Jim Burns

Jim Burns is one of the main characters of The Fall.

Burns is the Assistant Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Stella Gibson's supervising officer. He's portrayed by the actor and novelist from Northern Ireland John Lynch.

Character Profile
Burns, played by John Lynch, is the Assistant Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland - the head of Crime Operations. Burns has been responsible for appointing Gibson - an outsider - as head of Operation Music Man. As such, it seems his career will stand or fall on the success of the Task Force.

Viewed from the outside, Burns’ decision also looks dubious because of some kind of relationship that took place with Gibson in the past.

Burns has served as a police officer for thirty years, much of that time in Northern Ireland. He has seen a great deal during that time and seems to bear the scars.

Early life
Very little is known about his life, except that in the past has had an affair with Stella Gibson and that he was willing to leave his wife. He attended A.A. and didn't drink alcohol for several years until he got drunk during investigations.

Personality
He is a devout Christian man who often collides with the open-minded Stella. During the investigations is called "weak" by Eastwood and this upsets him greatly, as he too thinks he is weak. Jim is sexually attracted to Stella so much to try to possess her by force but then attributed his actions to alcohol.

Physical Appearance
Jim is a man on the threshold of fifty years. Salt and pepper hair, bushy gray beard that covers his face and an athletic build who has enfeebled with age advanced. He has small eyes blacks that give him the look of a beaten dog.