flu-like lung infection,
but but Carter's vaccinated
against flu and tuberculosis.
So I did some more tests.
Good thing that I did
because that showed the presence
of Histoplasma capsulatum.
Any more Latin
and I'm going back to bed.
"Oh, what is that, Dr Winter?"
I hear you ask.
Well, DI Bell, that is
a very infectious pulmonary disease
caused by a fungus
found in the faeces
of pigeons, chickens and bats.
But get this - it only occurs
in North America and Africa.
Where could he have caught it?
Well, according to the internet,
a few years ago,
some African bats escaped
from Bristol Zoo,
ended up in the Mendip Hills
just off the A39,
where Julie Knight's body was found.
There are caves there,
where, of course, bats live.
In fact, histoplasmosis
is also known as cave disease.
Oh, my God,
is that your impressed face? Gah.
When did you make this?
I hope you're adding live cultures
for gut health. It tastes a bit off.
Shall we go? To look for the caves?
SHE SCOFFS
I will go with my team.
You're not qualified.
Come on. I'll drive.
Got a much better car
than what's-his-name.
Daldry.
Much better company too.
SHE SIGHS
What are you doing?
Missing kids.
Dr Winter thinks he might know
where they are.
We need to move quickly.
He's a handsome guy,
your doctor friend.
SHE SIGHS Should I be jealous?
I'm more likely to kill him
than screw him,
so you can go back to sleep.
Local police say
that there are five possible caves
within walking distance
from where Julie Knight
got out of the car share.
So, which cave are we starting with?
The third one.
Why? No reason.
Yeah, but
Most difficult to get to.
Far from any houses,
water nearby, overhanging.
It's the cave I would choose
if I wanted to hide.
You're not the only competent one
around here, you know.
WHISPERS: Damn it.
WINGS FLUTTER
When did they leave?
Their last meal
was before yesterday, I'd say.
Christ.
They must have left
after Julie's body was dumped.
They're on foot.
It'll take them at least a day
to get out of the forest,
especially with the kids.
Speak to the search commander.
I want heat signature aerial support
and search team dogs.
SHOUTS: Let's ramp this search up.
RADIO CHATTER, HELICOPTER WHIRRS
DOG BARKS
You coming? Do you smell that?
SHE SNIFFS No. What is it?
Compost.
Rotting meat.
Faeces.
Inspector,
there's a dead body around here.
WATER DRIPS
Oh, God.
Let me call
for a specialist search team.
No, I'll do it.
I've got all the kit in the car.
For what? Climbing.
CHUCKLING: A man has hobbies.
You're not entering a crime scene
without my officers present first.
Winter! If you call a team,
they'll take hours to get here.
I won't touch anything, I promise.
SHE EXHALES
FAINTLY: Well?
Well,
there's definitely a body here.
It's adult.
It's been here
for a few months at least.
Could it be Donna Carter?
SOFTLY: Narrow angle between the
pubis, rami and the pelvic bone.
This is male. Well?
Inspector, we've got this all wrong.
This is the husband.
This is Victor Carter.
ANTONY ON PHONE:
'Sorry I'm away tonight. Miss you.'
Yeah, I miss you too.
'See you tomorrow?' Yeah.
PHONE BEEPS
Hello?
Inspector, postmortem report
on Victor Carter.
Cyanide poisoning.
The cyanide that went missing
was to kill him?
So he obviously didn't steal it.
Apparently not.
Someone who had access to his
workplace, maybe even a set of keys,
who really wanted him dead.
Statistically,
who's that most likely to be?
Statistically, the partner.
Who we know he abused.
Impossible.
The forensics team were clear.
They found over three pints
of Donna's blood at the crime scene.
There's no way
she could have survived.
She could have staged it. What?
That's implausible. How?
She's a nurse.
She knows what she's doing.
She could have taken a pint of blood
three times over the course of three
or four days, spread it everywhere.
That is a crazy plan.
You'd have to be
desperate.
What if he was abusive?
What if he starts on you one day,
then starts on the kids?
What wouldn't you do
to protect them?
You'd get rid of him,
start a new life somewhere else.
No-one would know that he died.
Sorry, it's just a daft theory.
No. I know who we can test it on.
DOOR OPENS
DOOR CLOSES
So, we now know
that Donna killed her husband
to save herself and the kids.
I presume you also helped her move
the body and dump it down the well.
He was going to kill her.
Her and the children.
She found the cyanide
that he'd stolen from work
in the bathroom, so she had to
HE SIGHS
to do it to him first.
If the police had listened to her,
none of this would have happened.
I apologise unreservedly
if we let her down,
but there is still
the unfortunate fact
that she killed an innocent woman.
