Netflix’s latest crime drama, Adolescence, has been making waves globally for its hour-long single-take episodes, seamlessly shot across multiple locations. However, what many might not know is that the Indian television show CID registered a Guinness World Record for ‘the longest television shot’ with a 111-minute single-take episode 21 years ago.
The episode, titled Inheritance, aired on Sony TV on November 7, 2004. Directed by B.P. Singh, and written by Rajat Arora, Shilpa Choubey and Susheel Choubey, the episode followed the CID team’s arrival at a mansion where a murder had taken place, with all suspects still present.
The episode featured CID’s core team — Shivaji Satam, Aditya Srivastav, Dayanand Shetty, Dinesh Phadnis, and Mona Ambegaonkar — alongside series regulars Manav Gohil and Smita Bansal. Kay Kay Menon, Raj Zutshi, and Kruttika Desai also played pivotal roles.
“A black figure visits a hotel, causing tension among family members. Loveline is killed, and an injured elder, Harsh Chandra, contacts CID. Keitkey, Chandra's cousin, is found dead,” the episode description on online movie database IMDb reads.
The Guinness World Records citation for CID reads: “The longest continuous camera shot in a TV show was 111 minutes, lasting the entire episode of C.I.D (Fireworks Productions, India), filmed by director B.P. Singh in Mumbai, India, on 8 October 2004 and subsequently broadcast by the Sony Entertainment Television Network (India) on 7 November 2004”.
Created by B.P. Singh and produced by Fireworks Production, CID aired on Sony Entertainment Television from January 21, 1998 to October 27, 2018. One of India’s longest-running television series, CID spanned 1,547 episodes over a period of 20 years. A new reboot season released on Sony TV on December 21 last year, before streaming on Netflix in February.
Created by Graham and Jack Thorne and directed by Philip Barantini, Adolescence explores the turmoil of a British couple whose 13-year-old son is arrested for murdering a schoolmate. The show stars Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham, and Ashley Walters.
