DS Barry Purvis
Barry Purvis was a Metropolitan Police Officer serving as Office Manager with the Murder Investigation Team in London between 2003 and 2004. He held the rank of Detective Sergeant.
During the investigation into the murder of Sgt. Matthew Boyden of Sun Hill police station, Purvis worked with his team to uncover the killer. He located the 999 call recording that led Boyden to the place of the shooting and among other tasks, looked into files on local gun crime. At the end of the investigation, he joined the rest of the team in a rare visit to the pub. (MIT: Moving Targets)
Purvis showed a sense of humour to his colleagues, jokingly telling DI Vivien Friend and DC Rosie McManus that their vague description of a suspect would "narrow it down a bit". (MIT: Daddy's Little Girl) Despite being fairly straight laced, Purvis would take part in office banter and was part of the team who watched and laughed as an unsuspecting Friend was subject to prank by DS Trevor Hands. (MIT: Lambs To The Slaughter)
Purvis tended to remain in the office late rather than go to the pub with his colleagues and one occasion stayed back to work on a theory he had for a suspect. He was proved correct and called the team back to the office to happily show them his findings. (MIT: Reading Writing and Gangbanging)
Purvis was among the team who remained in the office following the tragic murder of DC Scott Grainger. (MIT: The Bigger The Lie)
Purvis remains with the team following a significant reshuffle of staff and the subsequent move to another police station in early 2004. At this stage, he is only one of three officers on the team who previously reported to Friend. He is seen being more relaxed in the office, often not wearing his suit jacket as he was always seen doing so previously. He also takes to not always wearing his glasses. He also goes to the pub more regularly and is seen smoking a cigar when there. (MIT: Episode One)
It is during this time that Purvis starts to attend meetings outside the station and visits the mortuary and the evidence rooms as part of the investigations. He also strikes up friendships with new recruits DC Jed Griffiths and DC Simon Tait, showing off his football knowledge. (MIT: Episode Three)
During an investigation where newly promoted DS Rosie McManus' life is at threat, DC Eva Sharpe calls Purvis who is still at the station and he assists remotely in helping them both. (MIT: Episode Four)
Notes[]
Barry Purvis was played by M.I.T. main cast member Richard Hope. He had previously made three guest appearances on parent series, The Bill, and would go on to recur on that series as Rod Jessop in 2006 and 2007.
Barry was one of only three characters to appear in all eleven episodes of M.I.T.
Although very little was revealed about Barry Purvis over the course of the series, his biography on the official series website read slightly different from the character we saw on screen, notably the rank and mention of retirement:
| DC Barry Purvis |
| Barry loves his job and would rather not think about the prospect of retirement in the not too distant future. Nothing holds his interest like his work and consequently he's always first in the office and last to leave. Everyone likes Barry because he's harmless, always polite and willing to do anything for anyone. As office manager, his knowledge of cases past and present is encyclopaedic. Barry loves a good detail! |