That was nothing to do with her.
You know nothing.
Well, then who was it?
Because we know it wasn't you.
WHIMPERS
It was one of the children.
PHILIP GROANS
What happened?
'Julie must have run
well off the beaten track.
'She stumbled across the caves
by accident.'
PHILIP SIGHS
'She recognised Donna
from the TV news.
'She got chatting to them,
'and they ended up having something
to eat together,
'and she just wanted to help,
'but Poppy was worried
that her mum was going to prison.'
DALDRY: 'Well, what did she do?'
'Donna had kept some of the cyanide
in her purse to get rid of the rats,
'and she told the children
not to touch it
'because it would make them sleepy.
'So Poppy got it into her head
'to secretly put some
in Julie's food to put her to sleep,
'and they could run away.
'I mean, she had no idea
what she was doing.'
When Donna called me,
she was devastated,
but it's not her fault.
It was my son's fault.
Now you need to tell us
where they are.
They're vulnerable.
They'll be tired and hungry.
No.
SHE SIGHS
Come on, Mr Carter, you've got
a chance to do the right thing here.
You'll never find her. She's smart.
She'll find a way out.
KNOCKING ON DOOR
Do you know what these are?
They're the cyanide capsules
we found at the caves.
You see, what's interesting
is that four of them are missing.
One of them was for Julie.
The other three
What do you mean?
One for Donna
two for
SPLUTTERS No.
She'd never do that.
Are you certain?
She was desperate enough
to kill her husband, Mr Carter.
Desperate people
do desperate things.
Maybe she'd rather die
with her children than lose them.
Oh!
HE GASPS
They're about to get on a coach
to Pembroke.
She's planning
on getting the ferry to Ireland.
DOOR CLOSES
SIRENS WAIL
Excuse me.
Excuse me. I'm sorry.
PHONE CHIMES
EDDIE ON PHONE: 'Doctor,
a new case came in, a suicide.
'I emailed you the initial report,
but can you take a look?
'I found something really odd
you should see.'
SIMONE: What are you looking at?
I didn't even know you were here.
What are you making?
This? Mm-hm.
Is it some kind
of fermented weirdness?
THEY LAUGH
No, this is just, er,
a little thank-you for someone.
Mm. I have to go.
You promise me you'll be here
when I get back?
I'll do my best.
DALDRY: Right. Come on, then, girls.
Let's go and see
if we can find Granny.
Oh, my darling. There she is.
There we go. Oh.
Oh, darling, how lovely to see you.
What's gonna happen to their mother?
Well, I would hope that Donna
won't be separated for too long
from her kids.
Most courts will be lenient
after the abuse she suffered.
But she did kill her husband,
so she will be looking
at a prison sentence.
As for Poppy
she had no idea
what she was doing.
What's that? Oh, yeah, I forgot.
A little present I made for you.
It's a healthier
overnight oats recipe.
Lots of Lactobacillus bulgaricus.
Thanks, I guess.
Just a little dash of cyanide.
SHE LAUGHS
Do you mind me asking
why you chose forensic medicine?
Why did you choose to become a cop?
I've noticed when you don't want
to answer a question,
you just throw one back at me.
OK.
Supposing something terrible
happened to you, God forbid,
wouldn't you want your loved ones
to know what happened?
Not from a criminal standpoint
but from a human one.
Of course I would.
Well, there you go.
I'd like to bring the dead
some peace.
Probably sounds a bit trite,
but I became a forensic doctor
to mend souls.
Not trite at all.
We make a good team, I think.
You think?
You trespassed a crime scene,
walked into a suspect's interview
with falsified evidence,
and you quite clearly have
an authority problem.
HE SIGHS SOFTLY
I've got to go, so can you, erm?
Yeah, sorry.
My husband's away,
and I wanna see my kids.
Don't forget your
Yeah, thanks.
MUSIC: 'Always On My Mind'
by Pet Shop Boys
SHE CHUCKLES
HE LAUGHS
Hi, I'm back.
Maybe I didn't treat you ♪
Quite as good as I should ♪
Maybe I didn't love you ♪
Quite as often as I could ♪
Little things I should
have said and done ♪
I never took the time ♪
You were always on my mind ♪
You were always on my mind ♪
Maybe I didn't hold you ♪
All those lonely, lonely times ♪
And I guess I never told you ♪
I'm so happy that you're mine ♪
If I made you feel second best ♪
I'm so sorry I was blind ♪
You were always on my mind ♪
DISTORTED: Tell me. ♪
MUSIC STOPS
INAUDIBLE
No, no.
HE SCREAMS
HE PANTS