Traces (TV series)

Traces focuses on three female forensic professionals, Emma Hedges, Sarah Gordon and Kathy Torrance, working together at the fictional Scottish Institute of Forensic Science and Anatomy (SIFA) at the fictional University of Tayside in Dundee, Scotland, as they uncover the truth of a murder case and bring a killer to justice.

In the first series, the cast was as follows:^[7]

• Molly Windsor^[8] as Emma Hedges, a laboratory technician who has moved back to her birthplace of Dundee, for her new job, and in search of answers about her mother's murder.
• Laura Fraser^[9][10] as Sarah Gordon, professor of Chemistry at the University of Tayside and Emma's new boss at SIFA.
• Jennifer Spence^[11] as Kathy Torrence, a professor of forensic anthropology at the University of Tayside and a colleague at SIFA.
• Martin Compston^[12] as Daniel MacAfee, director of a construction company and romantic interest of Emma.
• Vincent Regan^[13] as Phil MacAfee, Daniel's father and former director of MacAfee Construction.
• Michael Nardone^[14] as Detective Inspector Neil McKinven, a friend of Professor Gordon who has insight on the Marie Monroe case.
• Phil McKee as Jimmy Levin, husband of Marie Monroe and Emma's stepfather.
• John Gordon Sinclair^[15] as Drew Cubbin, Emma's father and ex-partner of Marie Monroe.
• Morayo Akandé as Detective Constable Trina Adeboyo, colleague of DI McKinven at Police Scotland.
• Jamie Marie Leary as Skye Alessi, Emma's childhood best friend.
• Carly Anderson as Marie Monroe, Emma's mother who was murdered in 2001, and whose case remains unsolved.
• Laurie Brett^[16] as Izzy Alessi, best friend of Marie Monroe, and mother to Emma's childhood best friend Skye.
• Joana Borja as Pia Salvador, forensic scientist and love interest of Professor Torrence.
• Andrea Hart as Janine Muir, SIFA's receptionist.
• Anna Leong Brophy as Louise Chiu Jones, chemist and Emma's colleague at SIFA who works alongside her in the lab.
• Neve McIntosh as Julie Hedges, Emma's maternal aunt, who adopted her after the murder of her mother and took her to Manchester.
• Janey Godley as Clare Tindall, a criminal defence lawyer who represents Daniel.

Traces is set in and around Dundee, but the majority of the series was filmed in Bolton.^[19][20] The theme tune is a cover of Nina Simone's "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Valerie Broussard.^[21]